East Perth's 'best win of the year' against Wolves
Australian Central East Perth Eagles took a big step towards securing a men's State Basketball League finals spot with a 118-103 upset home victory against the in-form Wanneroo Wolves on Friday.
The Eagles trailed late in the third quarter but outscored Wanneroo 47-31 from there to secure a result coach Matt Parsons described as their "best win of the year".
Victory saw East Perth climb up to sixth spot, needing to win just one of its last three games to ensure a spot in the playoffs, while the result also ended the Wolves' slim hopes of finishing first.
"Wanneroo have been in huge form but we've done a lot of hard work in the last two months to get ourselves in this position and the finals are coming at the right time for us," Parsons said.
"I'm just really happy that we were able to grind out that win."
It was the home side's superior shooting which was the biggest difference, with the Eagles making 51 per cent of their field goal attempts to Wanneroo's 36 per cent and also shooting their three-point and free-throw attempts at a higher clip.
And a huge part of that was because of Drew Williamson, who broke the tight defence of Wildcats teammate Brad Robbins to lead East Perth to victory with 33 points after shooting 59 per cent from the field.
Greg Hire was Wanneroo's best performer with 34 points and 22 rebounds, but Eagles centre Tom Jervis - one of the other leading candidates for the final spot on the Wildcats roster - also starred with 30 points and 22 rebounds as both showcased their NBL credentials.
The hosts made a tremendous start and were 16 points up after just eight minutes.
That lead was extended to 22 early in the second but Wanneroo gradually fought back from there, cutting the margin to seven at half-time and briefly taking the lead on two occasions in the third.
But just like during its fast-paced start, East Perth's superior offense in transition and hot shooting was too much for second-placed Wanneroo to handle in the final quarter.
After their six-game winning streak was ended, the Wolves are under pressure from Perry Lakes to maintain a top two spot, while East Perth could sneak into the top four with an impressive finish to the season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles' women climbed into the top four after beating Wanneroo 83-67.
The Wolves' second-straight loss saw them drop to fifth spot and allowed East Perth to move to fourth with its fifth-consecutive victory.
Wanneroo was never in front as strong performances from Dannielle Devenny and Melissa Winfield, who both had 16 points, sparked the upset.
The hosts were never truly challenged as they took a seven-point lead at the first break, extended it to 13 at half-time and wrapped up victory with a dominant start to the last quarter.
While the Eagles shot at a superior clip, the big difference was on the boards - with Wanneroo grabbing just 25 rebounds to East Perth's 36 - and the visitors couldn't overcome that.
Rebecca Mercer and Amy Kidner both finished with 12 points for the Wolves.
Article by Jacob Kagi at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre
Photo by Darren Speedie (Vision Inspired Photography)
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