Hooper heroics sees Tigers eclipse Suns
Southlands Boulevard Willetton Tigers went one step closer to securing the women’s State Basketball League minor premiership with a convincing 84-63 win over Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Willetton Basketball Stadium on Tuesday night.
The 150-strong crowd witnessed Willetton and West Coast Waves guard Jasmine Hooper record an impressive double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The 19-year-old was one of five Tigers to reach double figures, with Melissa Marsh (18 points), Emma Lobb (17), Kate Malpass (12) and Zoe Harper (10) all contributing.
For Kalamunda it was Melissa Moyle leading the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, well supported by Racehl Muenggenborg with 12.
Marsh and Malpass came out firing for the home side, combining for 14 first-quarter points on their way to a 20-14 lead.
Last year’s premiers continued to grow in confidence during the second period, leading by as much as 15 points before a spirited fight-back from Kalamunda.
Led by Moyle and import Leah Rush, the Suns surged back midway through the second quarter to bridge the gap to just four points at the main break.
The Tigers regrouped in the third quarter, scoring the opening 11 points on their way to a 61-45 advantage.
Kalamunda simply had no answers for the dominance of Marsh, Hooper, Lobb, Malpass and Harper in the second half as the reigning premiers led by up to 31 late in the match.
The visitors scored the final 10 points of the match, but it was too little too late as the Tigers recorded a comfortable 21-point triumph.
Willetton sit very comfortably on top of the WSBL ladder following their 18th victory of the season, with a win over Perry Lakes on the weekend, or even a loss by less than 15 points, guaranteeing them the minor premiership.
Article by Jordan McArdle at Willetton Basketball Stadium
Photo by Grant Lauterbach
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.