Hawks swoop past Willetton
Total Connections Perry Lakes Hawks have dealt Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers a major psychological blow, defeating the side they could face in the quarterfinals of the men’s State Basketball League finals 104-92.
And defeat came at a potentially huge cost for Willetton, with Perth Wildcats star Matt Knight appearing to reinjure the calf that had kept him out for the previous month. The centre was limited to just four minutes on the court.
Perry Lakes now sit two-games clear of Willetton in fourth, having played one extra match, with one fixture in round 19 against Mandurah Magic to conclude their season.
Willetton will face Goldfield Giants on Sunday, before East Perth in their final match of the regular season and one that will ultimately decide fifth place on the standings.
The Hawks set up the victory on the back of a dominant first half shooting display from Jesse Dixon and Ben Purser and took a 16-point lead into half time.
Willetton’s best attempts to close in the third period only saw them come within nine points.
Hawks coach Dion Dagostino said he was impressed with the four-quarter effort from his side but said he wasn’t fussed whether the Hawks clinched fourth spot on the standings.
“The help defence was far better tonight than we have been playing, our goal was just to win each quarter by at least one point and go from there,” he said.
“Top four doesn’t really fuss us too much, if we get it we get it, but it’s not the end of the world, us and Willetton are four and five. Game one to be at home is considered a disadvantage but I wouldn’t mind.”
Ben Purser finished up as the high-point man with 28 points; Anthony Lee had 24, while Mark Jones was Willetton’s best with 22.
Earlier in the night the Perry Lakes Lady Hawks gained a similar mental advantage when they defeated top-of-the-table Willetton in what could be a precursor to the women’s final.
But Perry Lakes' hopes of winning the minor premiership ended with the narrow victory, which wasn't enough for it to gain the head-to-head tiebreaker over Willetton, which has now secured top spot.
The Hawks stormed away in the first period 23-8 but had to withstand a strong final quarter challenge from the reigning premiers to claim the 66-63 win.
Gabriella Clayton led the way with 20 points while Kate Malpass had 17 for the Tigers.
The win leaves the Hawks one win behind Willetton with one match to be played and guaranteed to finish second.
Article by Ben Cameron at the WA Basketball Centre
Photo by Marg Prior
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