Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants coach Dan Fisher believes his team has turned the corner after back-to-back State Basketball League victories.

The Giants, who sit seventh on the SBL ladder with a 3-3 win-loss record, posted a 94-86 victory against Willetton on Saturday which followed a superb road win over Geraldton.

However, the Giants face a major acid test this weekend with a road double-header against Lakeside Lightning and East Perth Eagles.

Lakeside is undefeated so far this season while the inconsistent Eagles had recent wins over Kalamunda and the Perth Redbacks. “I think we turned the corner in the Geraldton game and then to have our first win at home was great, ” Fisher said.

“But it is a big road trip – we have to start winning games against teams which are above us on the ladder.

“Lakeside hasn’t lost a match yet and East Perth had a good win over the Redbacks on Saturday.

“We beat East Perth in the Pre-Season Blitz when they were almost full strength so we should go all right against them.”

The Giants will again look to import Michael Haney, who has been in sensational form after filling in for the injured Darnell Dialls this season.

Haney is averaging 21.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per match, including a game-high 27 points in the come-from-behind win over Willetton on Saturday.

Fisher said Haney had not only impressed during games, but also at training. “He (Haney) just loves the competition and he keeps on getting better, ” he said.

“He also loves the training and he is constantly encouraging his team-mates to work harder.

“Hopefully the rest of the team will start to get the message because there have been a few softies at training recently.”

Fisher expressed his relief at finally notching his first victory at home, despite trailing by seven points at half-time. “I never thought we were out of it and the boys really tightened up in the last half, ” he said.

“We are starting to play some attractive basketball but it’s just a matter of narrowing the gap between our best and worst performances.

“Mentally we are starting to find some rhythm but we have to keep up the hard work on the training track.”

The Giants face Lakeside on Saturday night before tackling East Perth on Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Geraldton Buccaneers have joined their country rivals in moving into the top eight after solid wins against the struggling Rockingham Flames and East Perth Eagles.

Import Michael Lay top-scored with 49 points to help the Buccaneers thrash the winless Flames 111-86 on Sunday, including five-of-eight from beyond the three-point line.

Article by Michael Philipps (Kalgoorlie Miner)
Photo by Travis Anderson (Andmedia)