People’s Choice East Perth Eagles have continued their rise up the men’s SBL ladder with a 114-100 victory over Mandurah at the M.A.R.C. on Saturday night.

East Perth’s seventh win in a row sees them climb to fifth on the ladder and only remain outside the top four due to percentage.

East Perth took control of the game from the tip off as Tom Jervis and Jarrod Balcombe proved a handful inside the paint, while Drew Williamson remained dangerous from beyond the three point line.

The Eagles took a ten point lead into the half on the back of Balcombe’s 18 points. Tom Remmerswaal loomed ominous for the Magic as he recorded 19 points to the half, but Mandurah’s back court struggled to provide support.

Tempers threatened to boil over in the second half as technical and unsportsmanlike fouls were awarded to East Perth, but this didn’t hamper their momentum as they continued to thwart a Magic comeback and stretched the lead out to as many as 27 points.

Mandurah won the fourth quarter but were hampered by costly turnovers which resulted in numerous easy layups for Williamson. The highlight of the match by far was the finish by Balcombe off an alley-oop pass, which he converted whilst being fouled.

Balcombe led the way for the Eagles with 29 points and 14 rebounds while Jervis had 22 points and six blocks. Remmerswaal was the standout for the Magic with 34 points and 13 rebounds while Taylor Mullenax had 22 points and 16 rebounds.

With Cockburn’s loss to Geraldton, Mandurah remain in third place ahead of a clash against top of the table Wanneroo on Friday night. The Wolfpack’s last loss came in round six to the Magic in Joondalup. A loss for the Magic could see them drop to as low as fifth and risk losing home court advantage in the first round of the finals.

East Perth has the tough task of travelling to Kalgoorlie to face another finals contender in the Giants, who will be looking to secure a finals berth themselves. A win could take the Eagles as high as third, however if results go against them, a loss could see them drop back to sixth after Round 19.

In earlier WSBL action, the Toll Ipec East Perth Eagles continued their march towards the playoffs with an 83-57 victory over Mandurah.

It was full steam ahead for the Eagles as they led for all 40 minutes of the contest and led by as many as 32 points.

The victory ensures the Eagles remain in eighth position ahead of their bye next week, two games clear of ninth placed Perry Lakes. Even with a loss in the final round of the season and two wins by the Hawks in their final games, East Perth’s superior percentage over the Hawks would see them safely into a finals berth.

The Magic have wrapped up the wooden spoon for 2012 with only one game remaining in their season before a bye in the final round.

Kate Fielding and Kelsey Maffin were outstanding for the Hawks, each finishing with 18 points. Tarsha Fletcher was Mandurah’s leading scorer with 15 points while youngster Ashlee Sidebottom had her best game of the season, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Article by Nathan Winch
Photo by Grant Lauterbach (www.carstereo.com.au)