Big double-headers as Jackson reaches 200 (Week 11 Men's SBL Preview)
THERE are three men's SBL matches on Friday night and another six on Saturday with the Stirling Senators, Lakeside Lightning, Rockingham Flames, Cockburn Cougars all playing both nights.
The top-of-the-table Flames have an interesting weekend against the East Perth Eagles and Cougars while Cockburn faces a big ask to try and keep its season alive taking on firstly the defending champion Lightning and then the league-leading Rockingham.
Meanwhile, Lakeside's Brad Jackson will play his 200th SBL match also on the weekend and the two-time championship winner and five-time WABL Most Valuable Player is in the middle of an outstanding season with the Lightning averaging 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game.
Week 11 of the 2014 SBL season begins on Friday night with the Lakeside Lightning taking on the Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars at Lakeside Recreation Centre, the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames facing the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles at Mike Barnett Sports Complex and the Perry Lakes Hawks battling the Stirling Senators at the WA Basketball Centre.
All three matches on Friday night tip-off at 8.30pm.
The Lightning host the Cougars with Lakeside looking to cement its spot in the top-four while Cockburn is just desperate to remain in some sort of touch with the top-eight. Currently the Cougars sit on a 4-9 record having lost three of their last four matches to be in 12th spot.
The two teams only met recently back in Week 8 when the Cougars scored an upset 102-95 win at Wally Hagan Stadium.
The top-of-the-table Flames then need to keep winning to hold on to top spot with Rockingham facing a good test against the improving Eagles at home on Friday.
The Flames are back on a three-game winning run to hold a 12-3 record to be a game ahead of the Buccaneers, but they will drop top spot with a loss to East Perth.
The Eagles have now won four straight matches to currently sit in ninth position with a 7-8 record.
The Hawks and Senators are among the teams fighting over eighth spot at present with Perry Lakes hosting Stirling on Friday.
The Senators currently hold eighth spot with a 5-5 record but the Hawks aren’t far behind on 5-7 despite having lost three straight.
The two teams did meet back in Week 8 with Perry Lakes recording a thumping 103-69 victory at Warwick Leisure Centre.
It is then a massive night of action on Saturday beginning in Geraldton and Kalgoorlie with the regional fixtures at 7.30pm with the Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers taking on the Mandurah Magic at Active West Stadium and then the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants playing the Perth Redbacks at Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium.
There are then three matches that tip-off at 8pm with the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers playing the Joondalup Wolves at Eaton Recreation Centre, the Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars facing the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames at Wally Hagan Stadium and the Stirling Senators taking on the Lakeside Lightning at Warwick Leisure Centre.
The final game of the weekend then takes place at 8.30pm on Saturday night with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns hosting the Willetton Tigers at Ray Owen Sports Centre.
The Buccaneers take on the Magic in what should be a cracking encounter in Geraldton with it being the only game of the weekend for both top-five teams.
Geraldton could very well be in top spot by the time the game starts if East Perth happens to beat Rockingham on Friday, and then the Buccaneers could remain there by Saturday night with a win over the Magic but that won't be easy.
The Buccs have won four straight matches to be on an 11-3 record, but the Magic broke a three-game losing run last week to steady to a 7-5 record and they can return to the top-four with an upset win in Geraldton on Saturday night.
The Redbacks will then be out to consolidate their top-eight spot and remain in touch with the top-four heading to Kalgoorlie to take on the struggling Giants.
Perth has won just two of seven games on the road so far this season so will be looking to improve on that on Saturday night up against a Giants team that has now lost six straight matches to be in last place on 2-11.
The Slammers then host the Wolves in what promises to be another superb men's contest on Saturday night with both also making their only appearances of the weekend.
South West's winning form came to an end last weekend at the hands of East Perth, but the Slammers remain in seventh spot with a 7-6 record.
Joondalup, meanwhile, beat Perry Lakes last weekend but lost to Geraldton to remain in third position with an 8-5 record.
The Cougars then back up their tough match-up with the defending champion Lightning on Friday by taking on the current league leaders the Flames on Saturday.
The Flames will also be coming off a clash on Friday against the Eagles so both teams will need to recover well after the expected tough matches 24 hours earlier.
The two teams have already met this season in Week 6 with Rockingham beating Cockburn 102-85 at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.
The Senators back up their clash with the Hawks on Friday night by taking on a Lightning team also having played the Cougars on Friday.
Two teams near the bottom of the standings then close out the round with the Eastern Suns and the Tigers both playing their only matches of the weekend.
The Suns got a win last Saturday night over the Giants to improve to a 3-10 record while the Tigers aren’t travelling much better at 4-8 on a three-game losing slide.
The two teams did most recently play on Anzac Day with Willetton winning 111-99 at Willetton Basketball Stadium.
WEEK 11 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Lakeside Lightning v Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars, Lakeside Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Orange Autos Rockingham Flames v Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 8.30pm
Perry Lakes Hawks v Stirling Senators, WA Basketball Centre 8.30pm
SATURDAY
Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers v Mandurah Magic, Active West Stadium 7.30pm
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants v Perth Redbacks, Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium 7.30pm
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers v Joondalup Wolves, Eaton Recreation Centre 8pm
Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, Wally Hagan Stadium 8pm
Stirling Senators v Lakeside Lightning, Warwick Leisure Centre 8pm
Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Willetton Tigers, Ray Owen Sports Centre 8.30pm
Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin
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