WEEK 12 women's SBL action features seven matches over three days with Lakeside and Mandurah fighting over second spot, Stirling, Joondalup, Kalamunda and Cockburn battling for fourth and South West and Perry Lakes looking to end the weekend inside the top-eight.

There are three women's SBL matches that will take place on Friday night, two more on Saturday night and then another two on Sunday afternoon over the course of the WA Day Weekend.

On Friday night all three matches tip-off at 6.30pm with the Perth Redbacks facing the Stirling Senators at Belmont Oasis with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns playing the Lakeside Lightning at Ray Owen Sports Centre and the Perry Lakes Hawks battling the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames at the WA Basketball Centre.

The Redbacks host the Senators with Perth facing an uphill battle to record its first win of the season against a Stirling team on a five-game winning streak and sitting with a 7-3 record in fourth position.

It's the exact type of game that the Senators can't afford to drop as they look to maintain touch with the top three teams, and also keep ahead of those just behind them in the standings.

The Redbacks have been slowly showing signs of improvement throughout the season, though, despite having lost their 13 matches to date.

The Eastern Suns have now found their best form of the season with last year's grand finalists on a three-match winning run to improve to a 6-6 record in sixth position as they gear up against the Lightning.

Lakeside might have lost to Stirling last Saturday night, but the Lightning r emain on an impressive 10-3 record for the season to be sitting in second position in the standings.

The Hawks and Flames then do battle with Perry Lakes desperate for a win to stop a three-game losing run up against the unbeaten Rockingham.

Perry Lakes has shown signs of impressive form this season, but currently sit outside the top-eight with a 4-7 record and it's going to be a big ask to get back on the winner's list this Friday up against a Rockingham team who has won the opening 14 games of the 2014 women's SBL season.

Then on Saturday night each match takes place from 6pm with the Soprano Cockburn Cougars playing the Joondalup Wolves at Wally Hagan Stadium and the Willetton Tigers playing the Schweigen East Perth Eagles at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The Cougars suffered disappointing losses last weekend against Lakeside and Rockingham, and now things don’t get any easier this Saturday night up against the defending champion Wolves.

Cockburn slipped to a 6-6 record to be in seventh position following last weekend's two losses with Joondalup now having to deal with the absence of Chelsea Burns, but the Wolves do currently sit in fifth position with a 7-4 record.

However, the Cougars can take confidence from the fact that Joondalup has won just three of six games on the road so far in 2014.

The struggling Tigers then host an Eagles team that showed early signs this year of improving but has now fallen away slightly.

Willetton finished 2013 as the women's SBL minor premiers before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the South West Slammers, but the Tigers have not clicked at all so far in 2014 now having lost three straight matches to be sitting on a 3-9 record.

While the Eagles only won once in all of 2013 and have won two games already in 2014, they are now on a seven-game losing run.

Then on Sunday, the Joondalup Wolves play the Mandurah Magic at Joondalup Basketball Stadium at 12pm and the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers battle the Stirling Senators at Eaton Recreation Centre at 4pm.

The defending champion Wolves back up their clash with the Cougars on Saturday with a big game against the in-form Magic on Sunday.

Mandurah will be playing its only match of the weekend with the Magic currently looking solid in third position with a two-game break on Stirling in fourth and a 9-3 record so far on the season.

The final game of the weekend should then be another beauty when the Slammers host the Senators in Eaton.

South West will be turning out for its only game of the weekend and coming into the clash on a two-game winning run for a 4-7 record. The Senators will be looking to keep in touch with the top-three.

WEEK 12 WOMEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Perth Redbacks v Stirling Senators, Belmont Oasis 6.30pm
Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Lakeside Lightning, Ray Owen Sports Centre 6.30pm
Perry Lakes Hawks v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, WA Basketball Centre 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Soprano Lady Cougars v Joondalup Wolves, Wally Hagan Stadium 6pm
Willetton Tigers v Schweigen East Perth Eagles, Willetton Basketball Stadium 6pm

SUNDAY
Joondalup Wolves v Mandurah Magic, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 12pm
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers v Stirling Senators, Eaton Recreation Centre 4pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Sebpix