The week twelve “Kickz101 Perth” Men’s SBL Player of the Week has been awarded to Duran Blue of the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants.

With the injured Tommy Hannon out of the line-up, fellow import Duran Blue has taken his game to another level to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the Giants stay competitive this season.

On Saturday night the Giants took on the Lightning at Lakeside Recreation Centre in a game many would have predicted to be an easy win for the home side. Goldfields import Duran Blue was out to ensure this wasn’t the case and put together an exceptional performance to score 42 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as his team went down by only seven points in a tight contest 113-106.

Sunday wouldn’t be any easier for the Giants as they faced the Perry Lakes Hawks at the WA Basketball Centre. Blue again was outstanding for the visiting side top scoring with 30 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists to lead his team to one of the upsets of the season defeating the Perry Lakes Hawks 95 to 90.

Currently averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, Duran Blue has been a shining light for the Giants this year and will be looking to continue his form to increase the teams current win/loss record of 3 and 13.

Other considerations for the award included;

Cooper Land (Rockingham), Bradley Tinsley (Lakeside), Robert Huntington (Joondalup), Ben Purser (Perry lakes), Gavin Field (Cockburn), Jordan Wild (Stirling), Stanley Okoye (Perth), Lee Roberts (Perth),  Carter Cook (Geraldton), Clive Weedon (South West) , Ben Smith (Mandurah), John Dickson (Willetton), Louis Timms (Kalamunda), Caleb Palkert (Goldfields) & Taylor Land (Rockingham).

 

The week twelve “Kickz101 Perth” Women’s SBL Player of the Week has been awarded to Kari Pickens of the Lakeside Lightning.

With the Rockingham Flames and their superstar Samantha Whitcomb receiving plenty of the attention this year, the Lakeside Lightning and their own star import Kari Pickens are flying under the radar as a potential championship winning team and MVP combination.

The Lakeside Lightning travelled to Lesmurdie on Friday night to take on the highly rated Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Ray Owen Sports Centre. Pickens caught fire early for the visiting side and never looked back finishing with a game high 36 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

Pickens currently averages 19.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season and holds the fourth highest three point field goal percentage in the league at 36.4%.

The Lightning women will look to freshen up this weekend with their team on a bye and prepare for a huge couple of months ahead as they aim to solidify their top four position on the WSBL ladder.

Other considerations for the award included;

Jessica Jakens (Perth), Alison Schwagmeyer (Kalamunda), Bianca Donovan (South West), Amber Land (Stirling), Samantha Whitcomb (Rockingham), Amy Patton (South West), Elyce Ironmonger (Joondalup), Stephanie Jones (East Perth), Tegan Walker (Stirling), Shani Amos (Joondalup) & Briana Klasztorny (Mandurah).

Photo by Serene Maisey: Duran Blue of the Goldfields Giants

Photo by Mick Cronin: Lakeside Lightning import Kari Pickens