WEEK 18 of the men's SBL competition for 2014 is highlighted by the defending champion Lightning facing the second-placed Flames on Friday night and then the league-leading Buccaneers taking on the threatening Eagles on Saturday.

The round begins with three matches on Friday night with the Joondalup Wolves taking on the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Joondalup Basketball Stadium, the Lakeside Lightning hosting the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames at Lakeside Recreation Centre and the Stirling Senators facing the Willetton Tigers at Warwick Leisure Centre.

All three matches will tip-off at 8.30pm at the three venues.

The Wolves have now slipped outside of the top eight having lost three of their last five matches to slip to an 11-11 record to be two games behind the Perth Redbacks, Mandurah Magic, East Perth Eagles, Stirling Senators and South West Slammers who all have 13 victories.

Joondalup now takes on the second last Eastern Suns with the Wolves in a must-win situation to keep their season alive. Kalamunda sits two games off the bottom with a 5-17 record.

The two teams met earlier this season back in Week 5 with Joondalup scoring a resounding 115-75 victory at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

The highlight fixture of Friday night without doubt features the Lightning taking on the Flames.

Coming off winning the 2013 men's championship, Lakeside now sits in third position in the standings with a 14-9 record to be a game clear of the chasing pack of five teams on 13 wins, but two games behind their Friday night opponents.

Rockingham did bounce back last week with a win over the Giants following losses to the Suns and Eagles to consolidate second position with a 16-7 record.

A win on Friday night over the Lightning will keep the Flames' hopes for the minor premiership alive while a loss will leave their second position vulnerable.

Rockingham and Lakeside last met in Week 7 when the Lightning recorded a 111-106 win at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

The Senators are one of the teams in that pack with 13 wins as they prepare to take on the Tigers.

Stirling sits on a 13-10 record having won four of its last five games to be in a good vein of form but the Senators do need to keep winning to avoid remaining vulnerable in the top eight to the chasing Wolves.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four matches to be struggling in 12th position with a 7-13 record.

They last played in Week 10 with the Senators winning by 18 points at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

It is then set to be a huge Saturday night in the men's SBL beginning with the battle between two championship contenders as the Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers host the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles at Active West Stadium.

That clash tips off at 7.30pm and so does the Willetton Tigers clash with the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The other three matches on Saturday night take place at 8pm with the Perth Redbacks playing the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Belmont Oasis, the Mandurah Magic facing the Joondalup Wolves at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre and the Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars battling the Perry Lakes Hawks at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The Buccaneers and Eagles face off in a tantalising fixture in Geraldton on Saturday night.

The Buccaneers currently sit a game clear on top of the ladder with a 17-5 record but they have lost two of their last three matches to leave their spot as minor premiers slightly vulnerable.

And they will have a tough time accounting for the Eagles with East Perth having won three straight matches now to improve to a 13-10 record with a win keeping their chances of a top four finish alive.

The two previously played back in Week 3 and on that occasion the Buccaneers won 123-103 at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

The Tigers technically could remain a playoff chance if they manage to beat the Senators on Friday and then the Giants on Saturday.

That would improve Willetton to nine wins and with four games then still remaining.

The Tigers potentially can get to 13 wins but to still make the playoffs they have to win all six of their remaining matches and for one of the top eight teams on 13 wins to lose each of their remaining fixtures.

The Giants meanwhile sit on the bottom of the standings currently with a six-game losing streak and a 3-19 record.

Goldfields and Willetton played earlier this season in Week 5 with the Giants winning 110-100 at Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium.

The Redbacks and Slammers are two teams both sitting on 13 wins with Perth sitting in fourth position with a 13-9 record while South West is in eighth on 13-10.

The winner between the Redbacks and Slammers gives themselves a good chance to finish in that fourth position while the loser could remain vulnerable of missing out on the playoffs altogether.

The Redbacks and Slammers met earlier in 2014 in Week 7 with South West winning that clash at home 104-95.

The Wolves then back up their clash on Friday night with the Suns by taking on the Magic on Saturday.

Joondalup will have the chance to join Mandurah on 13 wins had it also won on Friday and then wins on Saturday, but the Magic are in outstanding form having won five straight matches to currently sit in fifth position in the standings with a 13-9 record.

The teams last met in Week 12 in a thriller with the Magic prevailing 101-98 over the Wolves at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

The Cougars and Hawks have threatened to be playoff teams for much of the 2014 season but those hopes appear over now for both.

If Perry Lakes wins its remaining four games, it will take the Hawks to 13 wins which would only be good enough for the playoffs if one of the teams currently on 13 wins don't win another game.

Cockburn, meanwhile, only has three games left with the Cougars' best possible finish now being to end up with 12 wins.

Cockburn and Perry Lakes met earlier this year in Week 4 with the Hawks winning that contest 95-92 at WA Basketball Centre.

The round then concludes on Sunday afternoon with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns hosting the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants at Ray Owen Sports Centre with tip-off at midday.

As it turns out, the standalone Sunday fixture pits the second bottom Eastern Suns up against the last placed Giants with both also coming off playing earlier in the weekend. Kalamunda would have played Joondalup on Friday and Goldfields the Tigers on Saturday.

The teams last played in Week 10 at Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium with the Suns beating the Giants 119-112 on that occasion.

WEEK 18 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Joondalup Wolves v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 8.30pm
Lakeside Lightning v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, Lakeside Recreation Centre 8.30pm
Stirling Senators v Willetton Tigers, Warwick Leisure Centre 8.30pm

SATURDAY
Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers v Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles, Active West Stadium 7.30pm
Willetton Tigers v Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants, Willetton Basketball Stadium 7.30pm
Perth Redbacks v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Belmont Oasis 8pm
Mandurah Magic v Joondalup Wolves, Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre 8pm
Raw Nutrition Cockburn Cougars v Perry Lakes Hawks, Wally Hagan Stadium 8pm

SUNDAY
Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants, Ray Owen Sports Centre 12pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Serene-Elise Photography