WEEK 9 of the men's SBL competition sees the Buccaneers and Slammers meet in a top-of-the-table clash while the Magic take on the Tigers with both looking to bounce back from losses last weekend as well.

The Week 9 men's SBL action begins on Friday night with the Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames taking on the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves at Mike Barnett Sports Complex, and the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars face the Bethanie Stirling Senators at Wally Hagan Stadium.

There are then six matches on Saturday night starting at 7.30pm starting with the S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers battling the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Active West Stadium, and the Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants facing the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium.

Then at 8pm on Saturday night, the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves play the Perry Lakes Hawks at Joondalup Basketball Stadium while the Mandurah Magic take on the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, and the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles face the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre at 8pm.

And finally at 8.30pm on Saturday night, the Perth Redbacks play the Lakeside Lightning at Curtin Stadium.

The round begins in style on Friday night with the Flames hosting the Wolves in a game pitting two teams inside the top six in the standings up against one another.

Rockingham has had an up and down start to the season having won its first four matches, then losing four straight and now having won two of its last three to improve to a 6-5 record coming into the clash with Joondalup City.

The Wolves enter the clash on an 8-2 record having now won three of their last four matches and a win over the Flames will keep them in touch for a top two position with one of the Slammers and Buccaneers to suffer a loss against the other on Friday night.

Friday night's other fixture sees the Cougars face the Senators with Cockburn still holding onto eighth position with a 5-6 record despite having lost three straight matches.

Stirling, meanwhile, sits just above in seventh position on a 5-5 record despite suffering a loss to the Rockingham Flames last Friday night on the back of a four-match winning streak.

Saturday night's action begins with the top-of-the-table clash between the Buccaneers and Slammers in Geraldton.

The Buccs have now won 10 straight matches to improve to a 10-1 record but that one defeat came against the Slammers in the first game of the season.

South West won that game by six points at Eaton Recreation Centre and since losing to the Joondalup Wolves, the Slammers have again won four straight matches to improve to an 11-1 record to remain holding onto top spot just ahead of the Buccaneers heading into the clash on Saturday night.

Also on Saturday night, the Giants host the Eastern Suns with Goldfields now looking to record a third straight victory.

The Giants began the season with eight successive losses, but the combination of Jay Bowie, Jacob Holmen and Mathiang Muo has now led them to impressive wins over the Eagles and Cougars the past two weeks heading into the clash with Kalamunda.

The Suns are also looking to string wins together having won their second match of the season last Saturday night against the Redbacks so both teams are looking to build some momentum after slow starts to 2015.

The Wolves then also host the Hawks at Joondalup on Saturday night with Joondalup City entering the clash on the back of taking on the Flames on Friday night while Perry Lakes will be fresh with its only match of the weekend.

The Haws enter the game on a five-match losing streak with a 2-8 record and needing a win desperately to try and keep in touch with the top eight.

The Magic will then host the Tigers in Mandurah in another tantalising contest on Saturday night. Mandurah enters the contest on a 7-4 record having lost to the Wolves by 41 points last Saturday night on the back of a four-match winning streak.

Willetton, meanwhile, currently sits on an 8-3 record but also is coming off a loss to the Slammers by 14 points last Saturday night.

The Eagles host the Cougars on Saturday night at Morley with the defending champion East Perth entering on a 10-match losing streak and now having a playing-coach in the form of Joe-Alan Tupaea.

It won't be easy for the Eagles to return to the winner's list on Saturday night either up against a Cougars team who will have played the Senators on Friday night to open the round.

The final match of the weekend pits the Redbacks up against the Lightning with Perth looking to return to the winner's list following two straight losses and to improve on a 4-7 record, while Lakeside is looking to break into the top eight currently on a 4-6 record having won three of the last four matches.

WEEK 9 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Nags Head Tavern & Bistro Rockingham Flames v Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 8.30pm
Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars v Bethanie Stirling Senators, Wally Hagan Stadium 8.30pm

SATURDAY
S & K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Active West Stadium 7.30pm
Silver Lake Resources Goldfields Giants v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Neils Hansen Basketball Stadium 7.30pm
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves v Perry Lakes Hawks, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 8pm
Mandurah Magic v Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers, Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre 8pm
Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles v Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars, Morley Sport and Recreation Centre 8pm
Perth Redbacks v Lakeside Lightning, Curtin Stadium 8.30pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Nic Wong