THE Rockingham Flames, Joondalup Wolves, Willetton Tigers and Mandurah Magic will continue to fight over the spots in the top four during Week 13 of the women's SBL with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns looking to consolidate fifth position, and the Cockburn Cougars' eighth.

There are four women's SBL matches on Friday night to begin the round and each of them tips off at 6.30pm across Perth.

The Perth Redbacks take on the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Curtin Stadium, the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames face the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Mike Barnett Sports Complex and the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars play the Lakeside Lightning.

And finally is a tantalising match up between the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers and the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The round then concludes on Saturday night with two matches with the Perry Lakes Hawks playing the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames at Bendat Basketball Centre and the Stirling Senators facing the Schweigen East Perth Eagles at Warwick Leisure Centre.

Both Saturday night fixtures tip-off at 6pm.

Starting on Friday night, a Redbacks team needing a win face a tough challenge up against a Suns team that is in some terrific winning form.

Perth has showed some improved form so far this season but the Redbacks have now lost four of their last five games to be three games outside of the top eight with a 3-11 record.

And it's going to be no easy task for the Redback to get back to winning on Friday night up against an Eastern Suns team that has now won five matches on the trot to hold a 7-5 record in fifth position.

The Suns might be four wins out of fourth, but are a game clear in fifth and will be looking to further consolidate that position.

The Redbacks and Suns met earlier this season in Week 8 with Kalamunda scoring a hard fought 74-66 victory over Perth at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

The Flames and Slammers have won two of the last three women's SBL championships, and now do battle again for the second time this season on Friday night in Rockingham.

The defending champion Flames are now on a four-game winning streak again and have lost just once this season to hold an 11-1 record to sit on top of the standings.

The Slammers have had quite the rollercoaster season so far starting off winning four straight matches, then losing four straight.

South West then beat the Cougars before losing three matches in-a-row to the Tigers, Redbacks and Magic ahead of bouncing back with a two-point win over the Senators last Sunday.

That all sees the Slammers hold a 6-7 record in seventh position heading into the clash with the Flames.

Rockingham and South West did meet earlier this season back in Week 6 and on that occasion it was the Flames who ended up winning convincingly 95-64 at Eaton Recreation Centre.

The Cougars have now lost their last two matches but continue to remain solid in eighth position heading into Friday night's clash with a Lightning team who made last year's women's SBL grand final, but who have won just the one game so far in 2015.

Cockburn might have lost its last two and three of the last four games, but the Cougars still hold a three-game advantage in eighth position with a 6-9 record.

Lakeside, meanwhile, has lost its last three games since its only win of the season so far and the Lightning remains in bottom spot with a 1-12 record.

The Cougars and Lightning met to open the 2015 season back on the Saturday night of Week 1 and on that occasion it was Cockburn who prevailed 91-73 at Lakeside Recreation Centre.

The Tigers and Wolves are both in pursuit of the Flames' top position and can continue to put pressure on the defending champions with a win on Friday night when they do battle at Rockingham.

The Tigers have now won six of their last seven games to have an 11-2 record and to be in third position while the Lady Wolfpack are in second spot with a 12-2 record and having now won five straight matches.

Willetton and Joondalup met back on the Sunday of the opening weekend of the 2015 season and it was the Tigers who won that contest 75-60 at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

And then on Saturday night, the defending champion Flames look to continue to hold off the winner of the Tigers and Wolves clash from Friday when they take on the Hawks at Bendat Basketball Centre.

Rockingham will be coming off playing the Slammers on Friday night while the Hawks will be making their only appearance of the weekend and looking to snap a four-game losing streak.

Perry Lakes has gone from a 6-2 to 6-6 record but remain in sixth position and can maintain touch with the fifth place Suns with a win over the Flames on Saturday night.

The Hawks and Flames have already played this season and that took place in Week 4 with Rockingham holding Perry Lakes to just the 42 points and recording a 24-point win at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

The final women's match of the weekend then pits the Senators up against Eagles with Stirling and East Perth both playing their only games of the round.

Stirling has now lost six straight matches to be in 11th position with a 2-11 record while East Perth has won three of its last five games to be in ninth spot at 3-10.

The two teams met earlier this season back on Anzac Day with the Eagles holding on for a 56-51 victory at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

WEEK 13 WOMEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Perth Redbacks v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Curtin Stadium 6.30pm
Orange Autos Rockingham Flames v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 6.30pm
Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars v Lakeside Lightning, Wally Hagan Stadium 6.30pm
Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers v Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves, Willetton Basketball Stadium 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Perry Lakes Hawks v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, Eaton Basketball Centre 6pm
Stirling Senators v Schweigen East Perth Eagles, Warwick Leisure Centre 6pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin