Higher-ranked away teams all prevail to open playoffs (Week 1 Friday night Quarter Final SBL wrap)

ALL four SBL Game 1 quarter-final match ups on Friday night went in favour of the higher-ranked away teams.

Three of the four Game 1's in the women's quarter finals took place on Friday night with the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers beating the Perry Lakes Hawks 69-53 at Bendat Basketball Stadium.

The Orange Autos Rockingham Flames also downed the Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars 79-48 at Wally Hagan Stadium and the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves defeated the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers 88-65 at Eaton Recreation Centre.

The lone men's Game 1 of the quarter finals on Friday night saw the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves win a thriller 86-85 against the Perry Lakes Hawks at Bendat Basketball Centre.

Starting with the women's action, the second-placed Tigers missed out on top spot at the end of the regular season by one solitary point and came out to start the playoffs in style with 25 first quarter points against the Hawks on Friday night.

The Tigers then finished with 17 points to 10 in the fourth quarter to win by 16 points with Louella Tomlinson leading the way with 18 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.

Desiree Kelley also added 14 points and three boards for Willetton, Zoe Harper 13 points and six rebounds, Kate Malpass 10 points and six boards, and Ebony Antonio 10 points and five rebounds.

Kassi Conditt did all she could to keep the Hawks in the contest with 25 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists while Megan McKay was the only other Perry Lakes player to score more than five points, finishing with eight.

The Flames held the Cougars to just seven and eight points in the second and third quarters respectively to stamp their authority on the contest, and despite scoring just five points themselves in the fourth period the minor premiers and defending champions won by 31 on the road.

Darcee Garbin led the way on the night for the Flames with 28 points, five steals and four rebounds on the back of shooting 6-of-10 from the field.

Sami Whitcomb added 22 points, 15 rebounds and four assists while Jacinta Bourne contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals and Talisia Bourne seven points, and four boards.

Playing-coach Deanna Smith worked hard for Cockburn with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists while Katie Loberg added eight points, four boards and two steals.

The Wolves got off to a big start with 28 points in the first quarter at Eaton and then by half-time led the Slammers by 18 points before going on to win by 23 to take a one-nil lead in the quarter-final series before returning to Joondalup next weekend.

The third-placed Lady Wolfpack were led by Nikita-Lee Martin who finished the night with 26 points, nine rebounds and three assists on the back of shooting 10-of-14 from the field, and 2-of-4 from three-point territory.

Antonia Edmondson added 17 points and four assists off the bench for the Wolves along with shooting 7-of-9 from the floor, and 2-of-4 from deep.

Rebecca Mercer also contributed 14 points and four assists for Joondalup while Shani Amos finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Chelsea Burns eight points, four boards and three assists.

Deonica McCormick top-scored for the Slammers with 20 points to go with four assists, two blocked shots and two rebounds while Kate Fielding added 18 points, eight boards and two steals while hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Patricia Bright contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and three steals as well for South West those three made up 55 of the team's 65 points.

And in the men's thriller on Friday night, the Hawks were able to carry on their tremendous form to end the regular season and lock in a playoff spot, and took it right up to the team that finished on top of the standings clear by three games.

Little separated the two sides all night in a physical, tense and hotly-contested battle, but in the end it was the Wolfpack who prevailed to take the one-nil lead in the series as it heads to Joondalup next week.

Trian Iliadis top-scored for the Wolfpack in the win with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists with Rob Huntington adding 20 points and 12 board on the back of shooting 8-of-12 from the field.

Kevin Davis added 19 points and 12 boards as well for the Wolves while Seb Salinas contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Damian Matacz also had eight points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Bryton Hobbs again did all he could for the Hawks with 30 points, six rebounds and six assists while Ben Purser contributed 20 points, six boards and three assists, and Ben Dixon 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.

FRIDAY WOMEN'S SBL MATCHES
Perry Lakes Hawks 53 lost to Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers 69
Soprano Designs Cockburn Cougars 48 lost to Orange Autos Rockingham Flames 79
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers 65 lost to Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves 88

FRIDAY MEN'S SBL MATCHES
Perry Lakes Hawks 85 lost to Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves 86

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Grant Lauterbach




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