Current Standings
Flames (2-9) twelfth, Buccaneers (11-2) second

Last Meeting
Round 1 - 14th March 2009
Buccs 102 def Flames 88

The Flames come into this game on the second leg of the toughest weekend going at the moment and are looking to start stringing some wins together if  a run at the playoffs is still a possibility.

Last weekend was once again another brave showing against Willetton but the sheer size of Tigers new 7ft2 import Chris Christoferssen was too much to handle down the stretch as he rocked the rim on a number of occasions to grab a 103-90 win for his side. The positive signs for the Flames were the production across the board, as six players registered double figure points and the team stayed in the hunt even with Travis Moore unable to participate for the majority of the second half with a hand injury.

Following medical examination captain Travis Moore will be out of action for most if not all of the season which will cause Coach Utley to make some adjustments to his rotation but with the inclusion of Trey Clarkson the self belief within the group is very high and a positive vibe is very apparent even with the  current predicament the team faces. Utley will lay the challenge on the table and its up to his charges to prove if they can sink or swim from this point on.

Now to the visitors who have been rock solid since opening night of the season and are sitting pretty in second position only dropping games to Perry Lakes and Wanneroo along the journey. The team has without question the best import pair in the league with Saint Louis graduate Luke Meyer (27.6pts, 10.3rebs & 3.8asts) and journeyman Michael LeBlanc (28.8pts & 10.2rebs) who have both recorded 40 point games to this point in the season.

With any championship contending team you need a supporting cast if you are going to go deep into the playoffs and the early season assumptions that the Buccs were short a point guard have been squashed with the arrival of ex Cougar Daniel Thomas who has been a consistent contributor  in his four outings with 14.8pts, 7.5rebs & 6asts. Other key members are captain Matt Wundenberg (9.5pts & 11.3rebs), Tom Witts (13.4pts & 4.1rebs), veteran Greg Brown (8.1pts &3.6rebs) and youngster Aaron Ralph (8.5pts & 3.7rebs) who has popped up with some solid games.

To date the Buccs have been averaging 100.2 points per game but more noticeable is the fact in their games they have demolished teams at the top of the table but made hard work of the lower placed sides which Coach Ray Evans will look to change against his long time friend Mark Utley.

Article by Rockingham Basketball & Recreation Association