Eagles Rd 16 Preview | Home v Suns

Image credit: Mark Filpo (@codexdesignstudio)

The East Perth Eagles women can further consolidate their NBL1 West playoff position with the men to keep their hopes alive in the Saturday night match ups with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.

The Eagles are back home on Saturday evening to play host to the Eastern Suns at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre in two crucial match ups.

The women's clash will open proceedings at 5pm with the men's game to follow at 7pm.

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WOMEN

The Eagles women can just about guarantee a finals position and remain a chance of rising up the standings by the end of the regular season when hosting the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Saturday evening.

East Perth do come into the contest having lost their past two matches while the Eastern Suns arrive at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre having won their past two, but there's plenty on the line for the Eagles.

It's also a last home game of the regular season for the East Perth women so they will want to reward the home fans while also taking the chance to strengthen their playoff position.

The Eagles do remain in seventh position in the NBL1 West standings with a 9-8 record despite losing the last two games on the road to the Goldfields Giants in double overtime and then last week at home to the Lakeside Lightning.

A win on Saturday against the Eastern Suns will guarantee East Perth a playoff position while it will also strengthen their hopes of rising up the table with Willetton only currently only 11 wins, Mandurah on 10 and Rockingham on nine.

However, it's not going to be easy against an Eastern Suns team who have now won consecutive matches for the first time in 2025 with the victories against the Warwick Senators and Lakeside Lightning.

With two standout imports Karly Murphy and Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant, it is a dangerous Eastern Suns outfit for the Eagles to come up against but what coach Tim Symons is hoping to see is McGhee-Pleasant spending plenty of time in a point guard role.

"We couldn't take anything lightly against Kalgoorlie or against Lakeside either, and we have to roll up and treat them with the respect they deserve," Symons said.

"Marcus (Bardill) has been through turmoil at that club but has tried to get those girls clicking, and in my eyes Murph is one of the toughest around the place and you can't underestimate her ability to make shots.

"When you think you've done a good job on her, she still shoots what you might think is a bad shot but she has a history of making most of them.

"It makes it a little bit more interesting with their other import who has been their primary ball handler, and I'll be feeding on that like a piranha.

"Abby Cubillo is going to create her the worst basketball experience she's ever had in her life and all we have to do as a team is roll up and perform, and stop talking about it."

MEN

The Eagles men are still right in the NBL1 West playoffs mix but they do need to start stringing wins together and that has to begin in Saturday night's home clash against the Eastern Suns.

East Perth come into Round 16 of the 2025 season in ninth position with a 7-11 record with four games remaining beginning on Saturday night against the Suns at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

With Mandurah suffering a loss back on Tuesday night and Kalamunda also losing on Thursday, the results do continue to go East Perth's way in terms of playing finals but that only matters if they start putting some more wins on the board.

The Eagles have lost their past three matches including the last two against the Goldfields Giants and Lakeside Lightning by a combined 64 points, but it's an East Perth team now at full strength and the ability of turning things around.

With Matthew Lang and Nick Filpo sharing the point guard duties, with lethal shooters Jonah Antonio and Max Rice, and then a front court featuring Chier Maker, Lee Roberts, Sharif Watson and Ioannis Dimakopoulos, and it's still an Eagles team of doing something this season.

It's all set up for a crucial game now come Saturday night and there is every chance that come the end of the regular season there's only room for one of the Eagles or Suns in the playoffs so there's plenty at stake.

The Eastern Suns also arrive at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena on the back losing their past two games to the Warwick Senators and Lakeside Lightning as well.

So now coming into Saturday's game and the Eagles are 7-11 and the Suns are only just above in 9-10 highlighting just what is at stake.

It's a dangerous Kalamunda team with or without Terrico White who didn’t play on Thursday night in the loss to the Lightning, but it's Travis Fee, Marshall Nelson and Randy Bell who are key to them which Eagles coach Carl Filpo is fully aware of.

"The focus is obviously on their guards and making sure we can keep those guys quiet as tough as that might be," Filpo said.

"They have a lot of options on that perimeter and they are a team that likes to drive, and that likes to get downhill so we're going to have to make sure that our systems are in place to protect our basket with these guys like Marshall getting downhill and Randy shooting it from the logos, and all the flexibility that they have. But the guys will be ready for them I'm confident of that."