Round 6 Eagles Wrap – Women/Men

The force was with the East Perth Eagles for their best night of the NBL1 West season with a pair of wins at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena against the Mandurah Magic on Saturday.

It was the best weekend of the NBL1 West season so far in 2024 for the East Perth Eagles. It started with a dramatic 82-67 overtime victory for the Eagles women against the Mandurah Magic.

The East Perth then backed it up with another heart stopping contest before prevailing 102-100 against the Magic and both Eagles teams got the much-needed victories at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

WOMEN

The East Perth Eagles had been knocking on the door of a drought breaking victory and it eventually came on Saturday at home to the Mandurah Magic, but it took until overtime and after a brilliant and dominant Mary Baskerville performance.

The Eagles were back home at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena still hunting a first win of the season hosting a Magic team also looking to put an end to a three-game losing slide.

That raised the stakes for the contest and it would turn out to be quite the eventful affair.

Through the entire first 40 minutes precious little separated the two teams with no more than six points ever being the margin with the Magic narrowly leading 22-21 at the end of one.

Scores were level at 36-36 by half-time and scores remained deadlocked at three quarter-time, and at the end of regulation.

Mandurah did go up four early in the last term and then the lead was out to six thanks to Emma Klasztorny with five minutes to play.

Mary Baskerville was able to bring the Eagles back within four before Bri Bailey knocked down a three-pointer to make it a one-point game and Mary Goulding's free-throws tied scores up with two minutes on the clock.

A Sarah Allen three-point play had East Perth up one with less than a minute to play and Baskerville hit two free-throws to make the margin three, but in the end the game went to overtime thanks to the remarkable games record holder Casey Mihovilovich hitting a huge three for Mandurah.

Then in the extra period it was all the Eagles as they outscored the Magic 18 points to three in a remarkably dominant five-minute stretch to open their winning account in style, and win a first game since May 26 last year.

Mary Baskerville played like a woman possessed in the win for East Perth finishing with 34 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks on 13/15 shooting.

Mary Goulding added 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Tessa Morrison eight points, seven assists and three steals.

Bri Bailey also scored seven points to go with two assists for the Eagles with Sarah Allen contributing six points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals, Laci Hawthorne five points, nine boards and two assists, and Taylor Roberts three points and two rebounds.

MEN

The East Perth Eagles have been playing some impressive basketball but losing in heartbreaking fashion so far this season, but Saturday night things came together with David Okwera and Sunday Dech starring in the 102-100 win over the Mandurah Magic.

The Eagles were back at Peter Campbell Basketball Arena on Saturday night to play host to the Magic with East Perth hunting a third win of the season, but having been more competitive than 2-4 suggests.

East Perth's losses to Willetton and Perth were on the back of lobs on the buzzer towards Okwera not quite coming off so the Eagles were looking to start building some momentum but it was never going to be easy against the impressive Magic line-up.

The Eagles started impressively scoring 12 straight points in the first quarter to be leading 18-6 but Mandurah worked back into the contest and it was just a two-point game by quarter-time.

The Magic then worked on top in the second term leading by as much as seven but by half-time it remained deadlocked at 59-59.

No more than eight points separated the two teams through the entire second half from there and scores were all level again when Sunday Dech hit a triple for the Eagles with five minutes to play.

He hit another soon after to give East Perth the lead but scores were back level with 3:45 to go after a bucket to Julian Pesava for the Magic.

It was the combination of Dech and Okwera who would seal the win for East Perth firstly with Dech making his seventh triple of the night and then Okwera throwing down a dunk in transition in spectacular fashion after Sharif Watson forced the turnover.

That had the Eagles up five and they would hold on to win by two and improve to a 3-4 record as a result.

Sunday Dech was massive for the Eagles finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists on 11/17 shooting from the floor and 7/11 from three-point range.

David Okwera was tremendous as well with the Perth Wildcats big man delivering 25 points, 14 rebounds, eight blocked shots and four assists on 10/15 shooting.

Jerami Grace added 19 points, six assists and three rebounds, Sharif Watson 10 points, three boards, three assists and two steals, and Taylor Young eight points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Nick Filpo also contributed six points, two rebounds and an assist in an important 22 minutes for East Perth with Elijah Pawson adding two points and a rebound.