West Spotlight | Browder delivers Hawks another win

Featured image: @Chyon Kondylas Photography

Jack Browder continued his stunning first NBL1 West season with another 32 points to lead the Perry Lakes Hawks to a thrilling 111-108 win over the Willetton Tigers to further consolidate his team in a playoff position.

Both teams arrived on the makeshift showcourt at Bendat Basketball Centre on Friday night in differing form with the Hawks having won their last couple while the Tigers had lost four of their past five, but both still occupied top eight positions.

It proved to be quite the high scoring and entertaining affair with the teams combining for 60 points in the first quarter and then Willetton ended up going for 61 points in the opening half including Zac Gattorna finding his groove in a second game in two years.

But the Hawks hit back with 31 points in the third quarter only to again find themselves 10 points down in the fourth and then losing big men Max Bucknell and Cam Huefner to foul trouble.

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But with Browder showing the way, Perry Lakes finished strongly on the way to the there-point victory in a game featuring 219 points with the Hawks now improving to 8-7 as a result while the Tigers slip to 9-5.

Even with both starting front court pair Max Bucknell and Huefner fouling out, Perry Lakes secured the important win and once again first-year star Jack Browder continued to shine fresh out of college.

The league's leading scorer put up another 32 points, six rebounds and six assists with 11/17 shooting from the field, 4/7 from downtown and 6/6 at the free-throw line.

Before fouling out in the last quarter, Huefner had already delivered another 26 points and four rebounds as well with Isaiah Moses finding his groove again after returning from his ankle injury last week and he had 23 points and 11 assists on 9/13 field goal shooting.

Andreas Grubisa showed exciting signs too with 20 points on shooting 4/8 from beyond the arc with Leigh Rickwood-Pitt stepping up for 16 rebounds to go with six points.

It was a tough loss for Willetton with Bryce Johnson top scoring with 25 points, five assists and three rebounds on 11/18 field goal shooting.

Taeshon Cherry also had 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 10/16 shooting while Damien Scott added 16 points, three boards, three assists and two steals in the 389th game of his career.

The signs were also encouraging from two-time NBL1 West champion and NBL championship winner Zac Gattorna in his second game with Willetton having not played in the past two years. He had 14 points and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting in 20 minutes.

Aaron Gashaw also had 13 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, and 337-game veteran Michael Vigor six points, seven assists and six boards.

Both teams came into the match up occupying top eight positions but in differing recent form and it shaped every bit like a potentially season-defining contest for both outfits.

The two teams combined for 60 points in an entertaining first quarter with Willetton putting up 31 on shooting a scorching 75 per cent from the field and 4/5 from downtown with Taeshon Cherry having nine to his name.

Perry Lakes also scored 29 points while shooting 61 per cent from 4/8 from deep with Jack Browder having 11 and Cam Huefner nine.

Willetton managed another 30 points in the second quarter while shooting another 10/19 from the field and 8/10 at the free-throw line to be leading 61-52 going into the half-time break.

Both Bryce Johnson and Cherry were up to 13 points by half-time for the Tigers but the Hawks were staying in touch shooting 53 per cent themselves them Browder and Huefner combining for 34 of their 52 points in the first 20 minutes.

Willetton were still leading by four points at three quarter-time and then opened up a game-high 10-point edge when Johnson scored with seven minutes left on the clock.

Perry Lakes responded from there and it was young gun Andreas Grubisa who sparked them with five quick points, but still Willetton were up six with three minutes to go.

Browder then completed a three-point play, Isaiah Moses made a layup and also completed the and-one to level scores just a minute later.

Browder then hit a huge three-pointer to put Perry Lakes in front and that's where they'd end up staying with the tree-point win with Willetton scoring on the buzzer but Johnson took too much time in doing so under the bucket.

Perry Lakes will now get to savour the win until trying to keep their form going next Saturday night on the road to the Joondalup Wolves with the Tigers trying to bounce back at home to the Cockburn Cougars on Saturday night in a tantalising match up.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | ROUND 13

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 111 (Browder 32, Huefner 26, Moses 23)

WILLETTON TIGERS 108 (Johnosn 25, Cherry 23, Scott 16)