West Spotlight | Hawks complete stunning finish in Albany

Featured image: @crawesmedia

Mila Wawszkowicz hit the clutch free throw to complete a 12-1 run to close the game in the last four minutes as the Perry Lakes Hawks stormed home in Albany to beat the Perth Redbacks 89-88 as both teams jostle over an NBL1 West playoff spot.

The two teams are looking to make it an annual fixture in Albany and there was plenty on the line for the contest with the Redbacks coming into it having won four straight to be in eighth spot with the Hawks not far behind as the finals close in.

With Patty Brossmann a dominant presence, the Redbacks worked their way to a double-figure lead by the fourth quarter and were still on top by 10 with four minutes to go thanks to a triple from Shenae Hartree.

But it was all the Hawks from there with the next four points from Makenna Marisa before a three ball to Mia Bailey and then Marisa made it a one-point ball game, and then tied scores up at the foul line.

Eventually Wawszkowicz was fouled for Perry Lakes with just under a second to go and made the second at the stripe that secured the win by a point after the 12-1 run with the Hawks forcing the Redbacks into four turnovers and six missed shots over the last four minutes.

The result leaves the Redbacks at 6-9 and the Hawks 6-10 with the two teams sure to battle the rest of the regular season over a spot in the top eight.

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | COUGARS BLOW MAGIC AWAY IN SECOND HALF

>> WRIGHT EXPECTS EAGLES TO ONLY KEEP IMPROVING

>> WEST WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 14

Albany was treated to a tremendous and dramatic contest with that stunning comeback from Perry Lakes to enhance their playoff prospects where they ended up shooting 45 per cent from the field to 43 from the Redbacks.

The Hawks also knocked down 15/31 from deep to 8/28 but the Redbacks got up an extra 11 shot attempts and four more free throws on the back of collecting 23 offensive rebounds to five.

It was a crucial win in the context of the season for Perry Lakes and impressive in the absence of Bridgettte Rettstatt with Makenna Marisa delivering 27 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Emilie Beggs added 16 points, two rebounds and two assists, Emma Clark eight points, Mia Bailey nine points, three boards, two assists and two steals, Mila Wawszkowicz seven points and two rebounds, and Maddy Zugna seven points and two boards.

It's a first loss for the Redbacks since May 30 with Patty Brossmann coming up huge with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three steals including eight of the team's 23 offensive boards.

Sophie Doran added 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Shenae Hartree 14 points, four boards and three assists, and Sam Ashby 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Not only was it a great showcase to bring NBL1 to Albany, it was a crucial game for both teams as they fight over a playoff spot and it was a tight battle in the opening term with Perry Lakes leading 24-23 by quarter-time.

The Hawks made 6/9 from downtown to 0/4 from the Redbacks who did get to the foul line 14 times to just four and with Patty Brossmann proving tough to stop in the absence of Bridgette Rettstatt with eight points and five rebounds already.

Again no more than five points separated the two teams in the second period with Perry Lakes clinging to the 45-43 advantage at half-time with Makenna Marisa having eight points and five assists while Brossmann was up to 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Redbacks.

With another five points and six rebounds in the third quarter and then Sophie Doran catching fire, the Redbacks worked on top in the third quarter with 29 points to 22 on the back of shooting 11/19 from the field to be leading 72-67 by three quarter-time.

Perth's lead then got out to 11 points early in the fourth frame but Perry Lakes fired back with their season potentially on the line and went on a 9-0 scoring run.

The Hawks closed the game scoring 12 of the last 13 points and eventually hit the front with one free-throw with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock from Mila Wawszkowicz which was enough to secure the win.

The Redbacks now are on the road to the Eastern Suns on Friday night while the Hawks have a short turnaround to hosting the Rockingham Flames on Thursday.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | FIRST NATIONS ROUND

PERTH REDBACKS 88 (Brossmann 25, Doran 15, Hartree 14)

PERRY LAKES HAWKS 89 (Maris 27, Beggs 16, Bailey 9)