West Spotlight | Scott stars as Tigers beat Suns

Featured image: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey

Damien Scott might be 397 games into NBL1 West career but continues to lead the Willetton Tigers as well as ever and took them to the 98-86 Friday night win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns who didn’t hit from the outside until the third quarter.

It was a fascinating finish to the regular season for both teams at Willetton Basketball Stadium as they jostled over a fifth or sixth placed finish to book in a home final to open the playoffs next weekend.

Both teams were guaranteed to play finals, it was just a matter of where they'd finish and it was nothing more than a four-point game throughout the first quarter with Willetton narrowly leading 23-22 by quarter-time.

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There was still no more than six points between both teams during the second quarter before Willetton went into half-time leading 46-42 with the major difference being Kalamunda missing all 14 three-point attempts while Willetton went 3/14.

Eventually a couple of minutes into third quarter and the Eastern Suns broke their duck from the outside courtesy of Terrandus Smith, but still by three quarter-time they were going 1/23 from the outside to the 7/24 from the Tigers.

As a result, Willetton were clinging to the 65-64 advantage but then it was all the home team in the final stanza with the Tigers producing 33 points to 22 on the back of shooting 11/17 from the field and 5/9 from downtown to secure the 12-point victory.

The result means that both teams finish the regular season with a 13-9 record in fifth and sixth spot while the Perry Lakes Hawks could join them on that same mark should they beat the Geraldton Buccaneers on Saturday to close the regular season.

Willetton ended up shooting 51 per cent from the field and 12/33 from beyond the arc to secure the win that should be enough for a home final next week with Damien Scott leading the charge with 25 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Tom Gerovich added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Tom Musumeci 15 points, five boards and five assists, Taeshon Cherry 15 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Lachlan Burnett 12 points and four boards.

The Eastern Suns finished off shooting 45 per cent from the field but just 3/29 from behind the three-point arc but they did get up an extra 11 shot attempts with 16 offensive rebounds and forcing Willetton into 19 turnovers.

Newly signed Perth Wildcats point guard Marley Sam finished with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals but went 0/5 from deep while Terrandus Smith went 1/8, Joe Cook-Green 1/6 and Lewis Thomas 0/6 including an air ball.

Travis Fee produced 13 points and three rebounds on his old home floor, Cook-Green 13 points, nine assists and three steals, Smith 13 points and five rebounds, Thomas 11 points, 13 boards, three steals, two assists and two blocks, and Jordan Simpson nine points and seven rebounds.

The two teams now wait to see what happens with Perry Lakes on Saturday against Geraldton before the final standings and opening round of the finals match ups are determined.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | ROUND 18

WILLETTON TIGERS 98 (Scott 25, Gerovich 18, Cherry 15, Musumeci 15)

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS 86 (Sam 14, Fee 13, Cook-Green 13, Smith 13)