West Finals | Verle, Keyes take charge for Buccs

Featured image: Michael Farnell @sportsimageryau

The Geraldton Buccaneers have followed a proven path to glory to reach another NBL1 West Grand Final with Verle Williams Jr ensuring he could have a fairytale exit after their 88-76 preliminary final win over the Joondalup Wolves.

The two teams have played off in the 2019 and 2023 Grand Finals so are no stranger to meeting with plenty on the line and it was a spot in next Saturday night's decider at RAC Arena the prize on offer when they clashed on Sunday at Arena Joondalup.

The Wolves finished the regular season in third place at 16-6 before stunning the Rockingham Flames last Saturday night with a 22-3 run in the fourth quarter on the road to book in hosting rights to the preliminary final.

The Buccs are the defending champions and ended the regular season in top spot at 18-3 but lost at home last Saturday night to their own hometown hero Johny Narkle and the Cockburn Cougars.

That meant they had to do it the hard way and overcome the Willetton Tigers in Geraldton on Friday night ahead of arriving at Joondalup on Sunday attempting to reach a fifth Grand Final in the past eight years.

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Determined to keep their hopes of going back-to-back for the first time alive, Geraldton started strongly with a 9-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 10-point lead.

Devondrick Walker was showing the way with seven points after a tough game on Friday night and the Buccs would go on to be leading 20-15 at quarter-time on 8/19 shooting to 5/17 from the Wolfpack.

Joondalup worked right back into the contest in the second frame with 28 points to 20 on shooting 10/15 from the field and 5/9 from beyond the arc and that meant they were leading 43-40 going into the half.

Sharif Black had 13 points on 3/5 shooting from the outside for the Wolves but the momentum swings continued and it was Geraldton taking back over in the third period.

The Buccs put up 22 points in the third term on shooting 8/16 from the floor to turn that three-point deficit into a five-point lead at three quarter-time.

From there the Buccaneers were able to close the deal on the 12-point victory to reach their 15th Grand Final overall, a fifth in eight years and now they will attempt to win back-to-back championships for the first time when they play the Rockingham Flames on Saturday night.

Josh Keyes and Verle Williams Jr were both brilliant in the win for the Buccs.

Keyes finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Williams Jr will now look to bid farewell to the Buccs ahead of becoming a dad for the first time with back-to-back championships after having 22 points, 12 assists, nine boards and two steals.

Matt Norman also had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds, Liam Hunt 11 points, six boards and three assists, Cooper Creek 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Devondrick Walker 10 points, four boards and four assists.

It's another tough finals loss for the Wolves to take and now since their last championship in 2015, they have lost five Grand Finals, three preliminary finals and had a first round exit last year.

MVP runner-up Sharif Black top scored for Joondalup with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists on 4/9 three-point shooting.

CJ Turnage added 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals, Caleb Davis 16 points, 10 boards and three assists, Gabe Chadinha 12 points and four rebounds, and Taylor Young five points, seven assists, three steals and two boards.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | PRELIMINARY FINAL

JOONDALUP WOLVES 76 (Black 20, Turnage 19, Davis 16)

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS 88 (Keyes 22, Williams Jr 22, Norman 12)