West Wrap | Men's Round 13

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It was a monster NBL1 West weekend with Rockingham Flames consolidating top spot with two big wins while Johny Narkle went for 47 for Cockburn Cougars, Sharif Black 46 for Joondalup Wolves, 17-year-old sensation Marley Sam 40 for Eastern Suns.

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | FLAMES TOO HOT IN TOP TEAMS BATTLE

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | BUCCS WIN TO SET UP MONSTER SUNDAY CLASH

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | BROWDER DELIVERS HAWKS ANOTHER WIN

>> BLANCHETT'S BASKETBALL PASSION GETS HIM TO 250

FRIDAY

Cockburn Cougars (103) defeated Lakeside Lightning (90)

Johny Narkle delivered 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Cockburn Cougars to the 103-90 home win against the Lakeside Lightning.

The Cougars played host to their local rivals at Wally Hagan Stadium trying to bounce back from a loss to the Rockingham Flames while the Lightning were clinging to playoff contention on the back of three straight victories.

The Lightning made a strong start on the road with 26 points to 18 in the first quarter before the Cougars took control with 35 to 21 in the second frame to go into the half-time break leading 53-47.

Cockburn took further charge in the third period with 29 points to 16 on the way to leading by as much as 24 points and then securing the 13-point victory to improve to a 9-5 record and stay in the top four battle.

Narkle had a big night made up of 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists with 11/12 free-throw showing while Rowan Mackenzie was playing his second game against his original club and had 22 points, four boards and four assists.

Joseph Bradshaw added 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals with another 3/6 three-point shooting for a big man.

Lakeside remain outside the top eight with a 7-10 record with Michael Garbellini providing 22 points and four rebounds with 3/5 three-point shooting.

Isaiah Lewis also had 17 points and six assists for the Lightning, Corey Shervill 14 points and six boards, Yahui Sun 11 points and two assists, Liam Patterson nine points, three rebounds and three assists, and Josh Davey eight points and seven boards.

Perry Lakes Hawks (111) defeated Willetton Tigers (108)

Jack Browder continued his stunning first 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 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.

But with Browder showing the way, Perry Lakes finished strongly on the way to the three-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 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.

Warwick Senators (99) lost to Kalamunda Eastern Suns (120)

Marley Sam had the best scoring performance of his young career with the 17-year-old exploding for 40 points and eight assists as the Eastern Suns stayed in a top four spot with the 120-99 win over the Warwick Senators.

The Senators were just clinging to staying in playoff contention coming into the clash at Warwick Stadium with the Eastern Suns arriving in the top four and fresh off a win against the Perth Redbacks.

Kalamunda made a fast start with a 10-0 run for a 14-point lead in the opening quarter and the Suns were still on top 25-16 by the end of one.

Both teams then combined for 65 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Suns scored 34 of those on the way to leading 59-47 by half-time.

It was another 30 points to 28 in the third quarter, and 31 to 24 in the fourth with the Suns going on to win by 21 on a night where they scored 120 with 54 per cent shooting from the field and 22/31 at the free-throw line.

Marley Sam had the first 40-point performance of his career ending up with those 40 points to go with eight assists, three steals and two rebounds with 11/13 free-throw shooting and going 14/24 from the field.

Joe Cook-Green also had 25 points, three assists and two rebounds, Terrandus Smith 15 points, 10 boards and six assists, and Jesse Pollock 13 points and two rebounds.

The Senators pulled down 22 offensive rebounds but shot just 38 per cent for the night with Will Tschetter delivering 31 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

George Pearl added 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, Tristan Forsyth 17 points, 14 boards and three assists, and Billy McRae eight points and three rebounds.

SATURDAY

Willetton Tigers (84) lost to Cockburn Cougars (103)

Johny Narkle got up 37 shot attempts and turned that into a 47-point outburst to lead the Cockburn Cougars to the double win weekend with the 103-84 road victory over the Willetton Tigers.

Both teams had played on Friday night ahead of arriving at Willetton Basketball Stadium with the Tigers losing a thriller to the Perry Lakes Hawks while Narkle had 31 in a strong win for the Cougars over local rivals the Lakeside Lightning.

Cockburn made a strong start with 34 points to 25 in the first quarter to set the tone for the evening before the lead for the Cougars grew to 18 points in the second term and they were on top 61-46 by half-time.

Cockburn maintained that advantage throughout the second half with the lead growing to as much as 24 points in the fourth frame before the Cougars completed the 19-point win to improve to a 10-5 record to be knocking on the door of the top four.

Narkle ended the night with 47 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks on the back of shooting 20/37 from the floor, 5/15 from downtown and 2/4 at the foul line.

Joseph Bradshaw also had 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, Jonah Palelei 13 points on 6/6 shooting, and Rowan Mackenzie seven points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

The Tigers are now 9-6 having lost six of their past seven matches with Taeshon Cherry finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Bryce Johnson added 19 points and four rebounds, Damien Scott 14 points and five assists, and Michael Vigor 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

East Perth Eagles (92) lost to Rockingham Flames (109)

The Rockingham Flames geared up for their top spot battle with the Geraldton Buccaneers on Sunday by building a 30-point lead on the East Perth Eagles and going on to win 109-92.

The two teams had only done battle two weeks earlier in Rockingham with the Flames winning by 34 points ahead of the Eagles hosting them at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre trying to get their season back on track.

They welcomed back Jonah Antonio for the occasion too but the Flames made a scorching start with 30 points to 12 in the first quarter and another 33 to 32 in the second on the way to the 63-44 advantage by the half.

That lead was out to 30 in the second half before East Perth did have 25 points to 16 in the final term to cut the final margin to 17 by the finish but it was still their 21st straight loss to Rockingham dating back to 2015.

The Flames have now won nine straight to be 13-2 with Isaac White delivering 26 points, five assists and four rebounds with Laquinton Ross adding 16 points and nine boards.

Tevin Jackson also had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, Blake Jones 15 points and 10 boards, Emmett Naar 14 points and eight assists, and Michael Harris 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

East Perth remain clinging to eighth position at 7-9 with captain Lee Roberts having his best game of the season with 26 points on 11/18 shooting 3/5 from downtown.

Jonah Antonio also had 17 points, five assists and four steals, De'Sean Parsons 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, and David Okwera 12 points, six boards and three assists.

Joondalup Wolves (107) defeated Perth Redbacks (94)

Sharif Black had his biggest game of the season to ensure he remains in the MVP talk with 46 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the Joondalup Wolves to the 107-94 win over the Perth Redbacks.

The Wolfpack were back home at Arena Joondalup still in the top four despite last week's loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers as they hosted a Redbacks team having lost their past couple and having bid farewell to two-time championship winner Marshall Nelson.

It was a close contest through three quarters with Joondalup just leading by three points at quarter-time before that was four at the half, and then still four by three quarter-time.

But it was then all the Wolfpack in the final period with 33 points to 24 to secure the 13-point victory to remain in third position with the 12-4 record.

Sharif Black had a huge night for Joondalup with 46 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals with 18/33 shooting from the field and 9/13 at the free-throw line.

CJ Turnage also had 24 points, four rebounds and four assists, Caleb Davis 12 points, four boards and two assists, and Taylor Young 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Redbacks have now lost three in-a-row to be 5-10 with Isaac Etter putting up 30 points, eight assists and three rebounds with Luke Phillips adding 18 points and seven boards, Sean Conway 16 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Malakye Cunningham eight points, four boards and four assists.

South West Slammers (87) lost to Goldfields Giants (104)

If the Goldfields Giants want to make a run to staying in playoff contention under new coach Ali Ishigami-Sims, they can't afford too many more slip ups and they started that quest with the 104-87 win over the South West Slammers.

The Giants started their road double weekend at Eaton Recreation Centre having lost their previous three matches as they took on a Slammers outfit on a 14-game losing slide.

It was a clash featuring the bottom two teams and after the Slammers started well at home with 24 points to 20 in the first quarter, Goldfields worked on top with 26 points to 16 to go into half-time leading 46-40.

The Giants then took further control through the second half with the lead growing to 16 points in the third term, and 20 in the fourth before they secured the 17-point victory to improve to 4-10 on the season.

New Goldfields import Matthew MacLellan had 21 points, eight rebounds and two assists with Lino Manhom adding 22 points, 13 boards and four assists, Michael Jok 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Josh Duach 14 points and six rebounds, and Sam Vinson 14 points, five boards and five assists.

South West are now 1-15 with 15 straight defeats with Jhaylon Martinez finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds with 10/15 field goal shooting.

Dante Matakatea also had 15 points, four rebounds and two assists, Philmon Gebrhiwet 14 points, five assists and three boards, Devan Craig 10 points, Gavin Deacon nine points and six assists, and Rhys Barrett eight points, two assists and two steals.

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (95) lost to Geraldton Buccaneers (103)

The front court trio of Liam Hunt, Cooper Creek and Josh Keyes dominated as the Geraldton Buccaneers made it eight straight wins beating the Eastern Suns 103-95 ahead of Sunday's clash with the Rockingham Flames.

The defending champions arrived at Ray Owen Sports Centre on a seven-game winning run and yet to lose away from Geraldton in 2026 while the Eastern Suns were fresh off beating the Warwick Senators the previous night with Marley Sam going for 40.

That set up a fascinating battle between two top four teams but the Buccs worked on top early and maintained that advantage most of the night, and continued to build on it on the way to the eventual eight-point victory.

The win improves the Buccaneers to an 11-2 record with eight on the trot and to be 7-0 on the road while the Eastern Suns split their weekend to be 11-5 now on the season.

Josh Keyes finished with another 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win for the Buccaneers with Cooper Creek landing 4/5 from downtown for 26 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Liam Hunt also had 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks with Devondrick Walker adding 12 points, five assists and three boards, Verle Williams eight points, two rebounds and two assists, and Matt Norman six points, five boards and four assists.

The Suns end up splitting their weekend against the two Grand Final teams from last year with Terrandus Smith having 16 of his 24 points in the first half to go with four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Sam had another 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, Joe Cook-Green 18 points, three assists and two boards, Seb Salinas 14 points on 4/6 three-point shooting in game 563 with Hayden Price contributing 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.

SUNDAY

Mandurah Magic (98) defeated Goldfields Giants (94)

Ryan Blanchett had a game 250 to remember with six three-pointers including a crucial one late while Matt Kenyon returned with 14 points and 14 assists as the Mandurah Magic kept their season alive beating the Goldfields Giants 98-94.

The Magic played host to the Giants at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre needing to go on a winning run if they want to stay in the playoff hunt while the Giants arrived in the same position and fresh off beating the South West Slammers the previous night.

It was a hot start from both teams with the Giants leading 37 points to 31 by quarter-time before another 21 to 17 in the second term to go into half-time leading 58-48.

Mandurah then worked back into the contest in the third quarter to limit the Goldfields lead to a point by three quarter-time and eventually a sixth three-pointer in his 250th game from Blanchett with 30 seconds to go proved the sealing bucket.

The Magic went on to win by four points from there to improve to a 5-11 record even while still without Jock Perry and Michael Dupree.

Blanchett celebrated his milestone with 24 points and six rebounds with 6/6 three-point shooting while Matt Kenyon played his first game since May 9 with 14 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Michael Christmas also had 22 points, six rebounds and two assists, Lachlan Bertram 19 points, six boards and five assists, and Joseph MacDonald seven points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Giants split their road double to now be 4-11 with Sam Vinson putting up 28 points, six rebounds and four rebounds with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Josh Duach added 20 points, five rebounds and four assists, Matthew Maclellan 20 points, nine boards and four three assists, Michael Jok 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Lino Manhom nine points, nine boards, two assists and two blocks.

Rockingham Flames (92) defeated Geraldton Buccaneers (75)

The Rockingham Flames might not have had their usual blistering offensive output but proved too strong at home for reigning champion Geraldton Buccaneers to win the battle of the top two teams 92-75 on Sunday.

It always shaped as one of the games of the season at Mike Barnett Sports Complex with both teams occupying the top two positions with Rockingham on a nine-game winning streak and Geraldton having won eight in-a-row.

Both teams also won on Saturday night with the Flames beating the East Perth Eagles by 17 points while the Buccaneers started their road double beating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns by eight.

Throw in Devondrick Walker's first return to Rockingham as an opposition player with Geraldton and there was plenty to look forward to, but the Flames on their home floor were on top most of the way.

Rockingham ended up winning by 17 points in the finish to make 10 wins on the trot to improve to a 14-2 record to be further clear in top spot now ahead of the 11-3 Buccaneers.

Rockingham were in control of the contest on their home floor virtually the whole way even if they were well down on their season average of scoring 108.7 points a game.

It was their first win of the season where they hadn’t scored in triple figures but still the Flames ended up shooting 51 per cent from the field to 41 from Geraldton while they only went 6/23 from deep and 12/14 at the foul line.

Blake Jones had a big afternoon inside for 28 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two assists with 14/20 field goal shooting.

Isaac White added 19 points, five rebounds and three assists, Tevin Jackson 13 points and five boards, Emmett Naar 11 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, and Michael Harris 10 points, four assists, two boards and two steals.

It's a first loss on the road of the season for Geraldton and a first defeat overall since May 2 with Walker finishing with 12 points and three assists with 5/14 shooting in his first return as a visiting player to Rockingham.

Liam Hunt added 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals, Verle Williams 10 points, three assists and two steals, Josh Keyes 10 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, Matt Norman 15 points with 3/7 three-point shooting, and Cooper Creek nine points and four rebounds.