West Wrap | Men's Round 14

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Isaac White had 36 points, Taeshon Cherry 31, Cooper Creek 29, Joseph Bradshaw 32, Rowan Mackenzie 30 and Matt Kenyon 23, 12 and nine in NBL1 West wins for Rockingham Flames, Willetton Tigers, Geraldton Buccaneers, Cockburn Cougars and Mandurah Magic.

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>> BEING CHAMPIONSHIP CAPTAIN MOTIVATES WELLSTEED

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | CHERRY INSPIRES TIGERS TO GRITTY WIN

>> ON THE PATH TO THE NATIONAL FINALS

>> WEST WRAP | MEN'S ROUND 13

FRIDAY

Rockingham Flames (101) defeated South West Slammers (78)

Reigning MVP Isaac White enhanced his claim on going back-to-back with another 36 points and 14 rebounds in a thumping 101-78 home win for the league-leading Rockingham Flames over the South West Slammers.

The Flames wereback home at Mike Barnett Sports Complex having won 10 straight as they hosted a Slammers team having lost their last 15 so it was top against bottom on Friday night.

Rockingham made the strong start with 31 points to 19 in the first quarter before the lead got out to 24 in the second frame and they were on top 56-42 by half-time.

The Flames maintained that advantage through the second half to secure the 23-point win to make it 11 in-a-row to remain clear in top spot at 15-2.

White showed the way in the win for the Flames with 36 points, 14 rebounds and four assists with 15/26 shooting from the field, 4/8 from downtown and 2/4 at the free-throw line.

Blake Jones added 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots, Laquinton Ross 12 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals, Michael Harris 10 points and seven assists, Tevin Jackson 10 points and four assists, and Emmett Naar six points and 12 assists.

The Slammers have now lost 16 in-a-row to be 1-16 with Philmon Gebrhiwet top scoring with 29 points and four rebounds with Jhaylon Martinez adding 23 points and 13 boards, Eythan House 13 points and three rebounds, and captain Pharell Keats four points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Lakeside Lightning (89) lost to Willetton Tigers (95)

The Willetton Tigers had plenty working against them including conceding 17 straight points to the Lakeside Lightning in the fourth quarter and a scary incident involving Bryce Johnson, but Taeshon Cherry starred in their eventual 95-89 victory.

Willetton arrived at Lakeside Recreation Centre having lost their past three matches and needing to bounce back while the Lightning were also banging on the door of the top eight so it was a crucial match up as well for the home team.

It turned out to be quite the dramatic affair with the Tigers taking over in the third quarter with 31 points to 16 including 10 of those scored by Cherry but then the Lightning went on a stunning 17-0 scoring run to draw level with four minutes to go.

Cherry answered with a huge three for Willetton before there was then a significant delay to the game when Johnson was hurt when going up for a defensive rebound with 2:13 remaining. He took some heavy contact from behind and fell heavily, and ended up being taken to hospital.

Following that lengthy delay, Willetton responded well to end up securing the six-point win to steady their season with a 10-6 record while the Lightning remain outside the top eight at 7-11.

Taeshon Cherry came up huge for Willetton with another 31 points, five rebounds and two steals with 14/23 field goal shooting and the Tigers were +11 with him out there.

Damien Scott also had 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in his 391st game with Tom Gerovich returning with 12 points, four boards and three assists in his first game since May 2.

Before his unfortunate incident, Johnson had 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds for the Tigers with Michael Vigor providing 10 points and six boards in game No. 339.

Michael Imariagbe had 21 points in the first half for Lakeside and finished with 28 to go with six rebounds and five assists while Josh Davey ended up with six points, 18 rebounds and five assists with 12 of those boards coming at the offensive end.

Isaiah Lewis added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, Liam Patterson 12 points and three assists, and Yahui Sun 11 points and three assists with 3/5 three-point shooting.

SATURDAY

Geraldton Buccaneers (118) defeated Perth Redbacks (86)

An earlier tip off time to avoid the weather didn’t put the Geraldton Buccaneers off their game as they rebounded from their winning streak ending by beating the Perth Redbacks 118-86.

The Buccs were back home at Active West Stadium coming off a loss to the Rockingham Flames last Sunday as they hosted a Redbacks team having lost three straight and trying to stay in the finals mix.

The game was shifted to the earlier tip-off time of 4pm and Geraldton shot out of the blocks with 33 points to 22 in the first quarter before then leading 62-48 by half-time.

That lead blew out to 28 points for the Buccaneers in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth before they secured the 32-point victory to hit back emphatically from their eight-game winning run ending by improving to 12-3 to stay second.

Cooper Creek was back into the starting line-up for the Buccs and produced 29 points and six rebounds with 5/8 three-point shooting while Josh Keyes was huge with 20 points, 15 boards and nine assists.

Liam Hunt also had 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, Devondrick Walker 15 points, seven assists and three boards, and Matt Norman 12 points, three assists and two rebounds with 4/9 three-point shooting.

The Redbacks have now lost four straight to be 5-11 and slip further from playoff contention with Sean Conway top scoring once more with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals with 3/6 shooting from beyond the arc.

Isaac Etter added 21 points and four assists, Luke Phillips 15 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Nick Floyd 12 points and five boards.

Mandurah Magic (100) defeated Warwick Senators (82)

Jock Perry might not have been back but Michael Dupree was and with Matt Kenyon showing the way just missing a triple double the Mandurah Magic kept their season alive beating the Warwick Senators 100-82.

Both teams were clinging to playoff contention coming into the match up at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre with the Magic and Senators both on identical 5-11 records.

Mandurah had regained Adelaide 36ers NBL star Matt Kenyon last week and got back Dupree this week leaving big man Perry as their only player still unavailable, but by quarter-time the scores were all square at 27-27.

The Magic then took over in the second quarter with 23 points to 13 to go into half-time leading 50-40 before going on with the job from there with 24 points to 21 in the third frame, and 26 to 21 in the fourth.

That saw Mandurah secure the 18-point win to improve to a 6-11 record with Kenyon outstanding with 23 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and three steals with 7/14 shooting from the floor and 7/8 at the foul line.

Ryan Blanchett was on fire last Sunday with six threes in his 250th game and in appearance 251, he was tremendous again for Mandurah with 23 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists.

Michael Christmas also had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Lachlan Bertram 17 points, five assists, four boards and two steals.

Warwick are now 5-12 with George Pearl top scoring with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists but the absence of Will Tschetter was tough to overcome.

Tristan Forsyth also had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Marshawn Blackmon 17 points, nine boards, two assists and two blocks, and Marcus Inu seven points and five rebounds.

Joondalup Wolves (110) defeated Perry Lakes Hawks (99)

Just six days after Ryan Blanchett starred in his milestone game for Mandurah Magic, Joondalup Wolves captain Jordan Wellsteed did the game in game 300 as his team kept their impressive form going beating the Perry Lakes Hawks 110-99.

The Wolves and Hawks locked horns at Arena Joondalup on Friday night with plenty to play for with both locked into top eight positions, and both capable of putting on quite the show.

That certainly happened in the first half with 66 points between them in the first quarter and another 59 in the second, but the firepower of Joondalup saw them on fire in that opening 20 minutes to already be leading 68-57 with 9/14 three-point shooting.

Both teams then had 42 points in the second half with the Wolfpack confirming the 11-point win to celebrate the 300th game of captain Wellsteed while improving to a 13-4 record to retain top spot with the Hawks now 8-8 just missing what would have been a fourth consecutive win.

It will be a night to remember for Wellsteed not only with the win in his 300th game, but also the way he played with a season-best 18 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Sharif Black once again top scored with 27 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals with Caleb Davis 26 points, six boards and four assists, CJ Turnage 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Gabe Chadinha 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Taylor Young might not have scored on just four shot attempts, but did another standout job running the ship for the Wolfpack with seven assists and four rebounds.

Jack Browder battled foul trouble and the league's leading scorer had just the 21 points and 10 rebounds but the fact you can say that's a down night is a credit to the high levels he has set since arriving.

Cam Huefner top scored for Perry Lakes with 28 points and eight rebounds on 10/11 free-throw shooting with Isaiah Moses adding 24 points, four boards and four assists, and Andreas Grubisa eight points, three assists and two rebounds with all his scoring done in the opening term.

Cockburn Cougars (121) defeated Kalamunda Eastern Suns (82)

The Cockburn Cougars unleashed their full firepower in the 121-82 home win against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns with Joseph Bradshaw and Rowan Mackenzie combining for 62 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Cougars were back home at Wally Hagan Stadium having won their last couple of and trying to break into the top four where the Eastern Suns were currently sitting despite last week's loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers.

That meant the winner of the match up would finish the weekend in fourth place and after Cockburn were leading 26-20 by quarter-time, the home team put in a blistering 36-point second term to go into half-time on top 62-47.

The Cougars maintained that pace with another 29 points to 22 in the third period, and 30 to 13 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 39-point win to move up to fourth position at 11-5.

Joseph Bradshaw had his best performance of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks taking full advance of no Lewis Thomas for the Suns with 13/15 shooting from the field and 5/6 from downtown.

Rowan Mackenzie added 30 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals with hitting 5/10 from behind the arc with Nathan Pond contributing 14 points and three boards, and Johny Narkle 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Eastern Suns slip out of the top four for the first time this season to now be 11-6 with Jess Pollock top scoring with 18 points on 4/8 three-point shooting while Terrandus Smith returned to his old home court with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Marley Sam added 17 points, six points, three steals and two assists, and Joe Cook-Green 12 point and five assists back on the court he scored 54 points on back in 2023.

Goldfields Giants (77) lost to East Perth Eagles (70)

The East Perth Eagles once again struggled to find the team chemistry needed to capitalise on their immense talent and the Goldfields Giants took advantage for the 77-70 win in Kalgoorlie.

The Giants were back home at Evolution Mining Stadium playing better than their 4-11 record suggest while it was a chance for the Eagles to start building some momentum and consolidate a playoff position.

Goldfields were leading 22-17 by quarter-time before going into the half on top 44-39 and then neither team found much of a groove in the third term combining for must 23 points with the Giants still up 55-51 by three quarter-time.

The Eagles then started the fourth quarter on fire going on an 11-3 run with Kai Kabugua, Lee Roberts and Ioannis Dimakopoulos the catalysts.

That was the best East Perth had looked up to that point and would be the best they would look with the Giants taking back over with their own 14-4 run topped off with triples to Josh Duach and Matthew MacLellan.

Once the Eagles went back to their big names, things looked clunky once more and Goldfields went on to win by seven and improve to a 5-11 record.

New import MacLellan finished with 24 points and six rebounds on 10/14 shooting for the Giants with Duach adding 14 points, six boards and four assists, and Sam Vinson 13 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Michael Jok also had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Lino Manhom 11 points, 13 boards and three blocked shots.

East Perth do remain in eighth place at 7-10 but have lost eight of the last 10 with David Okwera finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals, Dimakopoulos 12 points, five boards and two assists, and Roberts 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.

De'Sean Parsons had nine points, eight rebounds and three assists on his first return to Kalgoorlie, Jonah Antonio nine points, four boards and three steals, and Lat Mayen seven points, eight rebounds and two assists.