West Wrap | Men's Round 8

Featured image: Deacon Matthews | @deacs.jpg

What Marley Sam did to lead Eastern Suns to comeback win was remarkable for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old, while Cockburn Cougars and Rockingham Flames had two massive NBL1 West wins each, and Joondalup Wolves celebrated 200th game of Caleb Davis.

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | FLAMES OVERCOME GIANTS IN OT THRILLER

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | SCORCHING FLAMES HAND TIGERS ANOTHER LOSS

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | TSCHETTER, BLACKMON FIRE SENATORS TO CRUCIAL WIN

>> LISTEN HERE TO NBL1 WEST RADIO SHOW, THE HOOP HOUR ON 91.3 SPORTFM

>> 200-GAMER DAVIS' PRIDE IN BEING A WARRIOR

>> PROVING DOUBTERS WRONG DRIVES TEEN SENSATION

FRIDAY

Cockburn Cougars (107) defeated East Perth Eagles (94)

The duo of Johny Narkle and Rowan Mackenzie could well take the Cockburn Cougars far in 2026 and they delivered 51 points in their first home game together in the 107-94 win over the East Perth Eagles.

Narkle made his debut last week with the Cougars beating the Mandurah Magic on the road and he played his first home game at Wally Hagan Stadium on Friday with the Eagles attempting to bounce back from last Sunday's home loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers.

There's no shortage of talent on either line-up so it was always going to be a tantalising match up and Cockburn managed to go on a 7-0 run in the first quarter to build a 10-ponit lead, and still be up 30-22 by quarter-time.

The Cougars were still leading 54-48 by half-time but then East Perth hit back with an 11-0 run into the third term and then managed to lead by four points themselves.

Eagles put up 30 points to 22 for the quarter to be leading 78-76 by three quarter-time, but the Cougars then caught fire again on their home floor with 31 points to 16 in the last term on the way to the 13-point victory.

The win improves Cockburn to 5-3 with four straight wins with Narkle sparkling in his home Cougars debut with 26 points, four rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks with 4/11 three-point shooting.

Mackenzie also delivered 25 points, three rebounds and three assists while going 12/12 at the charity stripe with Akeem Springs adding 16 points and five assists, and Jonah Palelei 11 points, three rebounds and two steals on 4/5 shooting.

The Eagles have now lost consecutive games for the first time in 2026 to be 5-4 with David Okwera providing another 29 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists with 10/16 field goal shooting and 8/9 at the free-throw line.

Captain Lee Roberts provided 19 points, three rebounds and two assists with Jonah Antonio adding 18 points, six boards, six assists and two steals, and Lat Mayen eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Perth Redbacks (93) lost to Lakeside Lightning (99)

The Lakeside Lightning dug deep to score the last six points of the game on the road to beat the Perth Redbacks 99-93.

The Redbacks were back home at Belmont Oasis having won their last two games with the Lightning arriving trying to snap a four-game slide.

To help that cause, Lakeside made a hot start with 23 points to 12 in the first quarter and the Lightning were still leading 42-36 by half-time.

Lakeside were then still clinging to a four-point lead by three quarter-time but all of a sudden Marhsall Nelson caught fire with back-to-back three-pointers in the space of 30 seconds to put the Redbacks back level.

He and Isaiah Lewis then traded three-pointers for scores to be tied at 91-91 and it was 93-93 with 40 seconds to go but then the Lightning scored the last six points starting with a jumper to Michael Imariagbe.

He and Liam Patterson then made two free throws each to secure the six-point victory to snap their losing run and improve to a 3-7 record.

Imariagbe delivered 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Lightning with Josh Davey delivering 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Yahui Sun 14 points, three boards and two assists, and Liam Patterson 12 points, five assists and four rebounds.

The Redbacks are now 4-4 following the home defeat with Sean Conway finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals on 4/9 three-point shooting.

Nelson added 21 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals with Luke Phillips contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and Malakye Cunningham nine points and three assists.

Perry Lakes Hawks (108) lost to Warwick Senators (116)

University of Michigan NCAA championship winner Will Tschetter was unstoppable at times and along with Marshawn Blackmon combined for 72 points and 23 rebounds as the Warwick Senators beat the Perry Lakes Hawks 116-108.

The Friday night match up at Bendat Basketball Centre was intriguing coming into it with the Hawks having won four of five since the arrival of young imports Jack Browder and Isaiah Moses.

The Senators have yet to get going in 2026 and have never been close to full strength and that was again the case with Cody Ellis, Keegan Phillips and George Pearl all unavailable.

But still Warwick put up 32 points in the first quarter with 24 from Blackmon and Tschetter, and then another 31 in the second to have 63 by the half with 40 from that pair.

However, Moses was having a big night for Perry Lakes and had 30 points already to three quarter-time and then after a foul interrupted first half, Browder had 11 points in the third term and eight in the fourth, but Warwick did enough to end up securing the important eight-point win.

The victory improves the Senators to a 3-6 record while the Hawks are now 4-5 after an entertaining affair with Warwick ending up shooting 54 per cent from the field to the 52 from Perry Lakes.

Will Tschetter sure is enjoying first halves in particular to start his NBL1 career fresh off being part of Michigan's NCAA championship triumph only last month.

He had 13 points in the first quarter and 26 for the half and he was sure to let everyone within ear shot know about it.

He then ended the game with 38 points and 10 rebounds on 15/25 field goal shooting and going 4/8 from both beyond the three-point arc and at the foul line.

Marshawn Blackmon continued his standout season with another 34 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 13/32 field goal shooting.

Billy McRae returned to his old home floor to take on his former team and starred for Warwick with 23 points, four assists and three rebounds with Trey Sandon also producing nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Jack Browder was hindered by foul trouble in the first half for Perry Lakes and just had one shot attempt, but he made that three-pointer.

He then delivered 11 points in the third quarter and eight in the last to finish with 22 with five rebounds on 8/9 shooting.

Fellow import Isaiah Moses was tremendous with 33 points and six assists with 5/10 three-point shooting while Cam Huefner contributed 18 points, six boards and three assists, and Apiok Dau 15 points and four rebounds.

SATURDAY

Warwick Senators (85) lost to Cockburn Cougars (112)

Even without getting much out of Johny Narkle, Rowan Maceknzie again stared for the Cockburn Cougars as they maintained their hot form beating the Warwick Senators 112-85.

The Cougars started their weekend with an emphatic win at home to the East Perth Eagles ahead of taking on the Senators at Warwick Stadium who were also fresh off beating the Perry Lakes Hawks the night before.

Cockburn are playing quite the exciting brand of basketball and that was on display once more with 34 points to 24 in the first quarter.

The Cougars kept that going with another 31 points to 23 in the second frame on the way to leading 65-47 by half-time.

There was no let up from Cockburn either with another 32 points to 28 in the third term, and 15 to 10 in the fourth on the way to the 27-point victory to make it five straight for them to be 6-3.

Rowan Mackenzie delivered another 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals on 9/13 shooting from the floor, 3/5 from downtown and 4/4 from the foul line for the Cougars.

Joseph Bradshaw also had 22 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, Akeem Springs 16 points, three boards and two assists, Josh Hunt 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Riley Eves 10 points, seven boards and two assists.

The Senators are now 3-7 after splitting their weekend double with Will Tschetter delivering another 33 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 11/18 field goal shooting with 10/10 at the foul line.

Marshawn Blackmon also had 16 points and two rebounds, Trey Sandon 11 points on 5/9 shooting, Jay Thwaites seven points on 2/3 three-point shooting, and Koby Weir seven points and two rebounds.

Joondalup Wolves (96) defeated Goldfields Giants (67)

CJ Turnage produced a triple double on the night his best mate Caleb Davis celebrated his 200th game in the 96-67 home victory for the Joondalup Wolves against the Goldfields Giants.

The Wolves were back home at Arena Joondalup trying to bounce back from a loss to the Rockingham Flames with the Giants arriving to start their road double having lost their past three.

Goldfields did start well with Josh Duach into the line-up for the first time this season opening up an early 13-point lead and still being on top 25-20 by quarter-time.

The Wolfpack turned things around in the second term with 30 points to 15 with a 10-0 scoring run on the way to taking a 50-40 advantage into half-time.

Joondalup then had 25 points to 16 in the third frame and 21 to 11 in the fourth on the way to the 29-point victory to improve to a 6-3 record.

Turnage delivered a triple double for the Wolfpack made up of 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds with Davis celebrating his 200th game with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals with 4/10 three-point shooting.

Jordan Wellsteed added 13 points, three steals and two assists, Damon Ballantyne 12 points, six boards and four assists, Taylor Young nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Ben Geel eight points and five boards.

Goldfields have now lost four straight to be 2-6 ahead of a daunting task against Rockingham on Sunday with Duach making his first appearance of the season and delivering 28 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Sam Vinson added 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Michael Jok 11 points, six boards, four steals and three assists.

Willetton Tigers (100) lost to Rockingham Flames (115)

Adelaide 36ers NBL26 trio Isaac White, Michael Harris and Blake Jones combined for 62 points as the Rockingham Flames sent another statement of their capabilities with the 115-100 win over the Willetton Tigers.

The Tigers were back home at Willetton Basketball Stadium coming off their first loss of the season against the Geraldton Buccaneers last Saturday night.

The Flames were in hot form having won their past two over the Warwick Senators and Joondalup Wolves by a combined 53 points while putting up 227 themselves.

Rockingham put up 32 points in the first quarter with Isaac White scoring 15 of those before Michael Harris scored 13 in the second term as the Flames scored another 36 having opened up a 32-point lead.

From there the Flames cruised to the 15-point win by scoring 110-plus points for a third straight game to improve to a 7-2 record and now they will be on top of the competition with a win on Sunday against the Goldfields Giants.

White finished the night with 27 points, 10 assists and five rebounds on 8/14 shooting from the field and 9/11 at the foul line.

Harris also had 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, Blake Jones 16 points and seven boards, and Tevin Jackson 14 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Travis Durnin added 11 points and five rebounds, Emmett Naar 11 points, 10 assists and three steals, and 361-game veteran Ryan Godfrey 10 points.

Willetton have now lost back-to-back matches after starting the season 8-0 with Alex Edwards top scoring with 13 points which marked the first time he has scored in the NBL1 West.

Aaron Gashaw added 12 points and six rebounds, Damien Scott 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Tim Ibukunoluwa 11 points and seven boards, Taeshon Cherry 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Lachlan Burnett 11 points and seven assists.

Kalamunda Eastern Suns (100) defeated Mandurah Magic (97)

At only 17 years of age, Marley Sam had a spectacular 17 points in the last quarter to lead the charge for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns as they stormed home to beat the Mandurah Magic 100-97.

The Eastern Suns were back at Ray Owen Sports Centre trying to hit back from a loss also at home to the East Perth Eagles while the Magic arrived trying to build some momentum with their full team now together.

The Suns did start well on their home floor to be leading 30-23 by half-time and they were still on top 55-53 by half-time before Mandurah took control in the third term.

The Magic put up 31 points to 16 to lead by as much as 13 but then Kalamunda produced a dazzling fourth quarter and it was with their teen sensation at the centre of it all.

It was Sam who scored to put the Eastern Suns back in front with 4:30 to play before he stretched the lead to three and then again after Mandurah levelled scores in the last minute, Sam scored once more and then his team held on for the thrilling three-point win.

Kalamunda are now 7-2 as a result of the win and Sam was remarkable not only 17 points in the last quarter, but 37 for the game with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals on 15/21 shooting.

Terrandus Smith also had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, Travis Fee 13 points and five boards, and Colin Howells nine points and two assists.

Mandurah slips to 2-8 with Michael Christmas delivering 30 points, five rebounds and two steals with Jock Perry adding 18 points and eight boards, and Lachlan Bertram 19 points, nine boards, three assists and three steals.

Ryan Blanchett also had 15 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, and Michael Dupree 15 points, five boards and three assists.

Geraldton Buccaneers (93) defeated South West Slammers (58)

Cooper Creek, Josh Keyes, Matthew Norman and Devondrick Walker all played together for the first time and the signs were ominous for the Geraldton Buccaneers in their 93-58 win over the South West Slammers.

The Buccs were back home at Active West Stadium after a double win road weekend with Keyes and Creek both on deck as they beat the Willetton Tigers and East Perth Eagles.

Former MVP Walker was then back on board on Saturday night as they hosted a Slammers team who had lost eight straight and Geraldton dominated from the outset holding the Slammers to just six points on 2/16 shooting in the first quarter.

The Buccaneers were then still leading 34-22 by half-time and then they rammed home their advantage with 37 points to 17 in the last quarter on the way to the emphatic and statement 35-point victory.

The Buccs improve to 6-2 with the third straight victory with Matthew Norman finishing with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists having been backed in as the import for the rest of the season with the departure of Josh Banks.

Cooper Creek also had 17 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Verle Williams 16 points, nine assists and five steals, Liam Hunt 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Josh Keyes 11 points, six boards, five assists and three steals.

Devondrick Walker then eased his way back with eight points, three assists and three steals in 28 minutes.

South West have now lost nine in-a-row to be 1-9 with Philmon Gebrhiwet finishing with 12 points and three rebounds with Devan Craig adding 10 points, five boards and three assists, and Jack Flynn eight points and five rebounds.

SUNDAY

Rockingham Flames (110) defeated Goldfields Giants (107)

The Rockingham Flames found hot three-point shooting form early that they couldn’t quite maintain and the Goldfields Giants fought bravely to be in a winning position but couldn’t quite complete the job with the Flames winning 110-107 in overtime.

Both teams came into the Sunday clash at Mike Barnett Sports Complex having played on Saturday night with the Flames winning big away to the league-leading Willetton Tigers while the Giants went down by 29 points to start their road double against the Joondalup Wolves.

Rockingham had already knocked down 10 three-pointers by halfway through the second quarter to hold a double figure lead, but when that dried up the Giants were able to not only get back in the game, but be in a winning position.

From that point, the Flames only went 7/37 from behind the arc and with Josh Duach making a huge difference in his first weekend back for the season, Goldfields were impressive the rest of the game.

Michael Jok hit a huge three in the last two minutes of regulation to put Goldfields up two before Mark Burkholder's free throws for Rockingham got the game to overtime.

Then the Giants again led by just over a minute to play before the Flames scored the last five points to secure the three-point victory and improve to 8-2 as a result to move into top spot.

The Flames were without Blake Jones so were a significantly smaller line-up as well with Isaac White finishing with another 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists with 8/18 three-point shooting.

Michael Harris also ended up with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists, Mark Burkholder 20 points, four boards and two assists, Tevin Jackson 13 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Emmett Naar 10 points, 15 assists and six boards.

Josh Duach finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and four assists with 15/26 field goal shooting for the Giants.

Lino Manhom had a hot start with 20 points and 10 rebounds already to half-time and finished the game with 26 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Sam Vinson added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Michael Jok 10 points, seven boards and five assists, and Jerome Reid 10 points and four rebounds.