Sarah Mozley

Willetton Tigers MSBL head coach Steve Black said he was impressed with his team’s effort against the Hawks last week, despite finishing with a loss.

The Tigers took on the Perry Lakes Hawks at Bendat Basketball Centre for the SBL Easter round on Thursday night, where they were defeated 98-81.

However, coach Black said he saw promising signs in his team’s performance.

“I was pleased with our performance on Thursday despite the loss, I think we played harder and competed well, but Perry Lakes played very well,” Black said.

“We had some success with our bigger line-up, which was promising, hopefully we can be a little more flexible moving forward.”

SBL superstar Damien Scott played his 250^th SBL game on the night, finishing with an impressive 16 points, six rebounds and four turnovers in his milestone game.

Black said Scott is a great role model for his teammates, both on and off the court. 

“Scotty is a wonderful player and a great human being, I wish all our games could be played with the passion and intensity Scotty brings,” Black said.

“He is a leader on and off the court from us and I love what he does for us.”

Captain Andrew Black made his return from injury on Thursday night, playing his first game for the season.

Despite only being on-court for nine minutes, coach Black said he was effective with the time he had.

“It was great to have Andrew back, even if only for limited minutes, his communication and poise is very important for us and he plays as an extension of me on the court.”

Ex-Perth Wildcats player Jackson Hussey has been a consistent standout for the Tigers this season, and Thursday was no different.

Hussey led with 24 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Tigers will play against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns in this Thursday’s ANZAC round at Ray Owen Sports Centre.