Eagles fly high over Tigers
In what had shaped up to the game of the week, the Tigers Women came into the Eagles nest carrying the title of the reigning WSBL Champions. The Eagles had recruited well in the offseason after narrowly missing out in the finals in 2009, snagging the prominent force between the Tigers championship season in Perth Lynx player Ashley Gilmore. Along with Gilmore came another Lynx and former Tiger in Sam Norwood.
The Eagles made the most of the Tigers struggle to get into offensive rhythm going on an 11-0 run early in the first.
The Tigers hustled hard to stay within reach of the Eagles despite struggling from the field going 8 of 38 from beyond the arc. They had a glimpse of victory late, fighting their way within four late in the game but the Eagles overcame some costly turnovers to hold on 68-58.
The Norwood – Gilmore combo in the paint proved big for the Eagles combining for 29 rebounds between them while Elizbeth Zezan and Kelsey Maffin lead the scoring department with 15 and 17 respectively.
For the Tigers it was Melissa Marsh who shook off an injury ridden 2009 season to lead all scorers with 18 points and 7 boards. Centre Renee Matthews received notable numbers with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
The Tigers Men had a battle on their hands against the tall timber of the East Perth Eagles Men.
The Tigers line-up was without several key players who were either interstate or on the injury list, paving the way for a handful of debutantes to suit up. Key off season recruits Alex Prince and Mark Jones provided the experience and leadership which proved critical.
Eagles seven footers Tom Jervis and Sam Harris posed an ominous sight for the Tigers but the relatively undersized Tigers put up a considerable fight, battling above their weight division to make an exciting and competitive game of it.
The game was close throughout with the Tigers getting great service from Jones and Prince plus some cameo performances and impressive debuts from the youngsters.
In the end it was the size of the Eagles and a few lucky breaks that saw the Tiger just fall short, going down 78-84. Jervis topped the stats for the Eagles with 28 points and 15 boards in an MVP performance, whilst the Tigers were lead by Prince (29 points) and Jones (23 pts & 14 boards).
The Tigers Men will hit the road this week to Kalgoorlie to face the Goldfields Giants whilst the Tigers Women will have a bye weekend.
Both the Tigers and the Giants are somewhat different teams to their 2009 squads and the Tigers will be keen to come away from the dessert with their first win of the season.
Article by Willetton Tigers
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