Hawks wings clipped as Eagles soar (Week 11 Men's Wrap)
Lakeside Lightning extended their advantage at the top of the Men’s State Basketball League ladder after their nearest rivals suffered surprise defeats in round 11.
The Lightning tipped off the round with a comfortable 107-74 win over South West at home to stretch their winning streak to seven games.
Andy Stewart’s team spread the scoring load, with 11 different players getting their names on the scoresheet, while Jarrad Prue pulled down another 19 rebounds.
Clive Weedon (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Jamahr Warren (18 points, eight rebounds) had good nights for the Slammers but couldn’t drag their team over the line.
While Lakeside did what they had to against a lower-ranked opponent, Perry Lakes slipped up in a 100-91 defeat to Perth Redbacks away from home.
NBL development player Rob Cassir drained 22 points for the Hawks and Adrian Majstrovich had 14 points and 20 rebounds, but they were no match for the likes of Joel Wagner (25 points) and Bennie Lewis (20 points).
Wanneroo missed the chance to jump above Perry Lakes when they were beaten 101-99 by South West in a tense game at Eaton on Saturday.
The Wolves looked to have taken control with a 33-point third quarter, but the Slammers hit back to win a thriller in front of their home fans.
Warren scored a game-high 34 points for South West on impressive 15-of-21 shooting.
Defeats for Wanneroo and Perry Lakes opened the door for East Perth, who beat last season’s grand final foe Cockburn for the second time in as many games since losing the decider.
Former Perth Wildcats shooting guard Drew Williamson nailed 24 points as the Eagles held on for a 105-99 victory in a high-scoring affair at Morley.
The win saw the Eagles leapfrog both Wanneroo and Perry Lakes into second position behind Lakeside.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Kalamunda enjoyed a rare night out with a 108-89 win over fellow strugglers Stirling.
Australian Boomers star Luke Nevill registered a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Louis Timms (32 points), Benjamin Smith (25 points) and Joel Questel (19 points) who had the biggest impact on the scoreboard.
Jordan Wild had a huge night for Stirling with 29 points and 24 rebounds.
Willetton maintained their place in the top eight with a 91-88 win over Perth, while Rockingham enjoyed a rare 105-77 win over Goldfields.
Article by Shayne Hope
Photo by Mick Cronin
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