THE top four women's SBL teams all face one another on Friday night in a massive way to open Week 18 action as the playoffs for 2014 close in.

There are three women's SBL matches to take place on Friday night, with all tipping off at 6.30pm, and two of them featuring the top four teams locking horns with one another.

The third-placed Joondalup Wolves take on the fourth-placed Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Joondalup Basketball Stadium while the Lakeside Lightning face the Orange Autos Rockingham Flames at Lakeside Recreation Centre in a top-of-the-table clash.

Friday night's other fixture also has playoff implications with the Stirling Senators battling the Willetton Tigers at Warwick Leisure Centre.

The Wolves and Eastern Suns are locked in a battle over third position with both entering Friday night's encounter on 13 wins, with Joondalup having lost five matches and Kalamunda seven.

The Eastern Suns, though, are in hot form having won seven straight matches to now sit in that fourth position while Joondalup has won four of its last five matches to remain in third spot.

The two teams first met this season way back in Week 5 with the Eastern Suns winning on that occasion 76-66 at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

The Lightning and Flames are still fighting over the women's SBL minor premiership for 2014 with Rockingham not quite having secured it just yet.

The Flames did win their opening 17 games of the season and do sit on an 18-1 record but the Lightning have just maintained touch having only lost three times this year. Lakeside sits on a 16-3 record and is on a six-match winning streak heading into Friday's encounter.

The Lightning's three losses this season have all come away from home as well so if they are able to win a ninth consecutive match at the Lakeside Recreation Centre on Friday night, then they will be just a game behind the top-placed Flames with the minor premiership right up for grabs.

However, a win for Rockingham to remain unbeaten on the road in 2014 will secure the minor premiership for the Flames.

The Flames and Lightning met earlier this season in Week 7 at Mike Barnett Sports Complex with Rockingham winning 76-61.

The Senators and Tigers both currently sit in the bottom half of the top eight with Stirling looking to stay in touch for a top four berth, and Willetton just needing to win again to maintain eighth position.

Stirling is currently in fifth position with an 11-8 record but needs to bounce back from losing two straight matches and has to find a way to win to avoid slipping down to seventh position this weekend.

Willetton has won three of its last four games to move into eighth position but with just a 7-11 record, the Tigers do need to keep winning in order to hold out the South West Slammers.

The two clubs first played this season in Week 10 with the Senators winning that contest 64-55 at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The women's round then concludes on Saturday night with three more matches all beginning at 6pm.

They will see the Perth Redbacks battle the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers at Belmont Oasis, the Mandurah Magic play the Joondalup Wolves at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre, and the Soprano Lady Cougars take on the Perry Lakes Hawks at Wally Hagan Stadium.

The winless Redbacks return to action after the bye last week to host the Slammers.

Perth has lost its opening 18 matches of the season but could upset South West's hopes of breaking back into the top eight if able to end its duck on Saturday night.

The Slammers simply have to win with them currently sitting on a 7-13 record in ninth position and they can't afford to risk remaining behind the Willetton Tigers on wins for the season given they have played two more matches.

The Slammers hosted the Redbacks at Eaton Recreation Centre back in Week 8 of the season and won 72-53 on that night.

The Wolves back up their huge clash with the Eastern Suns on Friday night by then travelling to Mandurah to take on the Magic on Saturday.

The Wolves will come into the match in either third or fourth position depending what happens on Friday while the Magic currently hold an 11-8 record in sixth position, but they have lost four of their last five matches to now be losing touch with the top four.

The Magic and Wolves met earlier this year in Week 12 of the season at Joondalup Basketball Stadium with the Lady Wolfpack winning 62-53 over Mandurah.

The Cougars have found some form of late with a couple of wins to lock away a playoff berth and now they can try to start moving up the standings by taking on the Hawks.

Cockburn now sits on a 10-9 record in seventh position while Perry Lakes is all but out of the playoff race down in 10th spot on 6-13.

The Cougars and Hawks met earlier this season in Week 4 with Perry Lakes winning 78-66 at the WA Basketball Centre.

WEEK 18 WOMEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Joondalup Wolves v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 6.30pm
Lakeside Lightning v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, Lakeside Recreation Centre 6.30pm
Stirling Senators v Willetton Tigers, Warwick Leisure Centre 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Perth Redbacks v Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers, Belmont Oasis 6pm
Mandurah Magic v Joondalup Wolves, Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre 6pm
Soprano Lady Cougars v Perry Lakes Hawks, Wally Hagan Stadium 6pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin