Our Domino’s Geraldton Buccaneers suffered a double defeat on the road this weekend.

Ray Evans’ men couldn't handle the pressure employed by the Wanneroo Wolves and bit the dust, 80-75, at Joondalup Basketball Stadium on Saturday night. 

And the trouble only got worse for the Buccs as they suffered a shock loss, 111-106, to the second-bottom ranked East Perth Eagles, on Sunday at the Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

On Saturday, although Ray Evan's men applied their proven formula of limiting their opposition's scoring chances, they couldn't manage to sink baskets and capitalise on their attacking pressure.

Wolves applied defensive pressure which stunted the Buccs’ momentum and caused a few vital turnovers.  

Not even Michael Le Blanc's awesome form and top score of 31 points could inspire his team and save them from hanging their heads at the end of the match.

The Wolves came out firing from the get-go and from then onwards the Buccs were playing catch up.

Wanneroo's dynamo Jeffrey Dowdell was instrumental in the win and absolutely wreaked havoc for the Buccs in the first half.

He had the Midas touch and amassed 21 points for the half by nailing field goals and finding gaps inside the three point line.

The Buccs had been issued a challenge and forward Luke Meyer answered the call. He hungrily chased down every scrap ball and rebound and caused damage when left open.

But the Buccs were finding it hard to orchestrate successful attacking moves because the Wolves’ players were pressing constantly.

At the half-time break the Buccs were trailing by seven points. But a rejuvenated team ran back onto court.

By limiting Dowdell's scoring to eight points in the second half the Buccs made a late resurgence and got the score level.

The game was tied with only a few minutes left on the clock and the Buccs had possession. It was their game to win or lose.

But the Wolves stepped up their defense and caused a match winning turnover, sealing the game as they scored. 

Evans said although his men employed their usual defensive tactics they couldn't find their attacking rhythm. 
  
"We played okay but certain things lapsed," he said.

"We did what we wanted to do and kept them to 80 points but we only scored 70. We just couldn't get the ball in the basket."

In Sunday game Luke Meyer had a blinder scoring 36 points but it wasn't enough to fight off an ambitious Eagles side.

Article by Josh Burrows (Geraldton Guardian)