The South West Slammers men’s side have claimed two close victories and continued their good form as finals approach, with wins against the Cockburn Cougars and Joondalup Wolves.
A game high 33 points from Tre Nichols helped lead the Slammers to their first win of the weekend at Wally Hagan Stadium on Friday night. Brian Voelkel also recorded a triple-double in a dominant performance with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists.
The Slammers started the game slow, trailing by two points at quarter time but bounced back with a strong second half to win 90-75.
It was an even closer call for the Slammers on Saturday night against the Wolves despite leading for much of the match. Foul trouble for the Slammers in the third term saw the Wolves claw their way back forcing the game into overtime by the final quarter, the Slammers missing Clive Weeden and Voelkel for fouls.
Five minutes of extra play and impressive accuracy from the South West meant they were able to hold on for a thrilling win 97-94.
The women’s team’s were unable to do the same with hopes for finals seemingly dashed after two tight losses at the weekend. The Slammers went down to Cockburn on Friday night by just six points after leading for the first half.
Captain Courtney Bayliss recorded a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds while young gun Taylah Burrows scored ten, but a tough second half saw the women go down 74-68.
Similarly on Saturday night, the Slammers did enough to keep up with the Wolves, even getting ahead in the third term but were unable to hold on for a victory.
Bayliss worked hard again with another double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, while Hodges also sealed 20 for her side. Georgia Denehey also scored nine points of her own but it wasn’t enough to lead the Slammers to a much-needed win, falling short 66-57.
The Slammers women will enjoy a well-deserved break this weekend, while the men take on the Geraldton Bucaneers this Saturday.