Week 10 Women's SBL Preview

A MONSTER night with four Women's SBL matches on Friday opens Week 10 of the 2016 season with the Stirling Senators and Mandurah Magic trying to break into a playoff spot, the Rockingham Flames looking to bounce back and the seventh and eighth placed teams locking horns.

Friday night's Women's SBL will feature 'The Battle of Joondalup' at HBF Arena when the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves take on the Bethanie Stirling Senators.

The Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars will also play the Mandurah Magic at Wally Hagan Stadium while the Lakeside Lightning face the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Lakeside Recreation Centre and the defending champion Orange Autos Rockingham Flames hit the road against the winless Print Sync South West Slammers at Eaton Recreation Centre.

The Cougars host the Magic with Cockburn currently sitting on a 5-5 record they are precariously placed in the top eight particularly with Mandurah not too far behind at 3-6 and now with Casey Mihovilovich back in the line-up.

The Cougars are fresh off the bye following wins over the Eagles, Redbacks and Lightning while the Magic did well last week to beat Perth also by nine points setting up this Friday's clash.

The Lightning and Eastern Suns are two teams looking to consolidate their place in the top eight but the loser could be outside by the end of the weekend. Lakeside currently sits seventh and Kalamunda eighth with both holding 4-5 records.

The Lightning lost narrowly last Friday to the Hawks following wins over the Magic and Senators while the Suns struck form last Sunday against an under-strength Hawks winning by 35 points with Stacey Barr starring and earning Player of the Week honours.

The Slammers and Flames might appear a mismatch on paper but South West could make a real statement up against the defending champions on their home floor in bringing up their first win of 2016.

It will be made tougher, though, with Rockingham unveiling WNBL import Ifunanya Ibekwe for her first SBL game to join the star-studded Flames who suffered their second loss of the season last Friday at the hands of the Wolves.

Speaking of the Lady Wolfpack, the seeds will begin to be planted for the club's move into a brand new facility at Joondalup's HBF Arena on Friday night when they host the Senators in a battle of the northern suburbs teams.

The new building might not be there yet, but the Wolves and Senators will do battle on the basketball floor inside HBF Arena in what looms as a fascinating contest.

Joondalup is full of confidence having knocked off the Flames on the road last Friday night and backing up with a big win over the Eagles to go on to a six-game winning run having lost just once in 2016.

The Senators might currently sit in ninth spot at 4-7 but they hold a much more talented team than that suggests and Friday presents a real chance to show what they are capable of.

Wolves centre Ellyce Ironmonger is in the middle of a strong season personally and is looking forward to the chance to hit the floor at HBF Arena at a venue that will become the home of Joondalup basketball in the near future.

"It's really exciting and it's something that has been in the works for a number of years and it's signed off on now with our sponsorship with the City of Joondalup," Ironmonger told SBL Slam on Sonshine FM 98.5.

"And this week having both teams falling within the city lines, they are moving the game up to HBF Arena and we'll have a game up there. The construction on the new facility hasn’t started yet but it will be a bit of an exhibition where the new home will be in a few years' time."

The weekend's action continues on Saturday night with the Perry Lakes Hawks facing the Textile WA Perth Redbacks at Bendat Basketball Centre and the Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers tackling the Mandurah Magic at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

The Hawks got a win last Friday night over the Lightning but then struggled minus Deanna Smith and Antonia Edmondson on Sunday losing big to the Suns.

That left then 7-3 heading into Saturday's clash with the Redbacks who are 5-5 but struck some form last week beating the Senators but losing to the Magic on the road 24 hours later.

The final game of the weekend features the league-leading Tigers taking their 9-1 record and four-game winning run into their clash at home against a Magic team on the improve now with players back, but having to come off facing the Cougars in a tough battle on Friday night.

WEEK 10 WOMEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro City of Joondalup Wolves v Bethanie Stirling Senators, HBF Arena 6.30pm
Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars v Mandurah Magic, Wally Hagan Stadium 6.30pm
Lakeside Lightning v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Lakeside Recreation Centre 6.30pm
Print Sync South West Slammers v Orange Autos Rockingham Flames, Eaton Recreation Centre 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Perry Lakes Hawks v Textile WA Perth Redbacks, Bendat Basketball Centre 6pm
Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers v Mandurah Magic, Willetton Basketball Stadium 6pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Serene-Elise Photography




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