THE Joondalup Wolves could go a long way to securing the Women's SBL minor premiership with a win over the Willetton Tigers on Friday night as the race for the playoffs in 2016 really heats up in Week 17.

Friday night is highlighted by the league-leading Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves hosting the third placed Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

Also on Friday, the Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars take on the Print Sync South West Slammers, the P&J Financial Solutions Kalamunda Eastern Suns play the Lakeside Lightning and the Mandurah Magic battle the Schweigen Home Appliances East Perth Eagles.

Then on Saturday night, the Print Sync South West Slammers face the P&J Financial Solutions Kalamunda Eastern Suns and the Bethanie Stirling Senators play the Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars.

The Lakeside Lightning also play the Texture WA Perth Redbacks and the Mandurah Magic battle the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves.

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There is plenty at stake in each of the eight matches as part of Week 17.

Starting on Friday night, two of the top three powerhouses lock horns with the Lady Wolfpack hosting the Tigers. The Wolves enter the clash on a four-game winning run at 15-2 while the Tigers have won three straight at 14-3 and are coming off the bye.

A Joondalup win would go a long way to securing the minor premiership while a win for Willetton and the race for the top three remains a battle in three, with the defending champion Rockingham Flames still right in the hunt.

The battle for the final four spots in the playoffs also remains a race in six with two of those teams, the Eastern Suns and Lightning, meeting at Ray Owen Recreation Centre on Friday.

The Suns are just clinging to eighth position at 7-9 while the Lightning are sixth at 8-9 but have lost their last three matches. A playoff spot could end up resting on the result come the end of the season.

The Cougars are another team that can't afford to lose currently sitting in ninth position at 7-10 as they prepare to host a Slammers team who have won just twice so far in 2016, but have been more competitive than that suggests.

The final game on Friday features the Magic hosting the Eagles with Mandurah out to continue its winning form having won three straight to be in fifth position at 8-8 despite having lost six of its first eight games.

The Magic do need to keep winning to avoid slipping back down the table while the Eagles did record their second win of the season last Saturday night over the Senators.

Then on Saturday night, the Slammers back up their clash on Friday against the Cougars by hosting an Eastern Suns team who can't afford to drop the game if they want to make the post-season.

The Senators will then be fresh to take on the Cougars at Warwick Stadium with Stirling in a must-win position to stay in the playoff hunt.

Losing to the Eagles last Saturday could prove fatal to the Senators' playoff hopes, but a win over the Cougars would keep them somewhat in touch with them currently sitting 10th at 6-12.

The Lightning then back up their clash against the Suns on Friday by hosting the Redbacks on Saturday. Perth is coming off a disappointing home loss to Mandurah with both the Redbacks and Lightning needing the win to stay in the top eight.

The Magic and Wolves then close the weekend's action in a tantalising match up where Mandurah looks to show that it can compete with the top teams against a Wolves outfit who would have taken on the Tigers on Friday.

Magic coach Randy Miegel knows that his team can't afford to look past the Eagles on Friday night because dropping that game would be costly. But he's looking forward to then finding out how his group stacks up against the Wolves.

"We will just focus on East Perth to be brutally honest and make sure that we can get that win," Miegel said.

"They play really tough and we need to be ready to play them. And then we will have a chat after the game and try to speak about the Wolves, but this week will be all about East Perth at training."

It might have been a tough season for the Slammers and this weekend will be no different with a double-header against the Cougars and Eastern Suns, but coach Julieann Bissaker is just focusing on making sure she gets the best out of her remarkably young group.

"I've been more focusing on our game rather than the opposition and trying to make sure we play how we want to play," Bissaker said.

"Then we have to try and limit the opposition so if we play at our best we are confident we will take whatever result comes. That has been the aim all season."

WEEK 17 WOMEN'S SBL FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars v Print Sync South West Slammers, Wally Hagan Stadium 6.30pm
P&J Financial Solutions Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Lakeside Lightning, Ray Owen Recreation Centre 6.30pm
Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves v Goodlife Homes Willetton Tigers, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 6.30pm
Mandurah Magic v Schweigen Home Appliances East Perth Eagles, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 6.30pm

SATURDAY
Print Sync South West Slammers v P&J Financial Solutions Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Eaton Recreation Centre 6pm
Bethanie Stirling Senators v Lapa Brazilian BBQ Restaurant Cockburn Cougars, Warwick Stadium 6pm
Lakeside Lightning v Texture WA Perth Redbacks, Lakeside Recreation Centre 6pm
Mandurah Magic v Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 6.30pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by June Halliday