Basketball: Slammers’ wins break new ground

The Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers women’s side kept their unbeaten record intact and moved to equal first on theSBLladder after a pair of victories at the weekend.

The Slammers defeated arch rivals Mandurah 70-61 away from home on Thursday night before returning to the Eaton Recreation Centre to notch a 10-point triumph over Perth on Saturday evening.

The South West women are yet to drop a game four rounds into the 2012 season and occupy second place on the ladder, trailing league leaders Lakeside Lightning by just three percentage points.

It is the side’s best ever start to an SBL campaign since they first entered the competition in 1992.

Valerie Ogoke continued her blistering start to the season on Thursday night with a doubledouble of 12 rebounds and 14 points.

Bianca Donovan scored a gamehigh 15 points while Zoe Harper and Kara Hargreaves were also dangerous around the basket scoring 13 points and 12 points respectively.

For Mandurah Dena English, RachelHalleen, Tarsha Fletcher and Gemma Thomas all finished the night with double figure points hauls.

The Magic’s Briana Klasztorny brought down 14 rebounds in her 28 minutes on the court.

In a see-sawing first half the Slammers led by six points at quarter time, but things were tied up 42-all at the long break.

The home side shot at less than 19 per cent from the field after halftime.

They scored only eight points in the third term as South West took control of the game to lead by six points at three-quarter time before easing to a nine-point victory.

Donovan again led the scoring on Saturday night, bagging 13-points as the Slammers overcame a disastrous second quarter to record back-to-back wins.

Holding a 16-9 quarter time advantage, the Slammers scored just one of their 16 attempts from the field — a three-pointer — and four free throws to finish the term with a measly seven points as the Redbacks tied things up 23-23 at the break.

The home side pulled away thereafter however, to keep their unblemished record going into round five.

Hargreaves and Harper both scored 11 points while the latter also dominated the boards hauling in 15 rebounds—eight of them offensive.

Ogoke brought down 12 rebounds.

Perth’s Marita Payne helped herself to 11 points and 14 rebounds.

This weekend will travel to play Cockburn on Friday night before hosting Kalamunda Eastern Suns in Bunbury on Saturday.