Wayward Slammers slayed by Giants

A sloppy shooting performance saw the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers drop their second State League home game in a row, going down 109-90 to the Goldfields Giants at the Eaton Recreation Centre on Saturday night.

The Slammers rode a dominant performance from Jay Warren (38 points, five rebounds) to a twopoint lead at the main break, but the American import was unable to carry his teammates across the line in the second half.

As a team the Giants outshot the Slammers 52 per cent to 37, and all those missed buckets started to take their toll after the long break, when the home team was outscored 63-42.

Ty Harrelson’s radar was off all night, the playing coach going just five of 28 from the field for a return of 12 points, although he did contribute 14 assists and eight rebounds to his team’s cause.

Wade Hitchcock (14 points) and Clive Weeden (12) were also inefficient with ball in hand, with Hitchcock also limited to just two rebounds.

Trent Worthington could only manage six points but was effective at the other end of the court as the Slammers’ standout beneath the boards, hauling in 15 rebounds and adding three steals in defence.

With 22 points and 22 rebounds, 16 off the defensive backboard, Giants’ centre Markhuri Sanders- Frison stamped his authority on the game.

Teammates Jaycen Herring and Matthew Leske both enjoyed their best outings of the season to date, each player scoring 29 points, including four three-point bombs from Herring.

Lordan Franich was also impressive, dropping in 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds for the Giants.

The result means the Slammers have now dropped three of their past five games and slipped to ninth on the ladder, beneath the Geraldton Buccaneers on percentage.

The Slammers (6-6) will have the chance to get their season back on track in a must-win clash when they take on the 12th-placed Stirling Senators (3-9) at Warwick on Saturday night.

The Slammers’ women’s team had a bye, with the Giants not fielding a line-up in the competition.

Sitting in seventh place with a 5-5 record, the defending champions are also in desperate need of a win against the Senators.