They were the standout teams all throughout the NBL1 West Women’s Division season and the Willetton Tigers and Joondalup Wolves delivered dominant preliminary finals on Saturday night to set up a Grand Final match up to savour.
It’s hard to make an argument that the Willetton Tigers and Joondalup Wolves aren’t going to provide the Grand Final we deserved in this inaugural NBL1 West season.
They finished the regular season four games clear as the top two teams, they won their qualifying finals by a combined 46 points to earn hosting rights of the preliminary finals, and then won those on Saturday night by 62 points to set up Friday’s Grand Final.
The inaugural NBL1 West finals series began back on last Friday evening with the Joondalup Wolves beating the Perth Redbacks 90-48 in a qualifying final while the Cockburn Cougars upset the Rockingham Flames 81-75 in an elimination final.
Then on the Saturday night, the Warwick Senators beat the Mandurah Magic in the elimination final and the Willetton Tigers overcame the East Perth Eagles 77-73 in the qualifying final.
The two losers from the qualifying finals then hosted semi finals this Friday night with the Perth Redbacks defeating the Cockburn Cougars 74-70, and the Warwick Senators beating the East Perth Eagles 80-79.
That set up the preliminary finals on Saturday night with spots in the Grand Final up for grabs.
It got underway at Willetton Basketball Stadium with the Willetton Tigers proving too good for the Perth Redbacks, winning 90-65.
Sam Lubcke was tremendous again for the Tigers with 21 points and eight rebounds while MVP Alex Sharp produced her second triple-double of the season with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Makailah Dyer did what she could for the Redbacks with another 28 points.
The Joondalup Wolves then continued their dominant form beating the Warwick Senators 98-61 at HBF Arena.
Kayla Steindl put up 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Wolfpack while Nes’eya Williams’ career-best form continued with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Stacey Barr scored 15 points for the Senators and Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard 12.
PRELIMINARY FINALS
WILLETTON TIGERS 90 defeated PERTH REDBACKS 65
The Willetton Tigers had a scare in their qualifying final against the East Perth Eagles but that was never the case in Saturday night’s preliminary final against the Perth Redbacks as they booked in a Grand Final spot.
Willetton finished the regular season on top of the ladder with a 15-3 record to earn that first place just by percentage over the Joondalup Wolves, but the Tigers had a tough time of it in last week’s qualifying final at home to the Eagles.
They had to come from 18 points down to win and book in hosting rights at Willetton Basketball Stadium as they awaited their opponents from Friday’s semi-final between the Perth Redbacks and Cockburn Cougars.
The Redbacks won that game 74-70 at Belmont Oasis to bounce back from a 42-point loss the previous Friday to the Lady Wolfpack to set up the preliminary final with Willetton with a Grand Final spot at stake.
Willetton worked their way on top during the first quarter before going on a 10-0 run punctuated by triples from Sophie Maines and Hayley Winter to lead 23-9, and then 25-13 by quarter-time.
With Makailah Dyer scoring 12 points on her own in the second quarter for the Redbacks, they were able to stay at least in touch to a degree leading into half-time where the Tigers were leading 50-35.
The Tigers quickly blew the game wide open to start the second half, though, beginning with a pair of three-pointers to Desiree Kelley. When Emma Gandini soon hit from deep too, the lead was out to 24.
There would be no Redbacks comeback with Willetton ending up putting up 33 points to 17 for the third quarter to lead 83-52 by three quarter-time.
The Tigers would go on to win 90-65 to move into the Grand Final where they will attempt to win a ninth title in the club’s 13 championship decider.
NBL1 West MVP Alex Sharp produced another triple-double in the win for Willetton with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists on the back of shooting 3/6 from beyond the three-point line.
Sam Lubcke was outstanding as well with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks while Desiree Kelley added 19 points and seven rebounds on going 5/12 from downtown.
Hayley Winter also produced 11 points and seven assists for Willetton, Emma Gandini 10 points and six rebounds, and 300-gamer Taryn Priestly nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
It was a tough night for the Redbacks against tough opposition after they had to battle so hard the previous night to overcome the Cougars just to reach the preliminary final.
Makailah Dyer had played 40 minutes the night before and Maddie Allen, Bri Bailey, Raya Thompson and Jess Jakens all over 30 minutes, and that didn’t help against the fresh, deep and talented Tigers.
Dyer had another strong night for Perth, though, putting up 28 points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting 8/16 from the field, 4/9 from downtown and 8/8 from the foul line.
Jakens finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, Thompson six points, three boards, three assists and two steals, and Allen six points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists.
JOONDALUP WOLVES 98 defeated WARWICK SENATORS 61
They are fierce local rivals and both in good form coming into Saturday night’s preliminary final, but it was the fresher Joondalup Wolves who proved too strong for the Warwick Senators to advance to the Grand Final.
Given a lot of the players at both clubs grow up playing with or against each other given the close proximity of the Wolves and Senators, there’s a natural rivalry there that added another point of interest on Saturday night at HBF Arena with a Grand Final position on the line.
The Lady Wolfpack came into 2021 on the back of winning the West Coast Classic championship last year but the Senators were also one of the final four clubs a season ago and having played in the 2019 Grand Final.
The Wolves have backed that up by running neck and neck with the Willetton Tigers in the battle over top spot in this inaugural NBL1 West season, and they only missed first place through percentage after joining the Tigers on a 15-3 record.
Joondalup then turned on a remarkably dominant qualifying final performance to beat the Perth Redbacks 90-48 last Friday night to earn the right to host the preliminary final this Saturday back at HBF Arena.
The Senators found some impressive form to enter the finals from fifth place and then hammer the Mandurah Magic by 33 points in last Saturday night’s elimination final. They backed up that performance too on Friday to beat the East Perth Eagles in a thriller to set up the match up with the Wolves.
However, from the outset the Wolves were ready to come out and make a statement and they did that from the outset with 24 points to 14 in the first quarter.
The Senators were able to stick with the home team throughout the second period and limited the damage with Joondalup only going into half-time leading 49-39.
But any chance of a Warwick upset was put to bed quickly in the second half with the Lady Wolfpack delivering a dominant third quarter. The Wolves put up 27 points and held the Senators to just eight and it was a match-winning 76-47 lead by three quarter-time.
Joondalup would go on to win the preliminary final 98-61 and advance to a seventh Grand Final where they will attempt to win a fifth championship.
It was a second straight dominant playoff performance from the Wolves who now enter the Grand Final having beaten the Redbacks and Senators by a combined 79 points.
Captain Kayla Steindl was outstanding in what is her last season in Perth before joining husband Clint in Tasmania, with 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 9/15 from the field, 2/4 from downtown and 4/4 at the foul line.
Nes’eya Williams is developing all the time and is continuing the best form of her career with another 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists on shooting 8/12.
Chelsea Belcher also scored 17 points to go with five rebounds for the Lady Wolfpack with Laniesha Paddon adding nine points, Amber Land eight points and five rebounds, and Jasmine Martin six points and four boards.
Stacey Barr top-scored once again for the Senators with 15 points and three rebounds with Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard contributing 12 points and six boards, Chloe Forster 11 points and five rebounds, and Tayla Hepburn 10 points and six boards.
NBL1 WEST WOMEN’S DIVISION 2021
FINALS WEEK 1
FRIDAY – QUALIFYING FINAL
Joondalup Wolves 90 defeated Perth Redbacks 48
FRIDAY – ELIMINATION FINAL
Rockingham Flames 75 lost to Cockburn Cougars 81
SATURDAY – ELIMINATION FINAL
Warwick Senators 97 defeated Mandurah Magic 64
SATURDAY – QUALIFYING FINAL
Willetton Tigers 77 defeated East Perth Eagles 73
FINALS WEEK 2
FRIDAY – SEMI FINALS
Perth Redbacks 74 defeated Cockburn Cougars 70
East Perth Eagles 79 lost Warwick Senators 80
SATURDAY – PRELIMINARY FINALS
Willetton Tigers 90 defeated Perth Redbacks 65
Joondalup Wolves 98 defeated Warwick Senators 61
FINALS WEEK 3
FRIDAY – GRAND FINAL
Willetton Tigers v Joondalup Wolves – Bendat Basketball Centre 7.30pm