NBL1 West 2023: Leg-weary Slammers beaten again by players enjoying season-best games

Prior to Saturday night’s road clash against the Goldfields Giants in Kalgoorlie, a number of the South West Slammers players had been busy competing at high school country week. Barely having time to draw breath on Friday night after arriving home, they joined their teammates on a 4.45am bus on Saturday morning from the South West bound for the Goldfields. The fatigue and leg-weary nature of the players appeared to show, with the Giants recording a convincing 88-54 win over the Slammers — their fourth victory of the season. In another chapter of unwanted trends plaguing Alex Ciabattoni’s side, three Giants players — Kiriana Hawaikirangi, Aimee Borchet and Lawrin Tipene — all had season-best games against the winless Slammers. Capitalising on the fatigued visitors, both Borchet (18 points and 24 rebounds) and Tipene (five points, 15 rebounds) racked up double digits on the boards, with their relentless energy noticeably transcending the Slammers throughout. It was also a memorable night for Hawaikirangi (33 points), who seemingly at times could not miss from beyond the arc. The Slammers, who suited up nine players on Saturday night, started positively — however once again, poor shooting (3/14 three-point attempts) and minimal presence at both ends of the glass ultimately cost them dearly. Keeper stats Overall offence (Giants 33/77, Slammers 20/68), field goals (Giants 22/45, Slammers 16/39); three-point attempts (Giants 11/32, Slammers 4/29); free-throw attempts (Giants 11/20, Slammers 10/19); total rebounds (Giants 64-39 Slammers); assists (Giants 21-13 Slammers); steals (Slammers 13-11 Giants); turnovers (Giants 18-17 Slammers); fouls (Slammers 18-12 Giants).