NBL1 West 2023: South West Slammers men’s team let one slip against Kalamunda Eastern Suns

Despite doing plenty of things right on Saturday night at the Eaton Recreation Centre, the South West Slammers men’s team ultimately fell short. Riding high from their famous victory over the Joondalup Wolves a night earlier, the Kalamunda Eastern Suns capped off their double-header with a 71-62 win against the Slammers. Tongues were still wagging when the visitors arrived in the South West before tip-off after their home comeback against the Wolf Pack. Trailing by 24 points late in the first quarter, the Eastern Suns fought back to pull off an unforgettable 92-88 win — outscoring the Wolves 26-16 during a breathless final term. The Slammers had high hopes for their date against Kalamunda, with new Canadian import Ben Stevens making his debut. Keen for a fast start, the home side began solidly, shooting well inside the paint. Both sides struggled offensively during the middle stages of the game, however, it appeared as though the Slammers had enough in the tank to chalk up another victory. However, midway during the third term, things finally began to click from deep for the Eastern Suns. Having sunk four shots from beyond the arc during the first half, the visitors drained four inside five third-quarter minutes, which gave them a massive jolt of momentum. Despite throwing everything at the contest, the Slammers were unable to curb Joe Cook-Green (14 points, 13 rebounds) in the dying stages, with a series of heads-up plays from the Kiwi at both ends of the floor proving invaluable. Keeper stats Field goals (Slammers 16/39, Eastern Suns 11/27); three-point attempts (Eastern Suns 11/31, Slammers 8/24); total rebounds (Slammers 43-39 Eastern Suns); assists (Eastern Suns 11-8 Slammers); steals (Eastern Suns 12-6 Slammers); turnovers (Slammers 22-12 Eastern Suns).