NBL1 West 2023: South West Slammers men’s team unable to weather Lakeside Lightning

The South West Slammers men’s team had another frustrating Saturday night at home, going down 87-74 to the Lakeside Lightning.

Despite again showing promise, lapses in play cost the Slammers dearly.

Slammers coach Shane Goff elected to rest massive Canadian import Ben Stevens before the clash, as the influential big man continued to recover from a mild ankle injury.

The Eaton Recreation Centre was buzzing early, as centre Clive Weeden put on an offensive classic. Aside from making the most of his chances offensively, Weeden made sure he put his body on the line at all times in a bid to help his teammates.

Traditionally regarded as one of the best long-range shooting teams, the Lightning offence were somewhat blunted early by the committed Slammers, who forced them to look inside.

But the visitors took this challenge in their stride, with a late 10-2 offensive run giving them a tidy buffer heading into the second term.

The inside shooting foundations laid down by the Lightning in the opening quarter eventually paid off, with Tom Parkinson coming off the bench to leave the Slammers spinning out of control.

Parkinson, who finished 3/4 from beyond the arc, effortlessly knocked back a series of looks from downtown, which added further inflation to the Lightning’s lead.

The Slammers played the remainder of the game downhill — high intensity, plenty of hustle and endeavour. Unfortunately for them, this meant a reduced margin for error, especially offensively.

One positive to take out of the game for Goff’s side was their final three-point shooting percentage — 9/22 at 40.9 per cent — which was considerably higher than some recent performances.

Keeper stats

Field goals (Lightning 22/42, Slammers 19/37); three-point attempts (Lightning 10/33, Slammers 9/22); free-throw attempts (Lightning 13/21, Slammers 9/18); total rebounds (Lightning 47-34 Slammers); assists (Lightning 17-9 Slammers); steals (Slammers 11-10 Lightning); turnovers (Slammers 23-18 Lightning); fouls (Slammers 24-18 Lightning).