South West Slammers men’s side snap seven-game losing streak with eight-point win over Perth Redbacks

South West Slammers men’s side snapped a seven-game losing streak with an eight-point victory over Perth Redbacks at Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre on Saturday night.

The Slammers had not tasted victory since their second game of the season against Cockburn Cougars more than a month ago but hit the front early and were never headed, riding a standout defensive performance to a 81-73 win.

Promisingly for Shane Goff, his team was able to secure a positive result despite a quieter performance from star import Buay Tuach, who was well below his season averages in a 17-point, five-rebound effort.

Mathiang Muo and Alex Holcombe both stepped up in scoring 13 points, while dynamic teenage guard Pharell Keats contributed eight points and dropped several flashy dimes in a season-high nine assists.

The trio also combined for 20 rebounds, helping the Slammers win the battle on the boards for only the second time this season with a 40-34 rebound count.

Bench production has been another issue for the team this season but their reserves had a strong night, with Devan Craig (10 points, three rebounds) continuing a strong spell of play, Xavier Cotton producing nine points on an efficient four-of-five shooting performance as he continues to build from a knee injury and 36-year-old club legend Clive Weeden chipping in with a season-high six points.

A brilliant defensive effort in the first half saw the Slammers take an 11-point lead into the main break after limiting the hosts to only 28 points in the first two quarters, and they extended their lead to as far as 15 points in the opening stages of the third term.

As the game progressed, the team’s issues with late game offence again came to the fore, allowing the Redbacks to close the gap back to only two points, but two huge three-pointers from Craig were the catalyst for a 10-2 fourth-quarter run which all but sealed the result.

The Redbacks were missing star New Zealander Joe Cook-Green but got a huge performance from Tevin Jackson, who did all he could by scoring 23 points, dishing seven assists and grabbing six rebounds.