South West Slammer’s men’s side miss golden opportunity to break losing streak in loss to Perry Lakes Hawks

South West Slammers men’s side missed a golden opportunity to break a six-game losing run on Saturday night at Eaton Recreation Centre, going down 92-80 to Perry Lakes Hawks. The Slammers led by as much as 24 points late in the second half but could not get their offence going after the main break, allowing the Hawks to storm into the lead with a 55-26 run across the third and fourth quarters. Everything was going right for the home side in the first half, with a thunderous dunk from Buay Tuach after a forced turnover in the second quarter a major highlight. But the visitors attacked in the second half with a renewed intensity, hitting the front early in the final term and taking home the win. Tuach finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the loss, while Alex Holcombe (15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks) and Manyiel Wugol (16 points) both had some nice moments. Mathiang Muo, who was named on South Sudan’s player longlist for the Olympic Games during the week, chipped in with 11 points. The Slammers were unable to grab their second win of the season over Cockburn Cougars in Friday night’s fixture, suffering a 93-81 defeat. Tuach’s brilliant season continued with a 24-point 11-rebound effort but he lacked support, with no other starter scoring in double digits. At the start of their second consecutive weekend double-header, Shane Goff lent more into his bench and was rewarded by both Jack Flynn (14 points) and Devan Craig (10 points) having strong nights, while Xavier Cotton scored six points in seven minutes on his return from a knee injury.