Road woes continue for Slammers
The Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers failed to recover from a slow start to slump to a 93-91 defeat against competition leaders Rockingham at the Mike Barnett Sports Complex on Friday night.
In a game decided by just two points, a first quarter in which the visitors were outscored 32-23 came back to haunt the Slammers, who have now lost three in a row on the road.
Poor discipline and wayward shooting from the stripe cost the South West side with the Flames converting 32 of their 44 free throws compared to the Slammers 24 of 40.
The Slammers outscored the Flames in both the second and third quarter to trail 73-72 at the end of the third and led the rebound count 17 to 7 in the final term but were once again let down by their finishing, hitting just 35 per cent of their shots from the field down the stretch.
The South West side also failed to protect the ball with the game on the line in the fourth, committing eight turnovers compared to Rockingham’s one.
Second year Flames import Cooper Land starred for the home side, leading all players with 30 points and 13 rebounds, but was aided by 17 trips to the line as the Slammers struggled to contain him in the key.
With 20 points and 11 assists Cooper’s brother Taylor also caused headaches for the South West team, as did forward Thomas Remmerswaal (21 points, eight rebounds).
Clive Weeden’s impressive start to the season continued with the Slammer sinking 20 points to lead the scoring for the visitors, but he was one of the worst offenders from the stripe, making just two of ten free throws.
Fellow Americans Ty Harrelson (19 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Todd Hendley (18 points, eight rebounds) were also strong, although Hendley’s ejection in the latter stages of the game derailed the Slammers comeback.
Outside of Trent Worthington (nine points, 12 rebounds) the Slammers were let down by their supporting cast.
Rotating guards Josh Weir, Paddy Phillips and Wade Hitchcock accounted for just 17 points between them and combined for a paltry three of 15 from outside of the arc.
The South West remain in eighth despite the loss but will be desperate to bounce back against the sixth-placed Magic on Saturday.
