Flames stay in hunt for spot in top four

Rockingham Flames men won their fourth straight match to stay in the top-four race with a three-point victory over the Perry Lakes Hawks at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday night.

Rockingham now sit fifth at 16-9 after the 93-90 victory — just a win behind Willetton Tigers and Geraldton Buccaneers, who are third and fourth respectively.

Cooper Land top-scored for the Flames with 20 points and 12 rebounds but he got plenty of support — Taylor Land finished with 19 points, eight assists and four boards shooting 9-of-15 from the field.

Ryan Godfrey added 18 points, five rebounds and three assists for Rockingham, Chudier Pal 12 points and 16 boards, and Justin Beard 10 points, three boards and two blocked shots.

Meanwhile, the Hawks women proved they could be a serious challenger for the 2016 championship after they beat defending champions Rockingham by 13 points.

Perry Lakes and Rockingham should still finish fourth and second respectively despite the result.

The game was still up for grabs going into the fourth quarter with the Hawks holding only a three-point lead, but they restricted the Flames to five points in the final period to end up winning 75-62.

Deanna Smith led the way for the Hawks with 19 points and 10 rebounds despite shooting just 3-of-16 from the floor. She went 11-of-11 from the foul line, though.

Lauren Jeffers added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Perry Lakes, Sarah Donovan 14 points and five boards, and Antonia Edmondson 12 points.

Ifunanya Ibekwe was impressive for the Flames, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five steals on the back of shooting 12-of-18 from the floor.

Sami Whitcomb added 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocked shots for Rockingham.