Magic and Cruisers retain spots on top of Waroona Amateur Basketball Association senior competition ladder

It was another week of great basketball action at the Waroona Recreation and Aquatic Centre, as the leading senior men’s team strengthened their undefeated run. The Waroona Amateur Basketball Association season continued on Wednesday with a mixture of both close and comfortable wins by the victorious sides. The Cruisers once again showed why they have not lost a game yet this season with a 46-38 win against the third-placed Warriors. Theo Kearing led his team to victory by scoring 18 points, followed by colleague Michael Hanson with 10 points. Despite the loss, Warriors player Rikardo Jetta still put in a solid effort by scoring 12 points. Even though they have not won a match so far this season, the sixth-placed Bulls managed to remain within striking range in their match against former ladder leading Kings. The second-placed team took the crown against the Bulls, winning the match 43-34. Matthew Calabrese and James Vincent were the main players behind the victor’s result with personal efforts of 15 and 12 points respectively. A leading second half by Rent-A-Crowd was not enough to overcome the 10-point deficit created by the middle of the ladder Suns in the first half, ultimately going down 45-39. Most of the defeated team’s points were scored by Trey Bennell (15) and Jeremy Wright (12). They could ultimately not overcome strong performances by Suns trio Kyle Martelli (14), Michael Martley (12) and Dion Pisconeri (11). With the ladder leading Cruisers having a bye, there was an opportunity for the second-placed Youth Bloods to claw back the margin between the two sides. They did win their match against the Kings 26-23, but the close match is unlikely to help their percentage. Makkiah Dittman clawed her team to victory by scoring 12 points. The third-placed Phoenix had a more comfortable win in their game against the Slammers, with a final score of 39-25. Phoenix players Libbie Gaston and Mackenzie Pitter scored 15 and 12 points respectively. The Blue Birds spread their wings against Group Therapy, winning the match 58-41. Meeya Bennell was the highest points scorer of the women’s competition, scoring a total of 18. The Bulls and the Blue Birds will be the last teams in the competition to have their first bye in round seven.