Eagles Recap | Elimination Finals

It was a mixed Saturday evening for the East Perth Eagles in NBL1 West elimination finals with the women going down to the Mandurah Magic while the men scored a stirring win over the Joondalup Wolves.

Both East Perth teams qualified for the finals in 2025 in eighth position meaning they took part in elimination finals on the road with both of them taking place on Saturday evening.

First up was the women taking on the Magic and it was a tough evening with Mandurah ending up scoring the 105-60 victory at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

Then right up the other end of Perth, the Eagles men won a first finals game since the 2014 grand final with Lee Roberts and Jonah Antonio outstanding in the 81-79 victory against the Joondalup Wolves at Arena Joondalup.

The season is now over for the Eagles women but the men advance to a semi-final this Thursday night on the road to the Rockingham Flames.

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WOMEN

The task was ahead of the Eagles women in Mandurah on Saturday night and it did prove a bridge too far but it has still been a season of great positives with the new faces on board under first-year coach Tim Symons.

The Magic finished the regular season in fifth position with an 11-9 record but were only one game ahead of the 10-10 Eagles were in eighth place ahead of the elimination final match up at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

Mandurah did lock away their home final with a 44-point win last Friday night over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns while the Eagles did come into the playoffs having lost six of their last eight matches having started the season winning six of the first seven.

It was a hot start from the Magic on their home floor with 30 points to 19 in the first quarter including going on a 13-0 run with 11/23 shooting from the field opposed to 7/20 from the Eagles.

It was another massive second frame from Mandurah with 32 points to 18 and that saw them go into the half-time break leading 62-37 on the back of shooting 20/42 from the field to 13/34.

That lead only continued to grow throughout the second half for the Magic as it got out to 33 points in the third quarter, and 45 in the fourth and that would remain the final margin.

The Magic ended up shooting 46 per cent for the game to the 32 from the Eagles while also going 27/31 at the foul line to 10/23 while also forcing East Perth into 21 turnovers from which they scored 14 points from.

It's a rough end to a season that did promise so much for the Eagles and you could see what first-year coach Tim Symons was building and could continue to grow moving forward if they are able to stick to the process.

Sasha Goodlett finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for East Perth with Awatea Leach contributing 13 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Madi Torresin 10 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Abby Cubillo 10 points, five boards and four assists.

Taylor Roberts also finished with six points and two rebounds, captain Tessa Morrison four points, six boards and two assists, Imogen Eames three points, and Ari van Vliet pulled down four rebounds.

MEN

The Eagles qualified for the finals for a second straight season and now have won a final for the first time since the grand final of 2014 with Lee Roberts and Jonah Antonio showing the way in the 81-79 road win against the Joondalup Wolves.

It had been lean pickings for the Eagles since that 2014 championship triumph with Adam Forde the coach and the likes of Tom Jervis, Drew Williamson, Sunday Dech, Mathiang Muo, Kyle Armour, grand final MVP Joe-Alan Tupaea and retiring 250-game veteran John Taylor.

It had been until last year when the Eagles reached the finals in the men's SBL again and they were able to make it consecutive finals appearance with the eighth place finish at the end of the 2025 regular season.

It was a big challenge for East Perth to try and win a first final as well in 11 years when they took on the Wolves at Arena Joondalup on Saturday night who had ended the regular season in fifth position and five games ahead of the Eagles.

The Eagles have shown on occasion what they are capable of this season becoming the only team to beat the Buccaneers in Geraldton and also the only team aside from the Buccs to beat the Senators at Warwick Stadium.

East Perth went on to be leading 25-19 by the end of the first quarter before then building on that advantage with 24 points to 21 in the second frame to be leading 49-40 at half-time while attempting 14 extra shots for the half than Joondalup.

The Wolves were able to work on top in the third quarter but it was still the Eagles clinging to the 61-60 advantage by three quarter-time.

Ben Geel scored to put the Wolfpack in front to start the fourth quarter with the lead continuing to exchange hands until Jonah Antonio hit a huge three to put East Perth back up five with six minutes on the clock.

The Wolves were able to respond to tie things up but then it was Roberts who knocked one down from deep to regain the lead for the Eagles with 3:30 remaining.

Roberts then scored inside to stretch that lead to five only for the Wolves to answer with the next four points to make it a one-point game with 30 seconds to go.

Antonio made a strong finish going to the basket and then was able to steal it from Caleb Davis and be fouled when attacking the hoop up the other end, and make both free throws.

CJ Turnage hit a three to keep things interesting in the dying seconds for the Wolves, but time beat them and fittingly the ball was in Antonio's hands as he came up huge showing why he's been in the NBL at the Cairns Taipans the past three seasons.

East Perth now advances to a semi-final on Thursday night on the road to the Rockingham Flames after Lee Roberts turned back the clock to deliver a dominant performance with 31 points and eight rebounds on 12/16 shooting from the field.

Jonah Antonio was tremendous also with 23 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists on 4/8 three-point shooting with Chier Maker contributing 14 points, six boards, three assists and three steals.

Sharif Watson also had 10 points and rebounds with Max Rice contributing seven rebounds and five assists despite a rough shooting night of 1/9 for just three points.

Despite going scoreless, Matthew Lang had a strong impact too with five rebounds and three assists.