Basketball: Slam Drunks slam Sapphires in smashing Wednesday match

Slam Drunks had a successful showing on Wednesday night when they beat Sapphires in the seventh round of the Manjimup basketball season. The two teams were tied for points on the ladder, having scored 11 points throughout the season, making Wednesday’s match a tie-breaker and a must-win for both teams. Both teams put up a good fight, with plenty of possession changes, great defensive play and plenty of opportunities for scoring. However, Slam Drunks were able to take the win in the end, pushing past Sapphires’ defence to beat them by 25 points, 40-15. Slam Drunks’ Tyler Della Franca and Sharni Harris were the highest scoring players of the match with nine points, while Sapphires’ Taiya Barnsby scored eight points. In the other women’s A-grade competition matches, Pink Ladies beat Panthers 52-25 and Comets beat Aces 37-28. In the men’s senior competition, the Purple Cobras beat the Redbacks 42-39, the Giants defeated Hawks A 31-28, Dribblers beat the Yabbies 35-29, Wolfpack beat Warriors 49-35, Hawkers defeated Raiders 38-35 and Billy Goats beat Tropics 35-22. In the women’s senior B-grade competition, Magpies Orange beat Aus Stars 28-20, Saints beat Bush Chooks 29-21 and Astrix and Magpies Blues tied 28-28.