South West Slammers women's side suffer nine-point loss to Lakeside Lightning
South West Slammers women's side fell short in their mission to string together consecutive home wins at Eaton Recreation Centre on Thursday, losing to Lakeside Lightning by nine points.
In front of their own fans for the first time since the season opener, in which they snapped a streak of nearly six years without a home victory, the Slammers were competitive but finished on the wrong end of an 86-77 result.
The Slammers ultimately had no answer to Lakeside star Teige Morrell — the daughter of inaugural Slammers men's coach Marty Zeller, who now coaches the Lightning's women's side.
While scoring a team-high 23 points, Morrell exposed the Slammers' lack of size by hauling in 23 rebounds — only nine fewer than every one of her opponents combined — while also dishing out seven assists.
Despite the loss, American Cayla King had her best game in Slammers colours, drilling six of her nine three-point attempts on her way to 24 points.
King's fellow import Mykea Gray was still able to score 19 points despite playing less than 19 minutes due to foul trouble, which forced her to the bench for much of the first half.
On NBL1 West debut, the performance of Ella Edwards (10 points, two assists) was also a bright spot for the Slammers.
Despite being dominated on the interior, the Slammers were able to keep themselves in the game with some brilliant outside shooting, which saw them connect on 14 of their 32 three-point attempts.
But they had a much tougher time from inside the arc, where the same number of shots yielded only nine makes.
The Slammers were down by 13 points in the middle stages of the final term but Gray launched a personal 10-0 run capped off by a step-back three-pointer to cut the gap back to four points inside the final four minutes.
But the visitors were able to close out the contest by scoring nine of the game's final 12 points to secure their first win of the season.
Despite Gray heading for the bench for the remainder of the half after picking up a third foul from a charge in the closing stages of the first term, the hosts headed for half-time behind by only four points.
The Slammers' attempts at grabbing some momentum in the third term were consistently stymied by the Lightning, who allowed them to score on consecutive possessions only twice in the quarter.
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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Take him to school': American's threat to Kambosos Jr
Tired of the trash talk, Richardson Hitchins is promising to send George Kambosos Jr back to Australia with tail between his legs. Kambosos (22-3, 10KOs) will bid to join the great Jeff Fenech as a multi-division world champion when he takes on Hitchins (19-0, 7KOs) for the American's IBF super-lightweight belt at New York's Madison Square Garden Theatre on Sunday (AEST). Sydney's former unified lightweight champ is up in class and Hitchins suspects probably out of his league too despite Kambosos spruiking about maintaining his perfect record in the US. Be it by knockout or through sheer boxing smarts, Hitchins doesn't care how he wins, just as long as he puts Kambosos in his place after an explosive build-up spiced with threats, bets and a cancelled face-off after the two combatants almost came to blows on Friday. "I know I've been promising everybody a knockout, but, to be honest, bro, the way George has been talking trash, like I really don't got skills, I really feel like I'm gonna just, like, beat him up," Hitchins told AAP. "Or it just depends how George comes. "If he wants to be like the common fighter who would think that I don't have that much skills, like be aggressive and come at me and think that's what he has to do, if he does that, he's gonna get stopped. "But if he tries to make me think and shit like that, then I don't know. I might just have to just take him to school. "If he really wants to come out and take a fast-ass whooping, he's gonna get stopped. "If he wanna be strategic, then I'm not gonna be dumb. I'm not gonna be the first to make mistakes, so then it's gonna be a lesson." For all his bravado, Hitchins - who took down Australian Liam Paro last December to claim the strap, insists he respects the challenger. He saw enough in Kambosos's shock victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in late 2021 to know the 32-year-old Sydney slugger can be dangerous. "I know he's got fast hands," the New Yorker said. "He's a little twitchy. He's aware in the ring. He do have boxing abilities. I can see how he made a living in the sport. "He's not a dumb fighter. He knows when to hold. He has deceptive timing. "There's things in the boxing ring, qualities ... I can see why he's at where he at in boxing. I can see why he didn't stop in the amateurs and he kept pursuing boxing." But just not as good as him, says Hitchins, who added he could "see the comparisons" between himself and Devin Haney, the two-divisional pound-for-pound king who stripped Kambosos of his IBF, WBC and WBO belts with two wins over the Australian in Melbourne in 2022. "Definitely the stylistic comparisons but, if you get really in depth with it, I feel like I display that style ... better," Hitchins warned. "I think my style is better. "Yeah, he probably got Lopez, but we'll see." Tired of the trash talk, Richardson Hitchins is promising to send George Kambosos Jr back to Australia with tail between his legs. Kambosos (22-3, 10KOs) will bid to join the great Jeff Fenech as a multi-division world champion when he takes on Hitchins (19-0, 7KOs) for the American's IBF super-lightweight belt at New York's Madison Square Garden Theatre on Sunday (AEST). Sydney's former unified lightweight champ is up in class and Hitchins suspects probably out of his league too despite Kambosos spruiking about maintaining his perfect record in the US. Be it by knockout or through sheer boxing smarts, Hitchins doesn't care how he wins, just as long as he puts Kambosos in his place after an explosive build-up spiced with threats, bets and a cancelled face-off after the two combatants almost came to blows on Friday. "I know I've been promising everybody a knockout, but, to be honest, bro, the way George has been talking trash, like I really don't got skills, I really feel like I'm gonna just, like, beat him up," Hitchins told AAP. "Or it just depends how George comes. "If he wants to be like the common fighter who would think that I don't have that much skills, like be aggressive and come at me and think that's what he has to do, if he does that, he's gonna get stopped. "But if he tries to make me think and shit like that, then I don't know. I might just have to just take him to school. "If he really wants to come out and take a fast-ass whooping, he's gonna get stopped. "If he wanna be strategic, then I'm not gonna be dumb. I'm not gonna be the first to make mistakes, so then it's gonna be a lesson." For all his bravado, Hitchins - who took down Australian Liam Paro last December to claim the strap, insists he respects the challenger. He saw enough in Kambosos's shock victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in late 2021 to know the 32-year-old Sydney slugger can be dangerous. "I know he's got fast hands," the New Yorker said. "He's a little twitchy. He's aware in the ring. He do have boxing abilities. I can see how he made a living in the sport. "He's not a dumb fighter. He knows when to hold. He has deceptive timing. "There's things in the boxing ring, qualities ... I can see why he's at where he at in boxing. I can see why he didn't stop in the amateurs and he kept pursuing boxing." But just not as good as him, says Hitchins, who added he could "see the comparisons" between himself and Devin Haney, the two-divisional pound-for-pound king who stripped Kambosos of his IBF, WBC and WBO belts with two wins over the Australian in Melbourne in 2022. "Definitely the stylistic comparisons but, if you get really in depth with it, I feel like I display that style ... better," Hitchins warned. "I think my style is better. "Yeah, he probably got Lopez, but we'll see." Tired of the trash talk, Richardson Hitchins is promising to send George Kambosos Jr back to Australia with tail between his legs. Kambosos (22-3, 10KOs) will bid to join the great Jeff Fenech as a multi-division world champion when he takes on Hitchins (19-0, 7KOs) for the American's IBF super-lightweight belt at New York's Madison Square Garden Theatre on Sunday (AEST). Sydney's former unified lightweight champ is up in class and Hitchins suspects probably out of his league too despite Kambosos spruiking about maintaining his perfect record in the US. Be it by knockout or through sheer boxing smarts, Hitchins doesn't care how he wins, just as long as he puts Kambosos in his place after an explosive build-up spiced with threats, bets and a cancelled face-off after the two combatants almost came to blows on Friday. "I know I've been promising everybody a knockout, but, to be honest, bro, the way George has been talking trash, like I really don't got skills, I really feel like I'm gonna just, like, beat him up," Hitchins told AAP. "Or it just depends how George comes. "If he wants to be like the common fighter who would think that I don't have that much skills, like be aggressive and come at me and think that's what he has to do, if he does that, he's gonna get stopped. "But if he tries to make me think and shit like that, then I don't know. I might just have to just take him to school. "If he really wants to come out and take a fast-ass whooping, he's gonna get stopped. "If he wanna be strategic, then I'm not gonna be dumb. I'm not gonna be the first to make mistakes, so then it's gonna be a lesson." For all his bravado, Hitchins - who took down Australian Liam Paro last December to claim the strap, insists he respects the challenger. He saw enough in Kambosos's shock victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in late 2021 to know the 32-year-old Sydney slugger can be dangerous. "I know he's got fast hands," the New Yorker said. "He's a little twitchy. He's aware in the ring. He do have boxing abilities. I can see how he made a living in the sport. "He's not a dumb fighter. He knows when to hold. He has deceptive timing. "There's things in the boxing ring, qualities ... I can see why he's at where he at in boxing. I can see why he didn't stop in the amateurs and he kept pursuing boxing." But just not as good as him, says Hitchins, who added he could "see the comparisons" between himself and Devin Haney, the two-divisional pound-for-pound king who stripped Kambosos of his IBF, WBC and WBO belts with two wins over the Australian in Melbourne in 2022. "Definitely the stylistic comparisons but, if you get really in depth with it, I feel like I display that style ... better," Hitchins warned. "I think my style is better. "Yeah, he probably got Lopez, but we'll see." Tired of the trash talk, Richardson Hitchins is promising to send George Kambosos Jr back to Australia with tail between his legs. Kambosos (22-3, 10KOs) will bid to join the great Jeff Fenech as a multi-division world champion when he takes on Hitchins (19-0, 7KOs) for the American's IBF super-lightweight belt at New York's Madison Square Garden Theatre on Sunday (AEST). Sydney's former unified lightweight champ is up in class and Hitchins suspects probably out of his league too despite Kambosos spruiking about maintaining his perfect record in the US. Be it by knockout or through sheer boxing smarts, Hitchins doesn't care how he wins, just as long as he puts Kambosos in his place after an explosive build-up spiced with threats, bets and a cancelled face-off after the two combatants almost came to blows on Friday. "I know I've been promising everybody a knockout, but, to be honest, bro, the way George has been talking trash, like I really don't got skills, I really feel like I'm gonna just, like, beat him up," Hitchins told AAP. "Or it just depends how George comes. "If he wants to be like the common fighter who would think that I don't have that much skills, like be aggressive and come at me and think that's what he has to do, if he does that, he's gonna get stopped. "But if he tries to make me think and shit like that, then I don't know. I might just have to just take him to school. "If he really wants to come out and take a fast-ass whooping, he's gonna get stopped. "If he wanna be strategic, then I'm not gonna be dumb. I'm not gonna be the first to make mistakes, so then it's gonna be a lesson." For all his bravado, Hitchins - who took down Australian Liam Paro last December to claim the strap, insists he respects the challenger. He saw enough in Kambosos's shock victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in late 2021 to know the 32-year-old Sydney slugger can be dangerous. "I know he's got fast hands," the New Yorker said. "He's a little twitchy. He's aware in the ring. He do have boxing abilities. I can see how he made a living in the sport. "He's not a dumb fighter. He knows when to hold. He has deceptive timing. "There's things in the boxing ring, qualities ... I can see why he's at where he at in boxing. I can see why he didn't stop in the amateurs and he kept pursuing boxing." But just not as good as him, says Hitchins, who added he could "see the comparisons" between himself and Devin Haney, the two-divisional pound-for-pound king who stripped Kambosos of his IBF, WBC and WBO belts with two wins over the Australian in Melbourne in 2022. "Definitely the stylistic comparisons but, if you get really in depth with it, I feel like I display that style ... better," Hitchins warned. "I think my style is better. "Yeah, he probably got Lopez, but we'll see."
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Take him to school': American's threat to Kambosos Jr
Tired of the trash talk, Richardson Hitchins is promising to send George Kambosos Jr back to Australia with tail between his legs. Kambosos (22-3, 10KOs) will bid to join the great Jeff Fenech as a multi-division world champion when he takes on Hitchins (19-0, 7KOs) for the American's IBF super-lightweight belt at New York's Madison Square Garden Theatre on Sunday (AEST). Sydney's former unified lightweight champ is up in class and Hitchins suspects probably out of his league too despite Kambosos spruiking about maintaining his perfect record in the US. Be it by knockout or through sheer boxing smarts, Hitchins doesn't care how he wins, just as long as he puts Kambosos in his place after an explosive build-up spiced with threats, bets and a cancelled face-off after the two combatants almost came to blows on Friday. "I know I've been promising everybody a knockout, but, to be honest, bro, the way George has been talking trash, like I really don't got skills, I really feel like I'm gonna just, like, beat him up," Hitchins told AAP. "Or it just depends how George comes. "If he wants to be like the common fighter who would think that I don't have that much skills, like be aggressive and come at me and think that's what he has to do, if he does that, he's gonna get stopped. "But if he tries to make me think and shit like that, then I don't know. I might just have to just take him to school. "If he really wants to come out and take a fast-ass whooping, he's gonna get stopped. "If he wanna be strategic, then I'm not gonna be dumb. I'm not gonna be the first to make mistakes, so then it's gonna be a lesson." For all his bravado, Hitchins - who took down Australian Liam Paro last December to claim the strap, insists he respects the challenger. He saw enough in Kambosos's shock victory over Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in late 2021 to know the 32-year-old Sydney slugger can be dangerous. "I know he's got fast hands," the New Yorker said. "He's a little twitchy. He's aware in the ring. He do have boxing abilities. I can see how he made a living in the sport. "He's not a dumb fighter. He knows when to hold. He has deceptive timing. "There's things in the boxing ring, qualities ... I can see why he's at where he at in boxing. I can see why he didn't stop in the amateurs and he kept pursuing boxing." But just not as good as him, says Hitchins, who added he could "see the comparisons" between himself and Devin Haney, the two-divisional pound-for-pound king who stripped Kambosos of his IBF, WBC and WBO belts with two wins over the Australian in Melbourne in 2022. "Definitely the stylistic comparisons but, if you get really in depth with it, I feel like I display that style ... better," Hitchins warned. "I think my style is better. "Yeah, he probably got Lopez, but we'll see."
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Hurt locker' Hollioake hunts debut Cairns Ironman win
After announcing herself as a new star of Ironman triathlon, Australian Regan Hollioake is now acutely aware of what can happen when race day goes wrong. The 35-year-old from Ballarat is one of the leading favourites for Sunday's Ironman Cairns, which she is racing for the first time. Hollioake will also make her debut in October at the Hawaiian Ironman world championships - triathlon's most famous race - and has come to Cairns fresh from a three-week training camp at the Kona race site. Since turning professional last year, Hollioake has won Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie as well as the New Zealand and Malaysia Ironman races over the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon run format. Then, in late April, she raced Ironman Texas and, as Hollioake explains it, "I got a little wrapped up in the race". Hollioake made the fatal mistake of not paying attention to her race nutrition and hydration, crucial for the eight-plus hours of an Ironman. She does not remember starting the run. Her kidneys shut down and the Australian passed out 13km into the marathon. "I woke up in the medical tent," Hollioake told AAP. "Some really hard and tough lessons learned, but some really valuable lessons ... I paid the price. "The lessons you learn in Ironman are big ones - there are no easy lessons." But Hollioake recovered quickly and medical tests showed no lasting ill effects. "It was a bit confronting ... I got away with that one," she said. Now to Cairns, which is part of the Ironman Pro Series and boasting a top international field. It will be a crucial stepping stone for Hollioake ahead of Kona. The training camp was her first visit to the Big Island and she immediately understood why the Hawaiian Ironman is such a big deal. "I can see why it's really hard to get right, that race. It's such an extreme climate and the course is brutal," she said. "But I really enjoyed it. I quite like getting in the hurt locker and just staying there." Hollioake also is determined to return to top form with a big result in Cairns. "I'm really, really excited for this race. I've never been in better condition in terms of physically, but also emotionally ... I'm really confident in the fact that I've done everything I can," she said. "You definitely need to have your head in the game for the race at hand. But in the back of your mind, there's always Kona being the big goal," she said. "We're all business for Cairns on Sunday. "I don't know what I'm capable of, but I keep surprising myself." New Zealander Hannah Berry will defend her title and Australian Kylie Simpson is a two-time Cairns champion, while Queensland-based Dutch star Lotte Wilms and American Jackie Hering are other prominent names. The men's race will feature three-time winner Braden Currie from New Zealand, rising Australian star Nick Thompson and American long-distance gun Matthew Marquardt. After announcing herself as a new star of Ironman triathlon, Australian Regan Hollioake is now acutely aware of what can happen when race day goes wrong. The 35-year-old from Ballarat is one of the leading favourites for Sunday's Ironman Cairns, which she is racing for the first time. Hollioake will also make her debut in October at the Hawaiian Ironman world championships - triathlon's most famous race - and has come to Cairns fresh from a three-week training camp at the Kona race site. Since turning professional last year, Hollioake has won Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie as well as the New Zealand and Malaysia Ironman races over the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon run format. Then, in late April, she raced Ironman Texas and, as Hollioake explains it, "I got a little wrapped up in the race". Hollioake made the fatal mistake of not paying attention to her race nutrition and hydration, crucial for the eight-plus hours of an Ironman. She does not remember starting the run. Her kidneys shut down and the Australian passed out 13km into the marathon. "I woke up in the medical tent," Hollioake told AAP. "Some really hard and tough lessons learned, but some really valuable lessons ... I paid the price. "The lessons you learn in Ironman are big ones - there are no easy lessons." But Hollioake recovered quickly and medical tests showed no lasting ill effects. "It was a bit confronting ... I got away with that one," she said. Now to Cairns, which is part of the Ironman Pro Series and boasting a top international field. It will be a crucial stepping stone for Hollioake ahead of Kona. The training camp was her first visit to the Big Island and she immediately understood why the Hawaiian Ironman is such a big deal. "I can see why it's really hard to get right, that race. It's such an extreme climate and the course is brutal," she said. "But I really enjoyed it. I quite like getting in the hurt locker and just staying there." Hollioake also is determined to return to top form with a big result in Cairns. "I'm really, really excited for this race. I've never been in better condition in terms of physically, but also emotionally ... I'm really confident in the fact that I've done everything I can," she said. "You definitely need to have your head in the game for the race at hand. But in the back of your mind, there's always Kona being the big goal," she said. "We're all business for Cairns on Sunday. "I don't know what I'm capable of, but I keep surprising myself." New Zealander Hannah Berry will defend her title and Australian Kylie Simpson is a two-time Cairns champion, while Queensland-based Dutch star Lotte Wilms and American Jackie Hering are other prominent names. The men's race will feature three-time winner Braden Currie from New Zealand, rising Australian star Nick Thompson and American long-distance gun Matthew Marquardt. After announcing herself as a new star of Ironman triathlon, Australian Regan Hollioake is now acutely aware of what can happen when race day goes wrong. The 35-year-old from Ballarat is one of the leading favourites for Sunday's Ironman Cairns, which she is racing for the first time. Hollioake will also make her debut in October at the Hawaiian Ironman world championships - triathlon's most famous race - and has come to Cairns fresh from a three-week training camp at the Kona race site. Since turning professional last year, Hollioake has won Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie as well as the New Zealand and Malaysia Ironman races over the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon run format. Then, in late April, she raced Ironman Texas and, as Hollioake explains it, "I got a little wrapped up in the race". Hollioake made the fatal mistake of not paying attention to her race nutrition and hydration, crucial for the eight-plus hours of an Ironman. She does not remember starting the run. Her kidneys shut down and the Australian passed out 13km into the marathon. "I woke up in the medical tent," Hollioake told AAP. "Some really hard and tough lessons learned, but some really valuable lessons ... I paid the price. "The lessons you learn in Ironman are big ones - there are no easy lessons." But Hollioake recovered quickly and medical tests showed no lasting ill effects. "It was a bit confronting ... I got away with that one," she said. Now to Cairns, which is part of the Ironman Pro Series and boasting a top international field. It will be a crucial stepping stone for Hollioake ahead of Kona. The training camp was her first visit to the Big Island and she immediately understood why the Hawaiian Ironman is such a big deal. "I can see why it's really hard to get right, that race. It's such an extreme climate and the course is brutal," she said. "But I really enjoyed it. I quite like getting in the hurt locker and just staying there." Hollioake also is determined to return to top form with a big result in Cairns. "I'm really, really excited for this race. I've never been in better condition in terms of physically, but also emotionally ... I'm really confident in the fact that I've done everything I can," she said. "You definitely need to have your head in the game for the race at hand. But in the back of your mind, there's always Kona being the big goal," she said. "We're all business for Cairns on Sunday. "I don't know what I'm capable of, but I keep surprising myself." New Zealander Hannah Berry will defend her title and Australian Kylie Simpson is a two-time Cairns champion, while Queensland-based Dutch star Lotte Wilms and American Jackie Hering are other prominent names. The men's race will feature three-time winner Braden Currie from New Zealand, rising Australian star Nick Thompson and American long-distance gun Matthew Marquardt.
