Latest news with #GeraldtonBuccaneers
West Australian
17 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneers overcome Joondalup Wolves at home after coach Dayle Joseph ejected
The Geraldton Buccaneers secured a huge win at home against the Joondalup Wolves with players and the home crowd rising to the occasion after their coach Dayle Joseph was ejected, leading to a 20-point win. Buccs star Johny Narkle stole the show with a 33-point performance on Saturday night at Activewest Stadium, while amassing nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks as the Wolves had no answer for him. Buccs' big man Liam Hunt also impressed with yet another double-double. Hunt led the charge with 21 points, three assists and 11 rebounds. The Buccs led early in the first quarter with a quick start for the home side. Hunt got the ball rolling for the Buccs with the first points of the game coming from the field. Akeem Springs and Narkle also got their night started early in the first period with Narkle jumping on the scoreboard with seven points. A fightback by the Wolves in the second period saw the momentum swing in the visitors' favour, which saw Joondalup being clinical from beyond the arc while the Buccs fell off the pace as the Wolves took advantage. Joondalup led the Buccs by two points going into the main break, 49-47. It was a close third quarter with neither team able to pull away. The Wolves put a lot of attention on Narkle as the star local began to feel the pressure before an apparent missed call led to the ejection of coach Dayle Joseph. After what he believed was a missed call from one of the referees, Joseph was seen to be upset with the decision and in the referee's eyes it was enough to eject him from the game late in the third quarter. Joseph said he didn't think he deserved to be booted from the contest. 'I don't know what I did to deserve to be thrown out,' he said. 'I jumped up and down a bit, but other than that I don't know what he (the referee) saw. 'It was a heated game, the crowd probably got under his skin with some previous missed calls, so it seemed a bit reactive. 'Myself and Johny (Narkle) had already got a tech earlier in the game so it was better that I got it rather than him being ejected.' Without their coach, the Buccs were forced to stand up going into the fourth quarter, only leading by seven points. Nik DeSantis set the tone with a quick three in the last term before an onslaught from the Buccs saw them run away with the game as the crowd rose to their feet and drove the home side to the final buzzer. Joseph said the win was massive in the context of their season. 'It was a really important win for us at home considering they got the better of us earlier in the season,' he said. 'To beat them by 20 points too is really impressive from our group and to stand up when we did was pleasing.' The Buccs ran away with the win by 20 points with the final score 103-83. The victory sees the Buccs jump into the top four on the NBL1 West ladder, as they set their sights on seventh-placed Mandurah Magic this Saturday at Activewest Stadium.
West Australian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneers prepare for their biggest challenge yet as they host the top-placed Warwick Senators
The Geraldton Buccaneers are confronted by their biggest challenge yet — preparing to beat the unbeaten Warwick Senators at Activewest Stadium on Saturday night in round eight of the NBL1 West. The Buccs are coming off a win at home last round, while the star-studded Senators sit atop the table with nine wins from nine games in season 2025. Wildcats listed players Elijah Pepper and Todd Withers have been leading the way for the Senators this season, tallying up some incredible statistics. Pepper averages 40 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Withers averages 16 points, four rebounds and one assist per game. The pair have proven to be a headache for sides this season, with no one able so far to hand Warwick their first loss of the season. Buccs coach Dayle Joseph said it will be a welcome challenge as the Buccs look to cause a major upset this Saturday at home. 'I think it's a really good challenge for us,' he said. 'Considering over the last couple of weeks we've been up and down and our standards haven't probably been where we would like them to be. 'We've had a couple of weeks to work on that and hopefully we can put something together and challenge the Senators this weekend.' The sixth-placed Buccs, with a 5-3 record, now have the opportunity to pick up back-to-back wins at home when they face the Senators and will be looking to lean on their home fans for support. Joseph said the home crowd played a huge part in the contest of the game. 'Being at home is a great advantage to have with our home fans behind us,' he said. 'I think it is great however for any away side that comes up here to face us. 'They have the opportunity to play in front of a packed house even if it isn't their fans, it certainly amps everyone up.' An added hunger has been adopted by the Buccs after dropping a very winnable game at home against the East Perth Eagles in round six. Joseph said the squad took the loss to heart and used it as motivation to bounce back last round with a strong win over the Perry Lakes Hawks, hoping to carry that same hunger into Saturday night. 'We spent a bit of time on Tuesday highlighting some some areas and it did get a bit personal with a few things we weren't doing right,' Joseph said. 'We took that loss at home to heart but from that we improved a lot last week. 'I wouldn't say we were great last week but we certainly improved a lot on what we showed the week before. 'So we're hoping we can improve on that again against obviously, this is a real test when you plan the top team who's undefeated. 'They have NBL quality players on their squad, and hopefully we can answer that challenge.' The Geraldton Buccaneers take on the Warwick Senators at Activewest Stadium May 24 with tip off at 7pm.
West Australian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneers bounce back with a win as they topple the Perry Lakes Hawks at home
The Geraldton Buccaneers bounced back from last week's loss with a win at home against the Perry Lakes Hawks in round seven of the NBL1 West competition on Saturday. Star guard Johny Narkle shot 25 points with eight rebounds, two assists and an impressive five steals. Narkle provided the Buccs with an all-round game, with impressive work at the defensive end as well as his work up the court in the 96 to 68 win. Aaron Ralph also starred with a 20-point performance in his 13 minutes of game time. The Buccs veteran made the most of his time on the court shooting at 67 per cent from beyond the arc, showing his value as the Buccs pulled away from the Hawks in the third period. It was the Hawks that got off to a quick start in the first quarter with a flurry of points through Nic Floyd before the Buccs answered back through Ralph who got his night started with a three. The Hawks managed to run out to a narrow lead after the first, up by four points to the Buccs. The Buccs jumped out of the blocks in the second quarter with Josh Keyes and Narkle scoring for the home side before Verle Williams and Liam Hunt joined the party with important points. The third quarter saw the Buccs run away with the game as Narkle and Ralph punished the Hawks from beyond the arc. Clinical scoring from the field saw the Buccs go into the last break up by 25 points. Williams and Keyes worked in tandem as they made the most of their opportunities. Ralph put the game to an end with impressive shooting in the fourth from deep as the Buccs claimed their fifth win of the season as they climbed back up to sixth spot on the league ladder. The Buccs now prepare to host the Warwick Senators at Activewest Stadium on Saturday, May 24.
West Australian
12-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneers go down at home against East Perth Eagles in round 6 of NBL1 West
Geraldton Buccaneers go down at home against East Perth Eagles in round 6 of NBL1 West
West Australian
21-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton's 2025 Breathe Basketball Mega Camp a fantastic success with more than 100 participants
The 2025 Breathe Basketball Mega Camp has officially concluded after more than four successful days of basketball coaching led by Geraldton Buccaneers star Liam Hunt. More than 100 kids showed out in full force from the first day last week as the 2025 Breathe Basketball Mega Camp kicked off. Specialist coaches including star Buccs players this season led the way as the participants were taken through drills, competitions and game play. Hunt, founder of Breathe Basketball Camps, said the turnout exceeded expectations. 'The amount of kids we've had, especially before Easter, we thought we'd struggle a little bit with numbers,' he said. 'But wow, the amount of kids that just showed up every day and just played their absolute hearts out every day was incredible. 'The kids are really positive, they are really upbeat and really competitive.' Hunt has led the Breathe Basketball Camps now for the last three years with the help of his star-studded lineup of coaches. Each year Hunt recruits his fellow Buccs teammates as coaches for the camps, helping out with drills over the four-day event. This year included two fresh faces to the scene with American import Akeem Springs and former Darwin Salties player Verle Williams lending a helping hand, proving to be fan favourites along with Hunt, Josh Keyes and Johny Narkle amongst others. Hunt said the camp allowed the players to mix with the participants and let their hair down while instilling knowledge in the young players. 'I love when the kids have fun, but when the coaches are having fun, that just ticks all the boxes,' he said. 'It gives the coaches a chance to mix with the kids that look up to them, which I think is pretty cool.' Hunt said this year's camp had been the best since the inception of the Breathe Basketball Camp idea back in 2023. 'I keep thinking we can't top the last camp but this one's blown out of the water,' he said. 'As far as smoothness and organisation, this one has absolutely been a success. 'We had a great bunch of kids this year with 14 of them being sponsored by local businesses. 'It really shows that the community get around something like this.'
