THE Cockburn Cougars men and women both sent a message to the rest of the SBL that they are to be taken seriously in 2014 by recording impressive wins over the Lakeside Lightning on Friday night.

The women's Friday night action in the SBL saw the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers defeat the Perth Redbacks 72-53 at Eaton Recreation Centre and the Cockburn Cougars knock off the Lakeside Lightning 72-60 at Wally Hagan Stadium.

South West's 19-point win over Perth was just the Slammers' second win of the season but improves them to a 2-4 record to be on the brink of the top-eight.

Meanwhile, the Redbacks remain winless after 10 matches with the defeat.

Amy Patton led the way for the Slammers with 23 points, 13 rebounds, six steals and two blocked shots with Catherine Waycott scoring nine points, Bianca Donovan nine and Keryn McGregor eight to go with eight rebounds.

Alix Hayward led the way for the Redbacks with 20 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and three blocks with Jessica Jakens 14 points, six boards and four assists.

The Lightning had not lost a game before last Sunday's defeat to the also unbeaten Rockingham Flames, but now they have lost twice inside five days with Friday's 12-point loss at the hands of the now 5-2 Cougars.

Sam Richards led the way for the Cougars again with 20 points while Marita Payne added 18 points, 10 boards and three blocks. Emma Pass also finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Kari Pickens scored 16 points and pulled in 13 rebounds for the Lightning with Courtney Byrnes adding 16 points and eight boards. Emily Fielding also added 12 points and nine rebounds.

The men's action saw the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers beat the Perth Redbacks 104-95 while the Cockburn Cougars scored an upset 102-95 victory over the Lakeside Lightning.

The Slammers' nine-point win over the in-form Redbacks improves them to a 4-5 record to be knocking on the door of the top-eight while Perth slips to 6-4 with the loss.

Jonathan Todd Hendley was the star of the night for the Slammers with 31 points and 11 rebounds and Clive Weeden finishing with 29 points, 22 boards and three blocked shots.

Ty Harrelson also added 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds with Wade Hitchcock finishing with 10 points.

Import Stan Okoye had a big night for the Redbacks finishing with 34 points and 19 rebounds. Dennis Tawhiti added 15 points, Jarrad Prior 14 and Marshall Nelson 11.

The Cougars had lost six games straight prior to last weekend to be struggling at the foot of the men's SBL table, but Cockburn is now building some form and knocking off some highly-fancied opponents.

Cockburn beat the defending champion Lakeside by seven points on Friday night with the Cougars now sitting on a 3-6 record while the Lightning slip to 6-4 with the loss and down to fifth position on the table.

Gavin Field led the way for the Cougars with 34 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots and Damien Scott added 28 points on the back of shooting 12-of-23 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point territory.

Seva Chan added 13 points also for Cockburn with Anthony Borden scoring 11.

Caleb Palkert again had a good game for Lakeside with 26 points and nine rebounds while shooting 11-of-21 from the field.

Brad Tinsley also added 24 points for the Lightning with Jarrad Prue having another huge night with 17 points and 24 rebounds.

FRIDAY WOMEN'S SBL MATCHES
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers 72 defeated Perth Redbacks 53
Cockburn Cougars 72 defeated Lakeside Lightning 60

FRIDAY MEN'S SBL MATCHES
Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers 104 defeated Perth Redbacks 95
Cockburn Cougars 102 defeated Lakeside Lightning 95

Article by Chris Pike