Geraldton Buccaneers stifled as Perry Lake Hawks keep season alive

The Geraldton Buccaneers came up against the Perry Lake Hawks for the second time in a week at Active West Stadium on Sunday morning.

The game was forced to be rescheduled from Saturday night due to high humidity levels but it was the Hawks who brought the heat on Sunday as they claimed an upset 77-66 victory to keep their season alive.

It was a tight opening tussle but the Hawks jumped to an early lead before Cameron Coleman got a hot hand, dropping 10 first-quarter points as the Buccs began to find their range to take a one-point lead into the first break.

But a horrid quarter followed as the Hawks looked like a team playing to keep their season alive with tenacious defensive pressure.

The Buccs were kept scoreless for almost eight minutes as the Hawks took charge of the contest with a 12-point run.

The Buccs were perhaps guilty of playing too fast at times with multiple passes finding nothing but fresh air and struggling to maintain their structure as they got caught on transition.

It meant the Hawks took a nine-point lead into half-time, with the Buccs in urgent need of a re-set scoring only six points for the quarter.

The Buccs were better after the break getting to within three points after a two-point jumper from Shaun Stewart.

The Hawks were able to wrest control back towards the end of the quarter as the Buccs just couldn’t hit their shots as they trailed by seven points into the final break.

The last quarter was an even contest as Mathiang Muo kept the Buccs in the game with his three-point shooting but they were unable to put together a meaningful run to challenge for the lead.

With the clock working against them, the Buccs just couldn’t find a way through to ultimately go down by 11 points.

Mathiang Muo finished with 28 points hitting five threes, while Cameron Coleman dropped 20 himself but their efficiency was way down, shooting just above 30 per cent for the game.

Perry Lakes were led by monster centre Andrew Ferguson with 25 points and in the end, had a touch more firepower at their disposal, shooting at 44 per cent for the match.

The loss means the Buccs’ lead at the top of the ladder is cut back to one game with a 16-3 record, while the Hawks keep their final hopes alive with a 9-9 record.

The Buccs will be hoping to rebound against the Joondalup Wolves next Saturday night.