Hoop Shots

The last West Coast home game before the mid-season break saw the ladder leading Adelaide Lightning come to town.

I was quite keen to see Lightning centre Suzy Batkovic in action. Batkovic is currently leading the league in points, rebounds and steals per game and would have to be the leading candidate for the WNBL’s MVP award for 2011/12.

Batkovic didn’t disappoint in this game with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and more importantly for me some nice moves for me to photograph.

You can check out my match photos via the link below.

WNBL game photos: Adelaide Lightning @ West Coast Waves

I really had no idea what to expect from either Logan or West Coast prior to this match.

The Waves came antagonizingly close to defeating the Thunder two weeks earlier (on TV, no less) and Logan continue to be the most Jekyll and Hyde team in the competition.

This encounter was a different story; with the Thunder dominating the Waves from the get go. West Coast had no answer for Logan centre Cayla Francis, and with solid contributions from guard Sarah Graham and Renae Camino, the home side simply lacked the fire power to keep up with the visitors.

Click on the link below to see my photos from the game.

WNBL game photos: Logan Thunder @ West Coast Waves

I was really looking forward to the chance to see the current WNBL champions, Bulleen, and league MVP, Liz Cambage, in action at the WA Basketball Centre.

The Boomers have been an entertaining team to watch during the past two seasons, and despite some big off season player turn over, there was still a lot to look forward to with Samantha Richards, Jo Leedham, Rachel Jarry, Alice Kunek and Cambage in action.

After a slow start to the season, it was great to see Liz Cambage come out and have a solid performance (33 points and 14 rebounds) and shake off the effects of a WNBA season with the Tulsa Shock (and their lack of training/conditioning work).

As for the game, it was an interesting (and ugly) encounter. The refs seemed to have an agenda of their own which took over the game. In the end, the Boomers were able to come away with a 90-82 win and the joy of knowing they won’t have to encounter the Perth referees again until next season.

To see my photos from the game, click on the link below.

WNBL game photos: Bulleen Boomers @ West Coast Waves

With the Townsville Fire coming into town undefeated, West Coast had a big challenge in front of them in front of them (and the ABC TV cameras).

Waves coach David Herbert made the bold decision to sit out Zoe Harper, Cortney Hargreaves, Jasmine Hooper and Michelle Joy for the game, due to disciplinary reasons, which saw the Waves line up without bulk of their (limited) size.

After a fast start from Townsville, it looked like the game would be a blow out, but to their credit the Waves put on a strong second quarter run to hang around and make a game of it. Say what you will about West Coast, but they sure do put on a good performance for the TV cameras.

The experience and talent of the Fire saw the visitors over run the home side to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

To check out my photos from the game, click on the link below:

WNBL game photos: Townsville Fire @ West Coast Waves

It’s fair to say that after a tough loss at home on Friday, the Rangers let out their frustration on the Waves during this game.

Dandenong flew out to a 10-0 lead (aided by West Coast’s inability to hit a field goal for the first 6:30 minutes of the match) and never looked back as they took out a comfortable 90-65 win over the Waves.

Although the game was hard to watch at times, I was really happy with the shots I was able to get. I guess photos can make a game look prettier than it actually was.

Anyways, you can see my game photos by clicking on the link below.

WNBL game photos: Dandenong Rangers @ West Coast Waves

It was great to be back behind the camera for the start of the new WNBL season.

While I’ve professed my love for the WA Basketball Centre many times, I have to admit that I’m not a fan of taking photos there during the day. There are quite a few panels of windows around the show court, which annoyingly make it hard to shoot from some of my usual vantage points.

But that’s enough about that.

Last season, the Waves played their home match against the Flames in Alice Springs, so this was my first chance in a while to see Sydney Uni play live and also to photograph the team at the WA Basketball Centre.

Spearheaded by Olympians Belinda Snell, Alicia Poto and stand out import Amy Denson, it was always going to be a big ask for West Coast to get up for a first up win at home. To their credit, West Coast didn’t get blown out the way many would have predicted, going down 55-71.

To check out my photos from the game, click on the link below.

WNBL game photos: Sydney Uni Flames @ West Coast Waves

It might have been published after the NBL season tipped off (d’oh!), but for those interested in my two cents on the National Basketball League you can read my season preview via the link below.

Sports Page Magazine: 2011/12 NBL Season Preview

With action in the WNBL and NBL set to tip off on Friday, it was time for me to put on my writing hat as I cover Australian basketball for Sports Page Magazine for another season.

First up, it was my preview of the Women’s National Basketball League.

After an unprecedented amount of off season player movements, it was hard to predict who would finish where given the unknown of how the new look teams would come together.

While my predictions may or may not be wrong, I’m looking forward to what should be a great season in the WNBL.

To read my article, click on the link below.

Sports Page Magazine: 2011/12 WNBL season preview

Ok, so maybe I lied when I said I was taking a break from my camera and Photoshop prior to the start of the NBL and WNBL seasons…

I decided to have a bit of fun in Photoshop (well, fun for a geek like me) with a couple of my NBL photos from last season by making the background of these images black and white and leaving the key player in colour.

It’s not anything earth shattering as far as Photoshop skills goes, but it’s something I’ve seen a bit of but never attempted myself. Given these were my first attempts, I was really happy with how they turned out.

Melbourne Tigers big man Cameron Tragardh shoots over New Zealand centre Alex Pledger.

Perth Wildcats guard Damian Martin splits the Sydney defence on his way to the basket.

New Zealand Breakers sharp shooter Kirk Penny shoots over the out stretched hand of Melbourne Tiger Tommy Greer.

After the exciting finish to the WSBL Grand Final the night before, it was the men taking centre stage at the WA Basketball Centre (WABC) for the SBL Grand Final clash between the Wanneroo Wolves and Perry Lakes Hawks.

The first sell out crowd at the WABC was treated to an extremely close and entertaining match. And after four close quarters, the Wannerro Wolves claimed their first SBL championship in 18 years, defeating the Perry Lakes Hawks 88-83.

Grand Final MVP honours went to Wannerro Wolves captain and Perth Wildcat Greg Hire, who had a huge grand final performance with 31 points and 28 rebounds.

The Grand Final weekend proved to be a great show case for the league, with two extremely competitive and entertaining games.

For me, I now get to spend a few weeks away from my camera and Photoshop before the start of the NBL and WNBL seasons on 7 October.

To check out my photos from the SBL Grand Final, click on the link below:

SBL Grand Final: Wanneroo Wolves v Perry Lakes Hawks