BSBL: Tornadoes Red and Tornadoes Black set for women’s clash, Bulls Grey to take on Bulls Maroon in men’s

A pair of club derbies are the pick of the games of round nine in the Bunbury Senior Basketball League A-grade competitions, with the two Tornadoes sides set to clash in the women’s competition, and a pair of Bulls teams to face off in the men’s. Tornadoes Red sit atop the women’s ladder with a 5-1 win-loss record, while reigning champions Tornadoes Black are fourth with three wins from their six games. But Black were bolstered by the inclusion of star Tiahna Sears last week, who scored 57 points on her season debut and combined brilliantly with fellow NBL1 West star Zaya Black, who chimed in with 39. Bulls Gold will come up against Aces Sky in the other women’s fixture, with the winners set to take sole ownership of second spot. In the men’s competition, a fledgling Grey side have enjoyed a good start to life in the competition, sitting second on the ladder with a 5-2 win-loss record, while reigning champions Maroon have not reached the dominance of last season, currently sitting in fourth. Despite the good start to the season, Tornadoes Black edged Grey out by a solitary point in an overtime thriller at South West Sports Centre on Friday night. Troy Kelly (15 points) looked to have won the game for Grey with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the extra period, only for Luc Perkins (20) to tip in a rebound shot as time expired to steal a 110-109 victory for Black. In a contest which was tense at times, Black had the ascendancy for much of the first three terms, taking a 17-point lead into the final break. But Grey stormed back in the closing stages before both teams burned opportunities to win the game late in the fourth quarter. In the other men’s games, ladder-leaders Bulls Gold will take on Conquerors, Tornadoes Black will come up against Aces White, and Tornadoes Red will play Aces Sky. Conquerors (women’s) and Eaton Eagles (men’s) have a bye.