Slammers keen to make amends

Saturday night’s road clash against the Lakeside Lightning in Perth cannot come quick enough for Perkins Builders South West Slammers men’s coach Mark Worthington. A man who wears his heart on his sleeve, Worthington’s passion for promoting regional WA talent to succeed at NBL1 West level is unrivalled. This passion, however, is also the reason why Sunday’s 92-51 home loss against the Rockingham Flames was so difficult to digest, given how his side was unable to execute critical intangibles out on the floor. Ahead of Saturday’s game, Worthington told the South Western Times that his squad thoroughly reviewed the previous weekend’s game at practice on Tuesday night — and no stone would be left unturned in a bid to bounce back swiftly. In another blow for Slammernation, Brody England is likely to be on the sidelines for a lengthy period, after suffering a serious ankle injury against the Flames. But it was not all bad news for the Slammers, with new signing James Wilson’s performance on Sunday night remarkable on a number of levels. Described by Worthington as a “meat-and-potatoes kind of guy”, Wilson backed up for senior duty after playing D-League earlier in the day and finished with six points, a rebound and a steal from his nine-minute cameo. Scouting reports: (Slammers) League position: 14th; home record: 0-2; away record: 0-2; last round: lost to Warwick Senators 96-60, lost to Rockingham Flames 92-51. Top performer (vs Rockingham Flames) — Mitchell Keller (Six points — 3/10 field goal attempts, 0-1 three-point attempt, 13 rebounds, two assists, one steal). (Lightning) Form: The Lightning have played only twice this season, with a .500 record. They looked very impressive against the East Perth Eagles last week, with Corey Shervill lighting up the offence and workhorse Jarrad Prue a demon at both ends of the glass. League position: 6th; home record: 1-0; away record: 0-1; last round: defeated East Perth Eagles 121-60. Top performer — Corey Shervill (29 points — 11/15 field goal attempts, 6/9 three-point attempts, six rebounds, two assists).