Bartlett, Trueman boost Cats
Tagged in: Athletes, Coaching, Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks, Tall Ferns
Tall Black Everard Bartlett led the Perth Wildcats to a 72-60 victory over Wollongong Hawks in the Australian National Basketball League pre-season final at Dandenong over the weekend.
The guard, who played for the HBS Bank Hawks in this year’s Bartercard NBL, was top scorer for Perth with 14 points, shooting 6/7 from the field and 2/3 from the arc. He also had three assists and a steal in his 23 minutes as a starter.
Fellow Kiwi Jeremiah Trueman also contributed 13 points (5/7 FG, 3/3 FT), four rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench.
Meanwhile, the other Perth-based team at the tournament – the WNBL West Coast Waves, guided by Tall Ferns coach Kennedy Kereama – came away with rave reviews from the women’s competition, losing only to eventual winners Bulleen and boasting MVP Deanna Smith.
“They look fit, determined and able to control the tempo of games,” reported the WNBL website.
In their final game, the Waves overcame Adelaide Lightning 85-69, with Kiwi Lisa Wallbutton contributing a double double of 12 points/11 rebounds, plus five blocks in a team-leading 33 minutes. Fellow Tall Fern Toni Edmondson also had five points.
In other results, Tall Fern Casey Lockwood scored 11 points (5/11 FG, 1/1 3pt) in 15 minutes as Townville Fire beat Sydney University Flames 70-60. Kiwi guard Micaela Cocks also had six points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in her 33 minutes for Fire.
