Wheelcats Too Good for Rollerhawks

The Perth Wheelcats have made a dream start to the 2013 National Wheelchair Basketball League with two wins over their 2012 NWBL conquerors the Wollongong Rollerhawks.

Boasting Paralympic representatives and WAIS athletes; Justin Eveson, Michael Hartnett, Shaun Norris and Brad Ness, the Wheelcats looked back to their imposing best, with a comfortable 80-62 win in the first clash, before announcing themselves as competition heavyweights with a ruthless 96-49 win in the second match.

The Wheelcats sit joint top of the competition ladder with the Queensland Spinning Bullets on six points, but will be marked prey after accounting for last year’s champions in such convincing fashion.

The depth of the Wheelcats roster was evidenced by star players Eveson, Ness and Norris playing limited minutes, as the Western Australian side looked to spread the workload, and form a stronger bench.

Five players reached double figures for the Wheelcats in game one, with 11 players hitting the scoreboard in game two, highlighting the spread of attacking options.

London Paralympian Brett Stibners was excellent for the Rollerhawks in game one, hitting 31 points and 12 rebounds despite his team’s struggles, but with some key players still to return, the Rollerhawks will strengthen and again be a threat in 2013.

Round two of the 2013 NWBL gets underway on Friday 28 June from NAB Stadium in Queensland.