Geraldton Buccaneers knocked out of NBL1 West finals after strong showing from Willetton

The Geraldton Buccaneers have fallen victims to an in-form Willetton Tigers by nine points, and have been knocked out of the NBL1 West finals series as a result.

The Buccs had high hopes of reaching their third consecutive grand final appearance, after an historic 20-2 record in the home-and-away season to secure top spot.

The side made made it through to a home preliminary final following a six-point win over Mandurah in the first round of the finals, but faced a different game against the Tigers at Activewest Stadium.

Willetton, coming off a strong win over 2022 champions Rockingham just two days prior, looked to take the game away from the Buccs early with clean possession, keeping their opponents at arm’s length.

Despite being the underdogs, the strategy looked to pay off, with visitors mounting a 31-point lead during the third quarter.

However Geraldton, led by Johny Narkle, gave the home fans hope as they looked to mount a remarkable comeback, getting within six points with under two minutes to go.

But the deficit proved too much in the end, as the side fell 98-89.

Narkle was the best for the home side, doing everything he could to try and pull an unlikely comeback with 40 points, and 11 rebounds, including six three-pointers.

Meanwhile, Josh Keyes was important for the Buccs, with 22 points and 16 rebounds, shooting at more than 69 per cent from the field.

The Tigers had multiple contributors in their win, with Marshall Nelson (26 points, nine assists, five rebounds), Michael Dupree (18 points, four rebounds, three steals), and Deng Gak (15 points, six rebounds, three assists) all having their say on the match.

Willetton moves on to the grand final at RAC Arena in Perth against Mandurah Magic, while the Buccs can only wonder what could have been with their season coming to an end.

Willetton was off to the fast start, opening the night’s events with a 9-2 start to put the home side on the back foot.

Not to be deterred, the Buccs got on a roll, scoring multiple times to get on top.

However, uncharacteristic turnovers from Geraldton allowed the Tigers to gain momentum.

Despite being only two points down at quarter time, Willetton jumped ahead, taking their chances to blow the game wide open.

The home side seemed lost for answers, as the Tigers dominated, shooting at more than 50 per cent from the field.

The Buccs weren’t able to convert from beyond the arc, while Willetton led by Nelson and Michael Vigor, seemed to be nailing all of their shots to build to a 20-point lead at the half.

Facing an uphill battle to get back into it, Geraldton played an aggressive style of play involving quick transition.

With great reward comes great risk, which the Buccs quickly found out, as the Tigers continued to play their way, going on an 18-7 run during the third period.

They made the home side pay, reaching a 31-point lead halfway through the third term.

However, the 2023 champions have proven in the past they are not an easy side to face when their backs are against the wall.

Needing everything to go right, Narkle took it upon himself to try and resurrect his team.

The 23-year-old took the game on, driving to the rim and backing his range at different times to try to will his side back into it.

He scored 17 points in under five minutes to end the third period, but with Geraldton down 23 points.

However, the momentum was firmly with the home side, as the packed-out crowd began to sense a shift.

Suddenly, everything was going the way of the Buccs, as Narkle continued to score.

He began doing it on the defensive end as well, putting in some important blocks to help his side.

Narkle’s ability to score freely also inspired his teammates, as Keyes and Nik DeSantis began to land their shots.

The Buccs got within six points with a minute and 40 seconds left on the clock.

However, it wasn’t to be, with Vigor involved once again from deep, putting up a three pointer to put the nail in the coffin for the home side.