Geraldton Buccaneers complete perfect road record against Perth Redbacks with biggest win of season

The Geraldton Buccaneers closed out the regular season with a 31-point win over the Perth Redbacks, their biggest for the year, as they posted their best record since 2001.

The clash saw this year’s NBL1 West minor premiers facing the wooden spooners, and the one-sided nature of the contest reflected the difference between the teams.

Despite the contest opening tight, Geraldton went on a run of 16 unaswred points in the opening term with scoring from Junior Garbrah, Bob Griechen and Aaron Ralph putting the side ahead.

The second was no better for Perth, with Johny Narkle unleashing for 12-points in the quarter as the Buccs took a 58-39 lead into the main break.

Momentum remained in the Buccaneers favour during the second half, with the side building their lead up to 30 points in the third and 35 in the fourth.

They would eventually walk away with a 107-76 win, closing out their regular season with their biggest margin for the season.

Narkle was the breadwinner for the Buccaneers with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Aaron Ralph had 16 points off the bench on 4/7 from three-point shooting, and Liam Hunt had a nice day with 15 points and five rebounds.

After causing troubles in their first matchup, Perth’s Joe Cook-Green was kept quiet with just 10 points in the loss.

The result has Geraldton sitting at 20-2 for the season, their best regular season finish since 2001.

The first round of finals kicks off this weekend, with first-placed Buccaneers hosting fourth-placed Mandurah Magic at Activewest Stadium.

It will be the third time the two sides have clashed this year and their second clash in a 14-day period.

Geraldton has had Mandurah’s number in both meetings, getting up 104-103 on the road and then winning 115-100 at home.

A win on Saturday will send the Buccs straight to a preliminary final with a chance to reach their third straight grand final, while a loss means they still have another chance in a semi-final.