Captain revels in ‘lucky’ 13

Thirteen is a lucky number for Lisa Cartwright.

After enduring 12 lacklustre WSBL campaigns with the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers women’s side no one is treasuring their success like the captain, in her 13th season with the club.

Cartwright can remember the bad times well.

Triumphs were few and far between — the Slammers won just 45 out of more than 250 games as Cartwright toiled through a woeful stretch which lasted more than a decade.

This season alone the side has already tasted victory on nine occasions — a monumental statistic in the context of their history And they’re only 11 games in.

Such has been the turn around, mid-way through their campaign, season 2012 is already the most successful on record for the Slammers women’s side.

Their previous best effort was in 2002 when they won eight games and as Cartwright agonisingly reflected this week ‘‘just missed the play-offs’’.

While the club toasts the successes so far, Cartwright has promised the best is yet to come.

‘‘It’s great, they’re a great bunch of girls and I don’t think we’ve clicked properly yet,’’ she said, following the Slammers’ six-point win over Cockburn on Saturday night ‘‘I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, especially in defence, but when we do we’re going to be awesome.’’

In claiming the points on Saturday night, the Slammers moved to the top of the WSBL table on percentage, after other results fell their way.

This weekend, they have the chance to consolidate that position when they take on Perth at the Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the fifth-placed Redbacks will present a stern test for the Slammers on their home court.

When the sides met at the Eaton Recreation Centre in round four, the Slammers notched a hard-fought 10-point win.

Meanwhile, the Slammers men’s side will be out to improve on their 33-point defeat at the hands of the Redbacks, when they meet in Perth this Saturday night.

The improving Slammers’ lineup went down to Cockburn 84-74 at the weekend and were left to rue a costly lapse early in the game when the Cougars ran riot to lead by 15 points at quarter time.

Ahead of the clash against one of the SBL’s bulkier rosters, Slammers coach Greg Worthington warned of the dangers of getting into foul trouble.

It was a warning that could have been put to good use by the South West side at the weekend, who sent the Cougars to the stripe on 34 occasions.

‘‘These early fouls that we do in games might not seem significant at the time but when the pressure is on and you’re working hard, diving for balls and 50-50 calls go against you late in the game, all of a sudden you’re in trouble,’’ he said.