Eaton a tough trip for visiting Hawks

Perry Lakes Hawks coach Charles Nix believes travelling to take on the Printsync South West Slammers at home on a Friday night is the toughest trip in the league.

The Slammers will host the eighth-placed Hawks at the Eaton Recreation Centre, where they will look to snap a seven-game losing streak, which has them quickly fading from finals contention.

Consecutive losses to the Stirling Senators have given the Slammers a 4-9 record and they now sit four games off the top eight.

Slammers coach Michael Van Lit said his side’s performance at the weekend was better than previous weeks, but a win this weekend was vital.

The Slammers conceded 42 points in the paint on Sunday night and on Friday they will come up against two talls in Ben Purses (16.4ppg) and Brian Carlwell (18.7ppg and 12.3rpg).

Van Lit said the Slammers needed to win the rebound count and stop Carlwell from being influential in the key.

“Offensively we have to get Brian Carlwell out of the key way,” he said.

“We have to win the rebound count as well.”

Nix said his side was still seeking consistency and they would need a team performance to beat the Slammers.

A familiar face will pull on the Hawks singlet, with former Slammer Jordan Hickert set to return for the first time since moving to Perth.

Nix said he was not con-cerned about Hickert playing his first game against his old side.

“He is such a level-headed guy, I think he will approach the game in the right way,” he said.

“He did not play at the weekend. If he is fit come Friday, he will start.

“We will just let him know we are behind him.”

Van Lit said the Slammers would need to put time into Hickert once the game started.

“He is one of those guys who can be quiet for the game then all of a sudden get 15 points,” he said.

The Slammers host the Perry Lakes Hawks tonight at the Eaton Recreation Centre, with tip-off at 8.30pm.