Slammers belted by Ellis, Senators

The Printsync South West Slammers’ hopes of playing finals were dealt a blow after they suffered a 53-point loss to the Stirling Senators at Warwick Stadium on Sunday.

The Slammers struggled to match the Senators on the scoreboard, while Stirling dominated the game on their way to a 129-76 victory.

In a tough day for the Slammers, they conceded 62 points on the paint and at one stage the Senators went on a 21-point scoring run, while then Slammers’ best was just six points.

Cody Ellis was the star for the Senators, scoring 32 points at 80 per cent from the field, while import Robert Anshila chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Caleb Davis came off the bench to score 20 points, grab eight rebounds and give off four assists for the Senators, while Justin King was inaccurate, but still managed to score 19 points and grab five rebounds.

This spread was too much for the Slammers’ defence, who conceded 30 points or more in each quarter of the game. Brian Voelkel was brave for the Slammers with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Brandon Thompson scored a game-high 33 points, but shot at just 50 per cent from the field.

Travis Durnin and Michael Lay struggled to hit their shots for the Slammers, scoring zero and four points for the game, while Clive Weeden scored 13 points at 50 per cent and had just two rebounds.

As a team, shooting and rebounding was a big problem for the Slammers, with the side going at just 35 per cent from the field for and grabbing 26 rebounds, less than half of what the Senators managed to take.

By half-time, the margin was already 24 points and the game was seemingly won, but unlike in previous weeks, the Slammers were not able to rally and cut the deficit.

The Slammers must now try to put this loss behind them as they take on the Geraldton Buccaneers in Geraldton on Saturday night.