Slammers get play off boost

Bustling forward Zoe Harper will return to the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers’ line-up in a major boost ahead of the club’s maiden WSBL play-offs appearance against the Perth Redbacks on Saturday night.

Harper, a West Coast Waves star and four-time Willetton championship player, sat out of the Slammers’ loss to her old club at the weekend with a concussion.

She sustained the setback after a heavy fall during the win over Rockingham the previous week.

The 22-year-old was sorely missed in Saturday night’s 76-62 defeat after suiting up for all of the Slammers’ previous home-and-away contests this season, averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Harper said she was a certain starter for the Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre showdown.

‘‘I’ll definitely be back on the court. I got the all-clear from the doctor last week but he told me to take the week off,’’ she said.

It will be a near full-strength Slammers’ line-up that makes their playoff debut on Saturday night.

Despite being on lighter training duties, Kim Sitzmann is expected to play, while other lynchpins Valerie Ogoke and Bianca Donovan, who have both had to manage injuries in the second half of the season, will also make the trip to Perth.

After 16 unsuccessful seasons in the competition, Slammers’ coach Darren Austin described the lead-up to Saturday night’s historic clash as an ‘‘exciting time around the club’’.

But with South West having defeated the Redbacks twice this season, he also warned against complacency in the contest.

‘‘I allow them to soak it up a bit and deal with it and I hope they are excited,’’ Austin said.

‘‘(But) as a coach, I want to put a lid on it a little bit with regard to the fact we’re playing the Redbacks and (I don’t want the girls getting over confident that) we’re going to win because we’ve beaten them two times already.’’

While the first match in the best-ofthree finals series will be staged in Perth, the Slammers will have home advantage in the return clash at the Eaton Recreation Centre next Friday.

If required, the decider will be held at Eaton the following day.