Geraldton Buccaneers celebrate NBL1 West championship banner unveiling with 10-point win over Perry Lakes

The Geraldton Buccaneers got their title defence off to a superb start after a two-week delay, with a rousing win over Perry Lakes Hawks 101-91 at Activewest Stadium on Saturday night. Despite missing the first two rounds, the Buccs didn’t miss a beat with old and new faces chipping in throughout the match in a well-rounded performance. The evening opened with the unfurling of the 2025 NBL1 West championship banner, with recently retired Buccs legend and winning captain Aaron Ralph given the honours. However, the celebratory spirit was dampened as star recruit Josh Banks went down with a knee injury and did not return to the court. The US import was having a terrific debut, shooting 15 points with 5/7 field goal accuracy, including three triples and four defensive rebounds before going down in the third period. In his first game as captain, Liam Hunt led the Buccs’ scoring tally with 25 points, and had a match-leading three steals, three blocks and nine assists. Three of the Buccs’ starting five finished with 20 or more points, with Banks having the potential to join had his night not ended prematurely. Two-time league MVP Devondrick Walker made his return to the court after 14 months off and looked in fine touch with 20 points and seven rebounds in his Buccs debut. With his usual flare and crafty ball use, Verle Williams delighted the crowd, nailing 21 points, shooting at 80 per cent accuracy, while also contributing nine assists. With cyclone Narelle and a scheduled bye putting the Buccs on the backfoot with a delayed start to their season, it didn’t show in the first quarter as they burst out the blocks and went on a 10-point scoring run in the first term. Hawks’ Cameron Huefner threatened to bring the game back on his side’s terms throughout the match, popping up to cut the margin down with a 29-point performance. At half-time, the Buccs were 53-45 courtesy of a 63 per cent shooting accuracy, which they continued to build on in the third. During the second half, the Buccs led by as much as 19 points, but the Hawks continued to find answers through Huefner and Andreas Grubisa to reel the home side back within eight points. Geraldton once again pushed its lead back to 19 points in the final stanza, but that wasn’t maintained as Hawks gave one final push, closing the gap to 10 points. Next weekend, the Buccs have their first road trip of the season, facing a double-header against South West Slammers and Mandurah Magic.