Basketball On The Internet.

IT'S the first week of February - the UN-designated "Good News Week" - so today it is internationally legislated we can only work with positives.

That starts off easily enough, Perth's NBL game with Wollongong on Sunday drawing 11,509 spectators, more fans than attended the One Day International at the WACA.

How often can we say an NBL basketball match outdrew an international cricket event?

(Bet even Mal Speed was secretly pleased!)

The Wildcats also celebrated the club's 30-year anniversary, announcing a super team from their first three dacdes.

Andrew Vlahov and Mike Ellis were named co-captains and four of the starting five actually played together, which should leave no doubts why Perth is the NBL's all-time #1 club.

Ricky Grace (PG),  Vlahov (SF), Scott Fisher (PF) and James Crawford (C) is the quartet which won a championship together in 1995 and starting off-guard is reigning league MVP Kevin Lisch.

Hard to argue and no-one should, it being Good News Week.

Ellis (PG), James Harvey (SG), Shawn Redhage (SM) Tiny Pinder (PF) and Paul Rogers (C) complete the team, with Adrian Hurley selected as coach and Cal Bruton, who in 1987 changed the culture out west, named general manager.

No controversies there and congratulations to the judging panel of Dr Hurley, West Australian online sports editor Ross Lewis and broadcaster and Olympian John Gardiner.

THE Legends-V-Pioneers curtainraiser game at Perth Arena before the Wildcats-Hawks NBL clash brought back great memories, as such events inevitably do.

Back on the hardwood were old faces such as the Ellis brothers, Mike and Glenn, Dan Hickert and inaugural import Billy Keys (Pioneers), Cal Bruton, JC, Martin Cattalini and Co (Legends).
 
It was a far cry from the original days at Perry Lakes Stadium where the crowd size varied between 11 and 509, as opposed to Sunday's 11,509.

Townsville's Crocs did this well a year ago and the Wildcats refined it even better. Toupees off to the organisations.

CANBERRA has suspended centre Brigitte Ardossi for the remainder of the WNBL season after reviewing footage which showed her attempting to trip Townsville's Rachael Flanagan late in their clash on Friday.

"The Canberra Capitals do not condone this type of behavior and have a long-standing position of player conduct and true sportsmanship behavior as being the pillars in which the club is built on," the club said in a statement upon announcing its decision.

Ardossi copped an unsportsmanlike foul for the incident and while the Caps have pre-empted what may still follow, she will have to front the WNBL Tribunal.

It being Good News Week, it is important to add Ardossi has expressed regret and remorse and is writing an apology to Rachel.


GOOD NEWS REVIEWS

Capitals v Fire (W)

TOWNSVILLE needed this but Canberra is finishing a disappointing season on a high and claimed it regardless, 76-68, Nicole Hunt with 21 points at 73 per cent, plus 10 assists and eight boards.

She had quite the night.

The Fire ran a very close second, although they didn't enjoy the trip.


Breakers v Wildcats (M)

IT wasn't quite 11,000 but a sell-out crowd of 9,200 at Vector Arena watched New Zealand finally dismantle its nemesis Perth 98-81.

Cedric was most entertaining with 22 points, eight assists, five rebounds and five steals.

"NZ Threepeat" banners are now available in sheepskin and lambswool.


Waves v Spirit (W)

WEST Coast scored 6 points in the first quarter, then improved 150% in the second with 9 points, to only trail Bendigo by a paltry 22 at halftime in Perth.

Kelsey Griffin had 15-and-11 as Bendigo won 65-41, going so smoothly even Rachel Herrick got to run around a little bit.


36ers v Hawks (M)

THE Hawkers can spot a soft touch a mile away, jumping Adelaide 11-2 and again, when in doubt later in this familiar piece, pulled out a second withering 11-2 run.

The final 86-78 result to Wollongong was made to look considerably more attractive by the also familiar blazing finish by the 36ers.

Late Hawks import Malcolm Grant had a game-high 21 points with 4-of-5 threes while the 36ers wondered where Wollongong found a player like him.


Rangers v Thunder (W)

IT was the 22-13 third quarter which did it for sure but having Kath MacLeod, Monica Wright dominating and Carley Mijovic producing a double-double, Dandenong's 87-67 win over Logan was never truly in much doubt.

Laurie Koehn had 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Kristen Veal a double-double but Logan was simply thunderstruck by Dandenong's depth of talent.


Crocodiles v Kings (M)

PETER Crawford became Townsville's all-time games played leader (259) as the Crocodiles kept in the finals hunt with this 90-78 win over Sydney.

The Crocs' 48-33 second half told the story, defence the key - Darnell Lazare and Graeme Dann with two points between them for the Kings.

Ben Allen had 36:28 of quality bench time.


Flames v Fire (W)

JESS Adair continued to stand up with a 22-13 points-boards double as Townsville held out Sydney 98-91 in double overtime, cementing its position in the final four.

The Fire came back from a 9-point deficit during the fourth quarter, the match tied 73-73 at the end of regulation.

Ro Cox tied it again 83-83 to send it into a second overtime where Townsville's Jess Foley created the buffer with an early bucket followed by a triple.

Hugs and kisses all around after the game.


Tigers v Taipans (M)

SETH Scott came up with the key play, drawing a late charge from Shane Edwards to help Melbourne get home 67-64 against Cairns.

The Tigers found their feet during the third quarter when Cairns had playmaker Jamar Wilson seated.

In the post-game press conference, Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said: "Just lost concentration," referring to his team, not his coaching.


Boomers v Thunder (W)

BERTOCCHI was giving away its internationally-acclaimed Hams again so while Bulleen beat Logan 98-70, the first 100 at the game received the prized meat.

You know Logan was there early so while they went away without the W, a lot of players had a prized H in their bags.

A 57-25 second half may have had a little to do with how far the margin blew out.


Wildcats v Hawks (M)

IT was a big weekend for Perth so it was a trifle inhospitable to Wollongong, over-running the visitors 80-52.

Holding the Hawks to 52 provided Perth with a new benchmark for defensive intensity while Wollongong's 14-point half was the lowest score in a half in NBL history.

These are all records folks, and records are Good News, aren't they?


Lightning v Spirit (W)

FOR the second week in succession, Adelaide reinforced it is definitely in the championship hunt, humbling regular season champion Bendigo 86-66.

And that was despite a 9-point second quarter by Lightning before Batgirl elevated for a 19-13 double-double, Angela Marino stuck 18 points and Steph Talbot a career-best 14.

You know your team didn't leave it all on the floor when Kristi Harrower - the shortest player in the WNBL - leads your rebounding with 11. Hello? Anyone else wanna grab a few?


BEEF of the WEEK

DANG, it's Good News Week so this is going to be challenging.

Having watched with delight the footage of Cal Bruton's super assist to James Crawford for a dunk in the Legends-V-Pioneers game this week - a classic "Black Pearl" to "Alabama Slamma" for the jam - my beef is that more such vision wasn't available on youtube.

Phew.

 
Biggest Winners/Losers

HAVING swept past Sydney, Wollongong and now Perth, New Zealand has answered the challenge from all the teams currently sharing top four slots with the Breakers. That comfortably makes them the NBL's biggest winners.

Cairns had a chance to jump to fifth by beating Melbourne again but wasted a golden opportunity which now puts it two games in arrears of the Tigers (8-10 to 6-12) when they both would have been on 7-11. That was a big loss.

ADELAIDE beating Bendigo after last week stopping Dandenong means in consecutive weeks it has KO'd the #1 and #2 teams in the WNBL, making this a three-horse race. That makes Lightning (again) this week's biggest winner.

Logan was the round's biggest loser. Yes, it has been hurt by injury and it is late in the season when motivation can wane. But coming home from a road trip - albeit a tough one - 0-2 but by -48 points is hardly anything to get excited about.


PS

ADELAIDE 36ers icon Brett Maher, who before the NBL season tipped-off said the 2012-13 line-up was the best Adelaide team since the 1998-99 champion, has had to amend that again to the 1969 South Australian women's state team.