Greg Hire and Seb Salinas with new mascot Wally Wolf.
Camera IconGreg Hire and Seb Salinas with new mascot Wally Wolf. Credit: Supplied/Serene Maisey

Arena Joondalup to host Joondalup Wolves and Stirling Senators SBL clash

Mark DonaldsonJoondalup Times

STATE Basketball League fans will get a taste for the atmosphere at the Joondalup Wolves’ future home when the side faces Stirling in a one-off 2016 fixture at Arena Joondalup on Friday.

The clash has been billed the Battle of Joondalup, given the fifth-placed Senators also reside in the City of Joondalup at Warwick Stadium.

Chief executive Cameron Britt said fans could expect tomorrow night’s match-up to offer exciting changes from that of Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

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He said it would give the Wolves organisation an opportunity to display some of its new ideas as it pushes to become the “destination of choice for basketball”.

“Fans can expect a different environment than normal, utilising lights and music to theme the venue ‘Wolves’, and a different fan and corporate area set-up,” he said.

“The event is an incredible opportunity to showcase two very talented and top-tier SBL basketball teams.”

Britt said the stadium had a 1200 capacity but a crowd of 900-plus would be exceptional.

The Wolves are expected to move from Joondalup Basketball Stadium into their new digs at Arena Joondalup for the 2018 season.

Joondalup is coming off a surprise 100-96 loss to the lowly-ranked East Perth Eagles at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre on Saturday, which ended the league leaders’ six-game winning streak.

The Wolves were without three of their best players in Greg Hire, Trian Iliadis and Bobby Evans, while East Perth was boosted by the presence of former star Tom Jervis, who is preparing for his move from the Perth Wildcats to the Brisbane Bullets. Jervis led the game in points (30), rebounds (14) and blocks (5) in a performance reflective of his NBL status.

Wolves captain Seb Salinas was his side’s top scorer with 21 points and leading rebounder with nine boards.

Sean Easther put in one of the better efforts of his career with a 16-point return at 85.7 per cent from the field.

On Friday, the Wolves defeated Rockingham 125-106 at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

Greg Hire and Kevin Davis hit a team-high 26 points each.