Crowds pour in and are treated to NBL1 West double-header of elite basketball for the first time in 26 years

The crowds piled into the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre on Saturday night hoping the two blockbuster NBL1 West clashes would set their pulses racing. They were not disappointed as a vibrant atmosphere inspired the men and women of the Perth Redbacks and Perry Lakes Hawks to produce a double header of quality and grit. As part of the competition’s First Nations Round, Brianna Williams, designer of the Redbacks’ stunning uniforms, joined the throng with family and friends. And even before the games, Redbacks director Nathan Giglia was hoping his team could repeat the experience. “We have been running school and coaching clinics and had such a welcome,” he said. “It has been really good to get on the road and I’d be very happy to make this a regular thing.” It had been 26 years since elite basketball had come to Albany after the Rainbow Coast Raiders quit in 1999. Saturday’s contests made it worth the wait.