Mortensen eyes next Cougars’ target

With one crucial game to go before a Grand Final throwdown, Cougars’ import Sarah Mortensen has set her sights on their next target.

The Cockburn Cougars will be waiting eagerly for a Joondalup Wolves vs Mandurah Magic matchup tonight, in which the winner will go head-to-head with the Cougars on Saturday night in the Preliminary Finals. 

“We’ll definitely be watching,” Mortensen said on the latest episode of The NBL1 Show.

“We beat Joondalup twice in the regular season, very close games, and then we went 1-1 against Mandurah.

“It’s a tough matchup but it’s exciting, we’ve got home-court advantage which is going to be good for us.”

The NBL1 Show is back! ?@NBL1_West star Sarah Mortensen joins the show while @MeganHustwaite and @JonGuarna break down the @NBL1North Grand Finals Series starting Friday ?

Watch the full episode via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ?https://t.co/31Y92m8muS

— NBL1 (@NBL1) August 1, 2023

The Cougars earned home-court advantage for Saturday night with a first-place position on the ladder, and their impressive 18-2 record for the regular season says it all. 

The Danish forward applauded NBL1 West Coach of the Year Tyrone Thwaites for his influence on their home-court reception throughout the season, which could lead to a lucky charm in the Preliminary Final.

“Shoutout to Tyrone. Working really hard to take this organisation to the top, I think just being a part of the community is huge. We had a sold-out gym on Saturday and now we just got another sold out this week,” Mortensen said.

“You walk into the gym and everyone is just excited for the success that we’ve had this year and that’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

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— NBL 1 WEST ? (@NBL1_West) July 22, 2023

Mortensen has been a superstar in her first season in the NBL1 with the Cougars. She averaged 25 points, shooting at 52.1 per cent from the field, and 11.5 rebounds with 2.7 assists during the regular season -- being awarded a place on the NBL1 West First Team. 

Having played on the Denmark national team since she was 13 years old, Mortensen’s wealth of basketball has inspired her to help the younger generation here in Australia.

“It’s an exciting league to be a part of, a lot of good players and talented players. Also some very talented young players so it’s fun to be a part of, and try to be an inspiration for some of the kids," she said.

“I think we really found a good connection with the team on the court together. It has definitely shown that I’m enjoying my time here.”

Mortensen and the Cougars play the winner of tonight’s Wolves vs Magic game at 7:00pm AWST via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

The Preliminary Final game on Saturday tips off at 6:30pm AWST, strteaming via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.