NBL1 West Recap | Saturday Round 11

Devondrick Walker scored 41 and hit 11 threes as Rockingham Flames earned revenge in NBL1 West while Tayah Burrows had a triple-double with Sarah Mortensen and Amelia Corasaniti helping keep the Cockburn Cougars perfect and Courtney Alexander II sparked their men.

Saturday night's Round 11 women's matches saw the Cockburn Cougars defeat the Willetton Tigers 75-73, the Willetton Tigers beat the Lakeside Lightning 82-67, and the Rockingham Flames downed the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 83-63.

Then in the men's matches, the Geraldton Buccaneers beat the Joondalup Wolves 74-67, the South West Slammers defeated the Goldfields Giants 94-81 and the Cougars beat the Senators 101-98, Lightning prevailed 101-87 against the Tigers, and the Flames defeated the Eastern Suns 124-84.

ALL-TIME WA GREAT REACHES 200-GAME MILESTONE

NBL1 WEST RECAP | ROUND 11 FRIDAY

COUGARS MOVE EARNS GORMAN DREAM WNBL CHANCE

MEUNIER CONTINUES TO THRIVE ON GERALDTON MOVE

WOMEN

Mortensen huge, Corasaniti's crucial cameo as Cougars stay perfect

It will probably go down as the most dramatic contest of the NBL1 West season and it was always destined to be the case as the reigning champion Warwick Senators played host to the undefeated Cockburn Cougars.

The Senators came into the clash at Warwick Stadium after their two best performances of the season to beat the Perth Redbacks and East Perth Eagles by a combined 88 points to breathe some life back into their championship defence.

They then played host to the unbeaten league-leading Cougars on Saturday night with both teams coming off Friday night victories with Warwick bating East Perth by 59 points while Cockburn won at home over the Mandurah Magic by 21.

So the stage was set for a terrific match up and it was the Senators who caught fire during the first quarter and in her 200th game, Nat Burton even knocked down a three-pointer to give them the 24-16 lead.

Jewel Williams with the no look pass ?

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That was just the second three-point make in the 200-game career in the league for Burton and on the back of that, Warwick went into quarter-time leading 25-18.

The lead for the Senators got out to nine in the second quarter and for the first real time this season, the Cougars were under the pump.

However, defensively they got locked in to hold Warwick to 10 points for the second period and while only scoring 15 themselves, they closed the deficit to two by half-time.

Cockburn then worked on top in the third quarter to lead by as much as five, but the Senators looked on target to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season when leading by six early in the fourth after a triple from Alaska Rhebok.

Showing the fearlessness only a 16-year-old can have, Amelia Corasaniti knocked down two three-pointers to keep Cockburn close before Steph Gorman knocked down another long ball for the Cougars fresh off signing at the Perth Lynx during the week.

It was Corasaniti who knocked down a third triple in just over three minutes of the fourth quarter to keep Cockburn within a point before Gorman showed her defensive acumen by stripping Stacey Barr and going up to score the layup to put Cockburn back on top.

It had been a game turning run from the Cougars with their winning streak on the line and they would never surrender the lead again with a massive Jessie Edwards block on Karly Murphy decisive on a play where the Senators could have tied scores up.

Burton couldn’t make a put back on an offensive rebound in the final possession and the Cougars held on for the thrilling two-point win to improve to 12-0 on the season. 

The Senators are now 6-6 but will take heart from the performance given they were without 449-game captain Nicole Jorre de St Jorre along with Alyssa Duncan and Sarah Lakay.

It was another monster performance from Danish import Sarah Mortensen for the Cougars as she delivered 33 points, 20 rebounds and four assists on 14/21 shooting with 4/8 from downtown.

Amelia Corasaniti nailed those three massive three-pointers to start the fourth quarter on her way to 11 points and seven rebounds with Steph Gorman playing stifling defence on Stacey Barr and having nine points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds.

Jessie Edwards added eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks and two assists, new import Patty Brossmann six points and three boards, and Jewel Williams five points, five assists and four rebounds.

Despite the defensive focus from the Cougars on Barr, the reigning MVP still put up 27 points, five rebounds and three steals for Warwick on 8/18 shooting with 9/11 from the free-throw line.

Chloe Forster added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Karly Murphy seven points and eight rebounds, Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard six points, 13 boards and seven assists, and Nat Burton seven points, nine rebounds and three assists in her 200th game including her second three-pointer.

Sarah Mortensen willed Cockburn to a 75-73 win with a MONSTER performance:

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Tigers overpower Lightning in fourth quarter

The Willetton Tigers consolidated their top four position with Desiree Kelley, Alex Sharp and Melisa Brcaninovic dominant in Saturday night's 82-67 win over the Lakeside Lightning.

Willetton came into the clash at Lakeside Recreation Centre having won their past three matches but needed to keep winning to maintain touch with the top two teams while the Lightning also needed to keep winning to stay in the top eight.

It turned out to be a close affair as well for the opening three quarters with scores level at quarter-time and still all tied up at the half-time interval.

Willetton managed to lead by two points at three quarter-time but then the Tigers produced a dominant fourth stanza with 27 points to 14 to overpower Lakeside for the 15-point win away from home.

The victory means the Tigers have won four in-a-row to improve to 10-3 on the season to improve to third position ahead of Mandurah while Lakeside remains eighth at 5-9.

The big three of Willetton were fantastic with import Melisa Brcaninovic producing another 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals on 10/25 shooting from the field.

Alex Sharp also had 23 points, 16 rebounds and five assists having recently signed at the Sydney Flames to continue her WNBL career while captain Desiree Kelley put up 21 points, eight boards, four steals and three assists.

Lakeside captain Caitie Jones finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists with Laci Hawthorne contributing 14 points and 11 boards, Ruby Benn 12 points and two assists, and Kylee Smith eight points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Burrows triple-double as Flames win ninth straight

The hot form of the Rockingham Flames continued on Saturday night as they made it nine wins in-a-row beating the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 83-63 at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

Former Eastern Suns coach Tom Knowles returned to his old home floor in charge of a rampaging Rockingham team who have been on a tear since getting a full squad together this NBL1 West season.

After the Suns started well to race to a seven-point lead, it didn’t take the Flames long to stamp their authority on the contest racing to a 28-14 lead already by quarter-time.

Rockingham added another 24 points to 16 in the second term to be in charge leading 52-30 at the main break.

The Flames' lead would grow to as much as 31 points in the second half and eventually they won by 20 to make it nine matches in-a-row to replace Mandurah in the top four now with a 9-3 record.

The Eastern Suns have lost their past eight matches now to be slipping further from playoff contention at 3-9.

Mehryn Kraker top-scored once more for Rockingham with 18 points, eight assists and three rebounds while hitting 5/10 from three-point range.

Lisa Koop added 17 points and seven rebounds, Casey Samuels 13 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, and Tayah Burrows put up a triple-double consisting of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Natalie Chou top-scored for Kalamunda with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals with Ella Thornton-Elliott adding 11 points and seven boards, and Eryn Fisher 10 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for a team missing Makailah Dyer and Georgia Denehey.

Tayah Burrows triple-double leads Flames to victory

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MEN

Buccs maintain perfect home record

Both teams were missing key players and it was the Geraldton Buccaneers who continued their dominant home form to beat the Joondalup Wolves 74-67 on Saturday night.

The Buccs put their perfect home record at Active West Stadium this season on the line against the Wolves on Saturday night with Geraldton still without the travelling Liam Hunt while the Wolfpack arrived without star import Quintin Dove.

Joondalup shot out of the blocks to lead by 11 points early on but Geraldton hit back and by quarter-time the scores were all level at 22-22.

The Buccs then dominated the second quarter with 28 points to 12 to see the home team on top by 16 points. That lead got out to 18 in the third term and they would hold sway the rest of the way to end up winning by seven points.

The victory improves Geraldton to 7-0 at home this season and 10-3 overall to move into second position in the standings. The Wolves fall further from top four contention with back-to-back losses with a 9-6 record.

Malik Meunier continued his superb season for Geraldton and proved a major difference between the teams on the back of 26 points, five assists and four rebounds on 8/21 shooting from the floor and 9/11 from the free-throw line.

Zac Gattorna produced 17 points and five rebounds on 12/13 foul shooting with Aaron Ralph returning for nine points, three rebounds and two assists, and Ryan Blanchett seven points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Bryan Michaels ended up top-scoring for Joondalup with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals with new big man Ioannis Dimakopoulos getting the start and delivering 20 points, nine boards and two assists.

Mathiang Muo also had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals on one of his old home courts with CJ Turnage adding 10 points, eight boards and two blocked shots.

Jordan Wellsteed has eyes in the back of his head ?

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Excitement machine Alexander fires Cougars over Senators

Courtney Alexander II produced an unstoppable fourth quarter attacking the basket to lead the Cockburn Cougars to a thrilling 101-98 road victory against the Warwick Senators.

The Cougars were attempting to keep their season-best run of form going when arriving at Warwick Stadium to take on a Senators team trying to bounce back from losing to East Perth on Friday, but still without captain Cody Ellis.

Cockburn was fresh off a 20-point win at home to the Mandurah Magic on Friday as well and both teams came out firing offensively to open the contest. They combined for 60 points in the opening quarter with Warwick leading 32-28 by the end of one.

The Senators managed to open up a 10-point lead during the second stanza but the Cougars fired back led by captain Gavin Field who is in a rich vein of shooting form. He helped Cockburn to a 10-0 run and by half-time Warwick was only leading 59-57.

Warwick did open up an eight-point lead by three quarter-time, but the Cougars weren’t going away and it was an aggressive Courtney Alexander II who turned the game in their favour in the final term.

In the fourth quarter alone, Alexander threw down a couple of huge dunks and several other finishes around the basket to inspire the Cougars down the stretch.

After Caleb Davis hit a huge three for Warwick to see his team regain the lead with 1:45 to play, Alexander threw down a thunderous dunk on the back of an offensive rebound. He then drove hard to the basket and athletically finished to make it a three-point game.

A rough Senators turnover denied them a chance to execute a play and then it was only a rushed three at the buzzer they could get off through Connor Mincherton. But it wasn’t close and the Cougars went on to win by three.

It's a third win in-a-row for Cockburn to keep them in the playoff hunt with a 6-8 record despite the on-going absence of Seva Chan, Luke Phillips and Nathan Pond. The Senators have now lost four of the last five to slip to 6-7.

Courtney Alexander II finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 11/16 shooting for Cockburn but all his best work was done when it mattered most in the final period.

Taj Benning put up 21 points, five rebounds and four assists with Gavin Field contributing another 19 points, five boards, five assists and two blocks on 5/6 three-point shooting as he again was crucial in keeping Cockburn close in the first half.

Josh Hunt also had 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, and Keegan Phillips 13 points, eight boards and two assists.

In the absence of Cody Ellis, Caleb Davis captained Warwick and delivered 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Ethan Elliott had 23 points, five assists and three steals before fouling out.

Connor Mincherton produced 24 points with 4/9 three-point shooting as George Pearl contributed 10 points, and Tyler Shand five points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Taj Benning with the crafty assist to Courtney Alexander ??

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Lightning with exciting performance to beat Tigers

The Lakeside Lightning kept their NBL1 West playoff dream alive and celebrated the 250th game of cagy veteran Tom Parkinson by beating the second placed Willetton Tigers 101-87.

The Lightning were home at Lakeside Recreation Centre with plenty of motivation needing a win to stay in touch with the top eight along with trying to celebrate the 250th game of Parkinson who is a 2013 championship winner and played all but 24 of his matches at Lakeside.

Willetton, meanwhile, needed to win to hold onto second position but arrived minus Mark Worthington and Hunter Clarke, and it showed as the night wore on with the Lightning fired up for an important win.

The combination that Rowan Mackenzie and Hayden Brown are now forming with their one-two punch is proving exciting for Lakeside with the pair helping the Lightning to the 27-20 lead by quarter-time.

Lakeside's advantage would grow to as much as 16 points in the second stanza and 23 in the third. Then every challenge Willetton tried to make in the final period, the Lightning had the answers to secure the 14-point victory. 

The win improves the Lightning to a 7-8 record with consecutive wins now to be well and truly still in the playoff race while the Tigers slip from second position with the loss that ends a four-game winnings streak with a 10-4 record.

Exciting Lightning import Hayden Brown was again tremendous with 27 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals on 10/15 shooting from the field, 3/6 from beyond the arc and 4/4 at the foul line.

Rowan Mackenzie has settled right back in after his time at Lubbock Christian University to put up 23 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in what was the 110th game of his career with the Lightning.

Max Richards added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, Kyle Armour 13 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals, and Josh Davey 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Damien Scott top-scored for Willetton with 20 points and two assists in the 319th game of his career with Darnell Hoskins Jr adding 15 points and three assists, Josh Ibukunoluwa 14 points and seven rebounds, and Michael Vigor 11 points, three rebounds and two assists against his former team.

Walker hits 41, 11 threes in Flames' revenge

The Rockingham Flames arrived at Ray Owen Sports Centre on Saturday night with a point to prove and did exactly that to beat the Kalamunda Eastern Suns 124-84.

The Suns pulled off the shock 107-100 win in Rockingham a couple of weeks ago so the Flames were out for revenge on Saturday up the hill and Devondrick Walker was determined to lead the charge.

Rockingham did open up an early 11-point lead and were still on top by four at the end of the opening period before another 29 points to 20 in the second stanza saw the Flames on top 57-44 by half-time.

Rockingham then delivered a monstrous 41-point third quarter with Walker proving unstoppable showing just why he's the reigning MVP of the league and Grand Final MVP.

The Flames would end up leading by as much as 46 points in the final term before going on to win by 40 and improve to an 11-3 record as a result to remain solid inside the top four.

It's consecutive losses now for the Eastern Suns who are only just clinging to their playoff position at 7-6.

It was a spectacular performance from Walker who finished the night with 41 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals on 14/21 shooting from the floor and a remarkable 11/15 from three-point range.

Justin Beard added 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds for Rockingham, Jeremy Combs 19 points, six boards, three assists and two blocks, Cody Hill 14 points and two assists, and Travis Durnin 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Joe Cook-Green again top-scored for Kalamunda with 22 points with Albert Almanza adding 16 points and three rebounds, and Reece Maxwell 14 points and four boards.

Devondrick Walker tonight:

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HIM.

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Tuach leads Slammers to inflict more pain on Giants

The South West Slammers inflicted some more pain on the Goldfields Giants with Buay Tuach brilliant in Saturday night's 94-81 home victory.

The Slammers played host to the Giants at Eaton Recreation Centre with South West hunting a third win of the season and Goldfields beginning its double on the road trying to snap a two-game home losing slide.

It was a hot opening quarter from both teams as they combined for 55 points with the Slammers leading 30-25 by the end of one.

The lead continued to seesaw throughout the opening three quarters with the Giants leading 47-44 at half-time and then their advantage grew to as much as seven points in the third period.

However, the Slammers fired back and ended up leading by a point at three quarter-time.

South West was then able to dominate the fourth stanza with 26 points to 14 to claim the 12-point victory to improve to a 3-10 record on the season. The Giants remain outside the top eight with a third straight loss at 5-9.

Buay Tuach produced a standout performance in the win for the Slammers ending up with 26 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while shooting 10/17 from the floor and 4/7 from three-point territory.

Xavier Cotton was also superb for South West with 25 points and three rebounds with Ben Stevens contributing 16 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, and Manyiel Wugol 13 points, three boards and two assists. 

Giants captain Jerome Reid top-scored for his team in his 183rd appearance with 20 points and seven rebounds while landing 3/6 of his three-point attempts.

Michael Dupree added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, Lafonzo Smith 11 points and six boards, and Kon Anguik 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Xavier Cotton punches it home with AUTHORITY ?

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