The road to Joondalup: NBL1 West

Heading into the Coles Express NBL1 National Finals, let's see how each team got there.

The Cockburn Cougars and the Geraldton Buccaneers claimed the West titles in the Grand Final Series.

COCKBURN COUGARS WRAP:

The Cougars came out on top as this year’s NBL1 West champions, in their first Grand Finals appearance. 

After going 18-2 in the regular season, Cockburn then finished with a 68-61 win over the Willetton Tigers. 

Defensive Player of the Year Stephanie Gorman rose to greatness and was awarded the Finals MVP with 19 points, powering over NBL1 West MVP Alex Sharp on the opposing side. 

Crowd favourite and Danish import, Sarah Mortensen, added 13 points and eight rebounds in the Grand Final.  

Captain Kirsty Whitfield decided to retire after this season, but after bringing her fabled club a title, she has one more weekend of basketball ahead of her with a national title in sight. Get your tickets below:

GERALDTON BUCCANEERS WRAP:

The Geraldton Buccaneers had a dream at the start of the season to claim the NBL1 West title and succeeded. 

After falling short last year to the Rockingham Flames, the Buccaneers will now have the chance to seek revenge over the Flames at the National Finals. 

In a heated Grand Final, Geraldton remained determined and came back to defeat the Joondalup Wolves by just six points.

Finals MVP Johnny Narkle put up an excellent performance with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. 2023 All-NBL1 West First team member, Malik Meunier, will be a key player to watch this weekend.