Dentistry Plus Cockburn Cougars vs Mandurah Magic Game Report
Women’s NBL1
The Dentistry Plus Cockburn Cougars got the job done against the Mandurah Magic taking home the win 69-56.
The game was extra special as it was club legend Nicole Roberts 300th game, the first ever Cougar lady to that milestone.
Jessie Edwards was dominant again with 20 points and Taylah Simmons had 19 points as they steered the Cougars to a good win.
The Magic were well in for the fight hitting some tough shots with Carly Boag leading the way.
The Cougars had to earn it but some great passing got some scores on the board to settle their nerves in the opening minutes.
The Cougars took a one point lead, 23-22 into the first change against the Magic who were putting up a strong challenge.
A big three in the corner to Nicole Roberts in her milestone game got the crowd excited and levelled the score at 26 early in the second. Roberts finished with 7 in her milestone game.
Cockburn started to take control thanks to a terrific spin-move from Akim Lual, as Mandurah moved to a zone.
The Cougars took a five-point lead into the half.
The Magic were staying with the Cougars, but Taylah Simmons was superb driving through contact to pick up two and ones.
A nice corner three for Kahlia Morgan put the margin out the 12 as the Cougars started to lock down on defense.
The Cougars were up 55-44 at the last break.
Taylah Simmons continued to score efficiently as she poured in 19 points
Jessie Edwards started the fourth quarter with a tough and one to put the Cougars in a good position.
A terrific defensive play the Cougars saw three blocks denying the magic a much-needed bucket.
A three to Nicole Roberts finished the Cougars game in a fitting fashion as the Cougars won comfortably 69-54.
Milestone lady Nicole Roberts thanked all the people who have made her journey a memorable one across 17 seasons at Cockburn including family, friends, coaches and teammates.
“It’s been a really, really enjoyable journey,” Roberts said.
“To my Family who are my biggest fans who have been there for the 17 seasons, and all the stuff before that, I couldn’t’ve done it without you guys, you support me so much, give me so much love, so I’m very, very grateful for you,” Roberts said.
Roberts said it had been a privilege to be able to play at Cockburn.
“It’s been enjoyable to grow up here, I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of people in the association,” she said.
“To my coaches past and present, than you very much for the opportunity that you’ve provided me and the feedback that you’ve given and the opportunity to push myself and make my way into the team, which at times has been difficult, so I’m very grateful for the journey I’ve had with my coaches.”
She was grateful for the teammates that have helped her along the way.
“To my teammates this is why I play the game, I’ve made so many close friends, I enjoy every single one of the moments that we’ve had together, and I ive had fun for the last 17 years,” she said.
Men’s NBL1
The Dentistry Plus Cockburn Cougars Men’s fought valiantly against the magic but fell in a tough game 91-78.
Zach Watkinson was a huge positive for the Cougars hitting five threes.
A nice hustle play from Nic Pozoglou set the tone for the Cougars as they came out with lots of energy.
Nic Pozoglou was relentless taking it to the basket at will and using his athleticism to score neatly over defenders.
A catch and shoot three to Zach Watkinson in the corner lifted the Cougars fans to their feet
The Cougars looked lively on offense getting open shots as their offense was functioning well through good ball movement as the Cougars were up 23-19 at quarter time.
The defense was the focus for both teams as the score was locked at 28 with shots hard to come by.
Seva Chan was doing his thing in the paint weaving around defenders with a nice dish to Nathan Pond for a smooth finish.
Nathan Pond was stepping up and finished with a huge slam off a nice pick and roll action.
An important contested three to Gavin Field in the corner kept the Cougars offense going in a tight match.
Jerami Grace was a problem for the Cougars with his three-point shooting causing havoc for the Cougars defense scoring 21 points.
The Magic were on top by seven at half time.
A huge backboard block for Nic Pozoglou got the Cougars fans excited and he followed up with a tough layup on the other end.
The magic started to pull away as Jerami Grace cut through the Cougars defense to put Mandurah up 54-39.
A much needed three to Jacob Polgase gave the Cougars some promise nearing three quarter time.
Nic Pozoglou got some dribble penetration and made a nice floater to give the Cougars a crack at three quarter time.
The Magic were up 71-58 at three quarter time.
Zach Watkinson was shooting well from range keeping the Cougars in it with two quick threes to open the quarter.
Watkinson was a standout for the Cougars finishing with 17 points with five triples. Nic Pozoglou had a quality double-double for the Cougars with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Head Coach Andrew Cooper praised the efforts of Zach Watkinson.
“Watto was awesome, we probably didn’t go to him enough in the end to be honest,” said Cooper.
Cooper said defense is paramount for the team to improve.
‘”We just gotta find ways to stop people from scoring and at the moment we can’t,” he said.
“There best players are playing better than our best players, that’s the issue we have, our guys need to step up, we all need to step up, coaches, players, to try and fix it.”
