The Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers appear to have put the results of the past fortnight behind them with a morale boosting 90-81 victory over the Cockburn Cougars on Saturday night.

The nine point victory sees the Tigers remain a top four contender, while for the Cougars, their third straight defeat means a top two position may be out of reach.

Willetton started the game in a positive manner on both ends of the floor, with Rob Kampman finding his shooting range early.

Ty Harrelson lead the way for the Cougars in the first half with 14 points, as the Tigers managed to contain big man Stanley Ocitti, who only had five points to the half.

Willetton stepped up their defensive pressure on the Cockburn ball handlers and were able to control the game through Kampman and Mark Jones, who had 18 and 10 points respectively in the first half.

Ocitti appeared to come to life in the second half and made a couple of early baskets but was relegated to the bench for a period of time after picking up his fourth foul. However, Harrelson kept Cockburn close and even helped them take a one point lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.

A couple of hard fouls saw tempers flare in the third quarter, but it only seemed to spur the Tigers on as the reclaimed the lead heading into the final term.

Both teams traded baskets in the fourth as they looked to Kampman and Harrelson to provide the spark for their teams. However it was Cockburn’s Sheldon McIntyre who stepped up with a three pointer that gave the Cougars a one point lead with under four minutes remaining.

This was the last lead that Cockburn saw as Alex Prince and Rob Kampman made some clutch outside shots to give the Tigers a six point lead with two minutes remaining. Some key defensive stops by the Tigers ensured the Cougars could not mount a comeback, which pleased coach Shayne Hampel.

“They are a proud bunch. We have learnt some harsh lessons over the past couple of weeks and this was a chance to put some of those lessons into place,” Hampel said.

Kampman was top scorer for the Tigers with 33 points and he also added 12 rebounds. Harrelson led the way for the Cougars with 30 points, while Ocitti was held to 12 points as well as fouling out.

In WSBL action earlier in the night, the Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers remained on track for the minor premiership with a 99-75 win over the Metropolis Fremantle Cockburn Cougars.

Co captains Melissa Marsh and Kate Malpass were outstanding for the Tigers as they combined for more than half of their teams scoring output. Malpass finished with 30 points, while Marsh contributed 28. Emma Pass was the top scorer for the Cougars with 24 points.

Article by Nathan Winch at Wally Hagan Stadium
Photo by Ashley Pearce (Vision Inspired Photography)

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