Cockburn Cougars picked up a crucial away win to move into the top four after a 116-76 demolition of the Mandurah Magic on Saturday night.

Combined with their win on Sunday afternoon, the Cougars finished Round 7 with six wins and fourth position, while the Magic drop to fifth on percentage.

The Cougars controlled the game from the outset, controlling the tempo and forcing the Magic into turnovers. They were able to stop Magic import Taylor Land’s control of the ball and converted easy transition points. Brian Carlwell was also able use his height and weight to an advantage as he and Jeremiah Wilson dominated the offensive rebounds and the low post.

The Cougars went into the half with an 11 point lead on the back of the shooting of Damien Scott. His outside touch proved lethal as the Magic failed to find a way to counteract his accuracy. Carlwell and Wilson continued to be a handful for the Magic big men as their offensive rebounding provided numerous second chance opportunities for the Cougars.

There were glimpses of a comeback for the Magic early in the second half through the shooting of Tom Remmerswaal but the Cockburn guards soon put a stop to that as Scott, Will Hannah and Steven Van Lit made consecutive three point field goals and sapped any momentum the Magic seemed to have.

The Cougars outscored the Magic by 18 points in the third quarter to put the game beyond reach of the Magic. A 27-16 final quarter made things worse for the Magic as the shooting of Cockburn’s guards added salt to Mandurah’s wound.

Scott finished with a game high 32 points including six of nine from beyond the arc. Jeremiah Wilson contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds while Carlwell finished with 16 points and ten rebounds.

Tom Remmerswaal was the top scorer for the Magic with 21 points. Taylor Mullenax finished with 19 for the Magic and Taylor Land contributed 11 assists.

“The Magic have been playing some pretty good basketball and guys like Taylor and Tom have been scoring really well,” Cockburn coach Stephen Charlton said after the game.

“For us to come in and get the win playing as a solid defensive unit was great. I couldn't have asked more from the guys tonight.”

Earlier in the night, the clash of the only remaining winless teams in the WSBL saw the Mandurah Magic take the advantage and record their first win of the season with an 87-72 win over the Cockburn Cougars.

Playing without three of their regulars in Rachel Halleen, Shelly Boston and Danika Pisconeri, the Magic dominated the game from the outset and limited the impact of Cockburn’s star import Stephanie Jones.

Jones fouled out in the second half which allowed the Magic to take control of the boards and build an insurmountable lead.

Magic captain Gemma Thomas was outstanding once again for the Magic with a game high 22 points and nine rebounds, while Bree Klasztorny had her best game of the season so far with 20 points and eight rebounds.

The Cougars were led by Christie Simpson who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Cougars are now the only winless team in the 2012 season.

Next week’s action sees the Cougars host the Stirling Senators on Saturday night at Wally Hagan Stadium, whilst the Magic are in for their biggest test so far this season as they host the league leading Lakeside Lightning on Saturday night.

Article by Nathan Winch
Photo by Mick Cronin