Buccaneers tame Cougars, set sights on Hawks

Geraldton Buccaneers led for all four quarters against visitors Cockburn Cougars in the West Coast Classic at Activewest Stadium on Saturday night. Coach Dayle Joseph said the Buccs extended their lead to 19 points by half-time, only to see the Cougars fight back in the third and fourth. “They got within about six during the last stage, then at the last minute we kicked it back out,” Joseph said. “It was certainly game on.” He said the essence of their success was to upskill local players, as their imports from Queensland, Oceania and the United States were unavailable because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve been talking up our young guys all year but it was our experienced players that carried the game,” Joseph said. “Mat Wundenberg had a good game with nine points and 14 rebounds; and Carter Cook had 15 points and five assists, which was pretty handy for us. He’s had some bigger minutes. “Aaron Ralph didn’t shoot that great as far as percentages go but he had 16 points and 12 rebounds, which is a handy contribution. “Brayden Inger had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, so all the older guys contributed.” The Buccs are now in ninth position on the ladder. Joseph said hitting the bottom a few weeks ago left them with only one direction to go. “The young guys had an opportunity to play some good minutes and against experienced players, so hopefully they’ll see the benefits of that in the future,” he said. With a final score of 77-63, the Buccs now face another home game this Saturday against Perry Lakes Hawks, who are ranked second. “We have a tough game coming up; Perry Lakes are always strong,” Joseph said. “We will try and find a few weaknesses of theirs and pinch a win off them hopefully.”