Total Connections Perry Lakes Hawks have begun their 2011 WSBL finals campaign with a hard fought 72-59 win over the Metropolis Fremantle Cockburn Cougars in Game One of their Quarter Finals matchup on Friday night at Wally Hagan Stadium.

In their first finals appearance since 2008, the Cougars got the fast start and jumped out to an early eight-point lead. They dominated the Hawks in all areas early, especially rebounding as they created numerous second chance shots with their strength on the offensive glass.

After taking a four point lead into quarter time, Coach Fleur McIntyre urged her charges to keep up the same intensity shown earlier in the game into the second quarter, and her team didn’t let her down. The Cougars continued to dominate the boards, even to the point where 165cm guard Kristen Everard, who was the smallest player on the court, out-rebounded the 194cm Christine Boyd.

Perry Lakes tied the game early in the second quarter behind the soft shooting touch of Boyd, but her direct opponent, Nicole Johnson, also stepped up her game on both ends of the floor. Johnson halted the Hawks’ penetration efforts with two blocked shots and followed up with some accurate outside shooting and strong low post moves.

Cockburn skipped out to a seven point lead, as the tactic of Emma Pass drawing Boyd away from the basket paid off, with Pass scoring 16 first half points. With their fast breaks being led by feisty guard Taryn Priestly and a three pointer from Nicole Roberts capping off a seven to nil run for the Cougars, Hawks coach Rick Morcom called for a time out to regroup his team.

Perry Lakes managed to trim the lead to four at half time, led by Boyd who had 10 points and Rosie Tobin who had eight points.

“I lost my voice screaming at them at half time, I wasn’t too happy,” Morcom said.

“I told them their effort areas were shocking.”

The critical words seemed to work wonders for the Hawks as they stepped up their defensive pressure on Cockburn’s ball handlers and forcing their outside shooters into tough shots.

Johnson and Priestly continued to work hard for Cockburn, but with Tegan Walker demanding the ball in the low post and Gabby Clayton shooting well from the outside, the Hawks soon took the lead. From there things didn’t go Cockburn’s way, as their field goal percentage suffered.

“I thought we got good shots, we just couldn't make any of them,” McIntyre said.

“That just happens in a basketball game, we got down in confidence."

Clayton shot 60% from the field in the second half, and the Hawks as a team finished with 45%. The defensive efforts of Walker contributed to the Hawks restricting Pass to only seven second half points. Cockburn were in the penalty for much of the second half, with foul shots rounding out the remainder of the game.

Boyd led the Hawks with 17 points and nine rebounds. She was well supported by Clayton who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Walker and Tobin each finished with ten points.

Game Two sees the series head to the WA Basketball Centre next Saturday night, where the Hawks hold an impressive 8-3 record. Game Three if required will take place next Sunday afternoon.

Article by Nathan Winch at Wally Hagan Stadium
Photo by Mick Cronin

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