In the State Basketball League rivalry round over the weekend the Southlands Boulevarde Willetton Tigers mens and womens teams matched up against the Cockburn Cougars as the end of the regular season draws near and the scramble for finals spots heats up.

The Tigers women spearheaded by Kate Malpass with 27 points, lead from start to finish to all but snuff out the Cougars hopes of making the final eight in the standings. The comfortable 73-60 victory puts the Tigers right in the mix for a top two ladder finish with just a single regular season home game remaining, this Friday night at Willetton Stadium against the second placed Rockingham Flames.

The Tigers will be keen to make amends their loss to the Flames mid-season at their home court, needing to beat the Flames by more than six points to give themselves a chance of a top two spot in the final standings. With a bye in the last round of the season the Tigers can afford to go all out this Friday night to gain the upper hand against a team they may well see again in the finals.

The Tigers Men came up against an on fire Cougars outfit, who were landing three point bombs from everywhere in the first half. Tigers big man Chris Christoffersen was on the wrong end of a few soft calls early and the foul trouble limited his impact.

Late in the game the emotions boiled over when one of the Cougars tunnelled Tiger spearhead Robert Epps on a lay-up. In true Cougars v Tigers rivalry fashion there was no love lost between the two teams despite the margin blowing out to 20 points (73-93) for the Cougars by the last change.  

All up the Cougars showed why they are a top four team and a true championship contender, extending their winning streak to eight games with a 115-92 victory. Cougars import Bryce Birch lead all scorers with 32 points, while Tiger Epps had 23 and guard Wayne Biddle had 19.

It really is crunch time now for the Tigers men in terms of keeping their finals hopes in tact. To get into the top eight the Tigers need a win this Friday night at home against the Flames and then their destiny will be in their hands on the long road trip to Kalgoorlie on 18th July. It is a tough road ahead, but rest assure the fight in the Tigers will ensure that they throw everything into these last two regular season games.

Tip-off this Friday night, Tigers V Flames, is 6:30pm for the women and 8:30pm for the men... tickets at the door.

Article by Willetton Tigers
Photo by June Halliday