THE Albury Cougars had twin success against the Wangaratta Warriors yesterday with the Lady Cougars enjoying a 74–65 win before the men fought hard for a 59-56 result.
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The Ladies burst out of the blocks to open a 15-point margin at the first break.
Using some stifling defense, the Lady Cougars forced the Warriors into some poor shot selection and took advantage of multiple turnovers.
Sarah Moore was at her dominant best to lead all scorers with 26. She was well supported by floor general Carly McRae who had 13 points while youngster Jade McCowan was able to use her athleticism to alter plenty of shots and grab multiple steals.
The men’s game was a scrappy affair as the plucky Wangaratta Warriors looked to take advantage of a Cougars team missing more than half its squad.
The Cougars opened strongly, with youngster Darcy Locke and Bobby Tye able to carve their way to the basket with easy.
The Warriors began to ease their way into the game and with a change in defensive strategy were able to start reeling in the Cougars’ advantage.
Warriors’ big man Michael Jenkins fought hard for 15 points and dominated on the boards while Zach Leitch was deadly from outside to finish as game high scorer with 19 points.
For the Cougars, the 16-year-old Locke was a standout. He would finish the game with 18 points, including a big fast-break flush.
Tye was solid all game and utilised some crisp passing from Trent Ball to finish with 17 points.
Coach Stephen Gibbs said he was happy to put another win on the board, despite only suiting up seven players.
“I was very impressed by the efforts of all the blokes that stepped in at short notice,” Gibbs said.
“They all contributed, especially Locke and Jayden Wright who nailed some clutch shots late in the game when the pressure was on.”
The Cougars now enjoy a month off over the Christmas break before returning early next year with a rematch against the Wodonga Wolves.