FINALS kicked off for the National Basketball League (NBL)1 competitions around the country, and in the West Men’s league, the Geraldton Buccaneers strengthened their championship credentials with a thumping win over the Cockburn Cougars at Active West Stadium on Saturday night.

Geraldton Buccaneers 30 | 24 | 22 | 25 (101)
Cockburn Cougars 13 | 20 | 22 | 15 (70)

The Buccaneers have been the best team in the competition for the entirety of the season, and came into Saturday’s qualifying final with a record of 19 wins and three losses. They were the team to beat entering the postseason and only furthered those claims with a dominant performance against the Cougars.

Geraldton jumped out of the gates with a dominant first term, getting to an early double-digit lead and never looking back. The Cougars improved their offence in the second and third terms, but could not slow down the irrepressible output of the opposition, and found themselves on the wrong end of a blowout.

The Buccaneers had a number of players chip in to get them to the impressive result, but none caught the eye more than Cameron Coleman, who recorded a massive double-double and ended as the most impactful player on the court.

Cameron Coleman vs. Cougars – 39 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals

Coleman was a man on mission on the offensive end, proving to be a constant headache for the Cockburn defence and registering a game-high points total.

His 39 points came from a number of sources. Whether it was some tough work inside the paint, a deft touch on the floaters and mid-range shots or the composure to to knock down a couple of shots from downtown, Coleman managed to find the bottom of the net one way or another.

The Cockburn defence tried to double-team and rotate when guarding as much as possible, but not much could slow down the form this man was in.

On the boards, Coleman did most of his damage on the offensive end. Despite some shots from him or his teammates proving wayward, the big man was able to crash the boards and either kick out to a teammate, or add to his own points tally with a put-back.

It was a towering display from Coleman, who was a match-winner in more ways than one throughout the season. This Buccaneers outfit already looks dangerous, but if he can continue to deliver performances of this calibre, they will be tough to stop in the coming weeks.