DESPITE a masterful offensive performance from Joe Cook-Green, the Eastern Suns fell eight points short of the Cockburn Cougars in the NBL1 West Men’s over the weekend.

The competition held its 17th and final round of the season, with both teams in this match falling short of a finals appearance. However, the winner of this contest would finish the season on a high, and in their last match of 2023, the two sides came out eager to get one last victory. The Suns and the Cougars performed at a similar level throughout the fixture, and finished around the same mark so it was shaping as an entertaining clash.

The game lived up to these predictions, with fans at Wally Hagan Stadium on Friday night treated to one of the best games of the season. Both sides left it all out on the court, displaying excellent offence over the span of four quarters. The Cougars had a terrific start to the match, taking a 10-point lead into the first change and looking in complete control of the match. However, the Suns clawed their way back into the contest as the game went on, setting up a thrilling finish. In fact, the teams could not be separated at the end of regulation, sending the match into extra time, where the Cougars claimed an eight-point double overtime win.

Although his team fell short on the scoreboard, Cook-Green was the standout of the match, finishing the season with a monstrous scoring performance.

Cockburn Cougars (132) def. Eastern Suns (124)

Joe Cook-Green – 54 points, two rebounds, six assists

Cook-Green accounted for nearly half of his team’s points in one of the highest-scoring games of the 2023 fixture, putting the Suns on his back and nearly getting them over the line.

His 54-point performance is the highest points total in any NBL1 competition this year, exploding on the offensive end and completely taking over the game whenever the ball was in his hands.

Cook-Green shot an insane 17/29 from the field, having no problems with accuracy despite the gradually increasing defence as the game went on.

Most of these makes came from inside the arc, slicing through the defence with some exceptional ball-handling to create space and find the bottom of the net.

His willingness to push the ball inside and finish close to the rim resulted in a few trips to the free throw line, downing 16 of his 18 attempts, including a few late in the game to keep his side in the fight.

Cook-Green was the star of the show for the Suns, putting on a scoring clinic and almost single-handedly willing his side to victory.