THE Cockburn Cougars claimed a massive victory over the Perth Redbacks in Round 14 of the NBL1 West Women’s over the weekend, with Sarah Mortensen leading the way.

The teams locked horns at Wally Hagan Stadium on Saturday evening, with the home side widely expected to get the job done in front of a vocal crowd. The Cougars have been the best side throughout the 2023 season, and have firmed as the championship favourites by conceding just one loss throughout the fixture.

On the other hand, the Redbacks have not been able to experience the same amount of success with just one win on the board coming into Saturday’s matchup, and would need to pull off a massive upset.

Cockburn’s class was far too much for the struggling Perth side it faced, a trend that was evident from the opening quarter. The hosts won all four quarters in a dominant display, and capped it off with a masterful two-way showing in the final period. They outscored the Redbacks 37-9, further ballooning the margin out en route to a massive 69-point win and a huge percentage boost in the process.

Mortensen delivered not only the strongest performance of the match, but the best of the round as she emerged as a towering figure against Perth’s frontcourt.

Cockburn Cougars (124) def. Perth Redbacks (65)

Sarah Mortensen – 42 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, five steals

Mortensen did as she pleased against the Redbacks, completely dominating the paint and putting her stamp on a massive outing from a team perspective.

She had a whopping 42 points, a game-high figure and it was largely due to her ability to score across all three levels, making life extremely difficult for the opposition given the unpredictable nature of her shot selection.

Mortensen put up 23 shots for the match (the most of anyone on the court), and made 15 in an accurate shooting display. As expected, she did plenty of damage close to the hoop, driving into the paint and putting plenty of pressure on the rim.

However, the most impressive facet of her offensive game was her long-range shooting, going 6/7 from behind the arc. It meant the defence had to follow Mortensen when she floated out to the perimeter, otherwise she could punish them with a triple.

The forward was also the match’s leading rebounder, pulling down 13 boards and helping start plenty of transition scoring opportunities for the Cougars. Four of these came on the offensive end and helped her points tick over by finishing some clever putbacks at the rim.

Having been described as a complete player in the past, Mortensen delivered one of the strongest performances of her career to date, running riot against the Redbacks and continuing to play a crucial role for the Cougars.