Chance for another win on the road in Cockburn

The Printsync South West Slammers men’s team has an opportunity to string consecutive road wins together at Wally Hagan Stadium tomorrow night, when they take on the spluttering Cockburn Cougars. It was a brutal trip to the Mid West for the Cougars last Saturday, who were unable to quell the formidable tag team of Buccs veterans Aaron Ralph and Mat Wundenberg, who combined for 26 rebounds between them. But Slammers coach Mark Worthington is not concerned about anything basketball-related outside the four walls of the Eaton Recreation Centre. “Practice this week was just a bit of management of our kids,” he said. “Making sure we are not killing them and trying to make them feel good about what they are doing. “So it was a lot about their shots, making sure they feel comfortable and stuff like that. It is just another way of managing our young group into their third double header in a row. “We want to try and maximise the time we have left this season together and for us, it is about getting around each other and being competitive in our shooting games. “Hopefully we can finish the season off well.” On Saturday night, the Slammers host the mid-table Goldfields Giants who will be making the long journey from Kalgoorlie. Many could be forgiven for thinking the Slammers will have an advantage over the potentially weary Giants, however Worthington told the South Western Times that he had not entertained it during his weekly preparation. “I understand the theory and the way it should look from the outside — but the simplicity of how we have coached and looked at things this year is about the game that is ahead of us,” he said. Scouting report (Cockburn Cougars) Form: The Cougars are currently a game out of the top eight, however they appear unlikely to play finals. Their offence continues to be led by 202cm veteran Gavin Field, who is averaging 18.1 points per game. League position: 10th; home record: 2-2; away record: 1-4; last round: lost to Geraldton Buccaneers 77-63 Key stat: The Cougars were monstered by the Buccs in Geraldton, who led the boards 57-32, including 23-8 on the offensive end.