WITH the weekend finally arriving, the National Basketball League (NBL) action continued, with Round 15 well and truly under way. Friday night saw an intriguing clash between the Cairns Taipans and the Tasmania JackJumpers at Cairns Convention Centre, with plenty of excitement heading into the clash.
The JackJumpers are still fighting for a top-four spot after a blistering period this time a month ago, while the Taipans have shown some reasonable form themselves over the past few games. Tasmania still headed into this clash as the favoured side, and they were able to live up to these expectations with a dominant performance on the road, claiming a 16-point triumph and keeping their chances of a remarkable finals appearance in their maiden season alive.
The match opened with the Taipans getting out to an early lead, as players such as Stephen Zimmerman getting involved on the inside, which was expected given Tasmania’s struggles defending the paint over the last few weeks. However, the JackJumpers grabbed control of the contest in the second term, producing a dominant performance from behind the arc thanks to some impressive efforts from Josh Adams and Jack McVeigh. From there, the visiting side was able to keep their opponents at arms’ length for the rest of the match and cruise home to a crucial victory in the context of their season.
Team Stats
| CAIRNS TAIPANS | TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS | |
|---|---|---|
| 26/57 (45%) | FG | 31/63 (49%) |
| 19/34 (55%) | 2P | 18/33 (54%) |
| 7/23 (30%) | 3P | 13/30 (43%) |
| 10/14 (71%) | FT | 10/16 (62%) |
| 29 | REB | 39 |
| 17 | AST | 13 |
| 2 | STL | 5 |
| 0 | BLK | 1 |
| 11 | TO | 9 |
As mentioned above, Tasmania’s biggest strength came from its long-range shooting, as the side clearly gained an ascendancy over the opposition in this area. The Taipans had no answer for the lights-out efforts of the JackJumpers, as the visitors broke away thanks to some success in this category. They say to live by the three is to die by the three, and luckily for the JackJumpers, this ended up being extremely beneficial for their success in the game. Their rebounding efforts were also too strong for Cairns, with plenty of players getting involved in the fun.
Top Points Scorers
| Josh Adams (20) |
| Jack McVeigh (13) |
| Fabijan Krslovic (13) |
There is no surprise that Adams tops the list here, as he has done so many times in the past. He continued his red-hot form of late, once again reaching 20 points and leading his side on the offensive end of the court. McVeigh chimed in for a crucial stint in the second period when the game was truly up for grabs. Krslovic also produced one of his most impressive performances of the season, registering three shots from behind the arc and taking full advantage of the starting position.
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