FOR THE second time in the 2025 NBL1 season, the league’s single-game scoring record has been broken, with Warwick Senators star Elijah Pepper continuing his emphatic offensive campaign in the West Men’s competition.

Pepper erupted for a record 59 points in the win over the South West Slammers on Saturday night, in what was the pinnacle of one of the best scoring seasons by a player in league history, having set the tone with multiple 50-point games to his name.

The record was previously set by Melbourne Tigers gun Jack Purchase, who put up 55 points earlier in the year in what was a historic showing. However, he has now been passed by Pepper, who remarkably achieved the feat the night after dropping 44 points (37 in the first half) in a win over the Perry Lakes Hawks.

The Senators came into the match as heavy favourites, sitting second in the standings and looking every bit a championship contender as the home and away portion of the season comes to a close. They were also coming up against a Slammers side that had won just a single game from 19 outings, so Warwick was expected to get the job done.

Although the result went as planned, not many could have predicted the scoring eruption of Pepper, who now has his name in the history books with an unmatched level of production on the offensive side of the ball.

Southwest Slammers (79) def. by Warwick Senators (130)

Elijah Martin – 59 points, four rebounds, nine assists, two steals

Fans at Eaton Rec Centre may not have seen their team get over the line, but they were treated to the greatest scoring performance in competition history, with Pepper taking over the contest and showing how big his ceiling is.

After the Slammers got off to a strong 5-0 start, Pepper got the Senators on the board with a nice driving layup, proving crafty at avoiding the defence. He repeated that feat on the next possession, before nailing a nice pullup jumper from midrange to score six of his side’s first eight points. The guard’s first triple of the match followed shortly after as he started the match 4/4 from the field.

The Senators were well and truly on top despite the initial slow start to the contest, as Pepper continued to cash in on the drive with another pair of layups and his second midrange basket of the match. To close out a blistering first quarter, he drew contact and nailed three free throws from four attempts as the visitors led by 13 points at the first change.

After starting on the bench to begin the second frame, it did take Pepper a couple of minutes to regain his feet once he was injected back into the fold. However, he got going with another two midrange jumpers, with the second coming after a smooth turnaround move to create separation from the defender.

By the time he cashed in on his second three-pointer of the match, Pepper already had 27 points to his name, and although it was down on his performance the previous night to that point of the game, it was still a pleasure to witness.

He showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, starting the third quarter with another long-range bomb to extend his side’s lead even further. Pepper kept putting pressure on the basket too, driving inside consistently and either drawing contact or finishing at the hoop as his figure kept ticking over in the points column.

Between continuing to nail long-range shots and finding plenty of success on his drives into the paint, there was no stopping Pepper when it came to finding the bottom of the net, and another 18 points in the third quarter ensured he was on record pace with 10 minutes to play.

The defence did try to slow down his output, throwing double team his way and looking to keep the ball out of his hands, but he still found a way to either score himself or take advantage of the extra attention and find an open teammate. He began to add to his highlight reel when he nailed a four-point play in the first minute of the fourth quarter, in an ominous sign of things to come for the Slammers.

It took just five minutes in the final frame to break the scoring record, doing so with another nice drive into the paint to put him up to 56 points. He capped off a night for the history books with his sixth three-pointer, before heading to the bench for the final four minutes of the match.

Pepper finished the contest with 59 points in just 33 minutes of play, shooting a remarkable 22/31 from the field, 6/9 from three-point land and 9/11 from the free throw line. Astonishingly, he almost posted a double-double with nine assists as well in what was a simply masterful performance from one of the NBL1’s biggest stars, also giving the Perth Wildcats plenty to look forward to for the upcoming NBL season too.