THE TASMANIA JackJumpers have secured their second consecutive win with an eight-point victory against first-place Adelaide 36ers, 80-72. Interestingly enough, the 36ers outscored the JackJumpers in every quarter other than the second, which was ultimately their downfall, scoring 11 compared to the JackJumpers 27. While the 36ers tried to keep up, the JackJumpers stayed calm and remained in front.

Back-to-back wins against the top three teams are not a fluke, and a little run streak for Tasmania could help them as they look to move up on the table before finals. While no individual had an incredible game, their stability throughout the contest helped them stay in the lead. Bryce Hamilton was the standout for Tasmania, with a solid 16 which led his team.

Nick Marshall showed his worth against his former club with a solid 13-point performance paired with six rebounds. David Johnson and Ben Ayre were able to get things done on the offensive side of the ball, with Will Magnay unfortunately not backing up his career performance against Melbourne United, where he dominated with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

The 36ers did not play to their usual standard, with a collective field goal percentage of 40 per cent compared to Tasmania’s 51 per cent, but the main setbacks were their star players, who were simply not able to deliver.

As good as Bryce Cotton is, he just wasn’t on his game and really struggled to score the ball at an efficient rate. Five made field goals on 18 total shots does not look too good on the stat sheet, along with 2/10 from three. Troy Brown Jnr. has continued to try to find his role on the Adelaide team, where he has been expected to come in and help win straight away, but his play did not seem to define what his role is supposed to be. He struggled to score from all spots, scoring two points on 10 per cent field goal efficiency.

Zylan Cheatham played to his usual high standard, scoring 12 as well as rebounding 12, as he continues to lead the competition in rebounds per game. With nobody putting their first foot forward on the scoring side for Adelaide, Flynn Cameron decided to step in and put the team on his back.

He finished the game with a +/- of 13, even while losing the game, this tied for the highest +/- rating in the game for both teams. A 25-point performance on a hyper-efficient 81 per cent field goal percentage was a must-needed input for Adelaide, and was one of the main factors of how it stayed in the game.

Adelaide will now regroup and prepare to play the fiery SEM Phoenix, who sit at second place, while the JackJumpers will organise their plan to beat Melbourne United twice in a row, as they will play them again on the 17th.