THE NBL1 action continued last night and in the South Women division, the Melbourne Tigers were a class above the Nunawading Spectres, thanks to another eye-catching performance from Jade Melbourne.

The two teams started the year in similar fashion, and this match was a test to see how their respective form would stack up against a fellow contender. However, the Tigers looked the stronger side, winning all four quarters on their way to a 17-point win.

It was an extremely accurate shooting performance from Melbourne’s roster as a whole, making 49.4 per cent of their shots from the field, in comparison to Nunawading’s 37.7 per cent. The Tigers were also extremely efficient with their passing, recording 12 more assists than the opposition.

One of the standout factors from the match was the performance of Melbourne (the player, not the team). When she’s in form, the guard can chip in and produce in a number of key areas in the match, which is exactly what she did against the Spectres.

Melbourne Tigers (88) def. Nunawading Spectres (71)

Jade Melbourne – 18 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists

Melbourne continues to shine and showcase her game at NBL1 level, delivering an eye-catching statline that demonstrated how impactful she was in her side’s win.

The 20-year-old played all 40 minutes, and her presence was felt during that entire span. She was seemingly everywhere and Nunawading simply could not curb her influence.

As a scorer, she showed she was more than capable of creating her own basket or finishing off the strong work of her teammates. She finished with 18 points on 8/14 shooting from the field, with seven of those field goals coming from inside the paint.

As a guard, Melbourne is one of the best at playing above her size, and did so once again on Thursday night. She crashed the boards on the defensive end and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, which has been one of the strengths of her game and what sets her apart.

One of the big reasons for the victors’ success in the assists column was the passing efforts of Melbourne. She ran pick and rolls to perfection, and often made the right dish-out pass when penetrating the defence and the opposition began to collapse. The likes of Samantha Simons (23 points) and Nikki Metcalfe (15 points) benefited from her excellent vision and execution when passing the ball.

At just 20 years of age, Melbourne continues to shine as one of the nation’s best young players, and a triple-double on Thursday night showed she is set to post some big games in the future.