OVER the last week and a half, the National Basketball League (NBL) has held its preseason Blitz competition, with sides able to get some run into their players heading into the season opener next month. The competition is being played across three states, with Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria all hosting some action over the coming weeks. This weekend kicked off the first batch of the 22-game fixture, with plenty of close contests keeping fans around the country entertained for the week thus far. Two games took place on Wednesday night, with last year’s runners up flexing their muscles with a powerful performance.

Cairns Taipans (86) def by. Brisbane Bullets (94)

The Brisbane Bullets produced an impressive second half on their way to taking down the Cairns Taipans at the Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre on Wednesday night. Despite trailing at the main break, the Bullets rallied behind their skipper in the third and fourth quarters to claim another impressive win in the NBL Blitz tournament, as the competition edges towards its conclusion.

The match opened in tense fashion, with neither side able to break away in the first term as they traded buckets with the Bullets taking the narrowest of leads into quarter time with a one point advantage. The second period saw the Taipans come out from the break firing on all cylinders, improving their scoring to put their opponents on the back foot. Cairns outscored their opponents by six for the term, with their offence appearing to execute with ease as they looked to build to a strong second half and put the match away.

Things did not go to plan for the Taipans to open the half, with the Bullets finally finding their rhythm on the offensive end, and this resulted in Brisbane being able to wrestle the match back into their favour. It did not take long for the Taipans’ lead to diminish, as the Bullets claimed the third and fourth quarters as their own, outscoring their opponents 48-35 in the second half on their way to an eight-point win as they remain undefeated after their three matches in the NBL Blitz.

The Bullets were led by none other than their inspirational captain in the second half, with Nathan Sobey making the match his own, sinking shots from all over the court to bring his side back into the match as they grabbed the lead. He finished with 27 points (making six of his eight attempts from behind the three-point line) and four steals in a true captain’s performance. The Taipans had a strong spread of scorers, with five of their players registering 11 points or more, which is an encouraging sign heading into the NBL22 season.

Perth Wildcats (98) def. Tasmania JackJumpers (68)

The Wildcats have delivered the strongest performance we have seen so far in the NBL Blitz, dominating the inexperienced Tasmania JackJumpers to claim a 30-point triumph at the Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre on Wednesday night. It was a commanding outing from last year’s grand finalists, who smashed their opponents in the final three quarters to firmly assert themselves as one of the championship favourites as the season opener for NBL22 approaches.

The first term was saw the closest action for the whole match, with both sides trading buckets as the match shaped up to be a thriller, with the JackJumpers taking it up to their opponents. The Wildcats led by just two points at the first quarter, as both sides looked to claim the next quarter as theirs. It was the Wildcats who were able to do just this, as they outscored Tasmania by eight points in the term to break the game open and enter the main break with a double-digit lead.

Unfortunately for the JackJumpers, the second half saw much more of the same, with the Wildcats able to extend their lead with terrific work on both ends of the court. Their best work came on the defensive end, as they denied the JackJumpers any chance to create some offensive rhythm. In fact, the JackJumpers were only able to produce 47 points in the final three quarters of the match, which is a testament to the defensive efforts of their opponents. In the end, the Wildcats were able to cruise home on their way to the biggest win we have witnessed in this year’s NBL Blitz.

It was a terrific team performance from the Wildcats, who had seven of their players finish in double-digits for points scored, demonstrating their dynamic offense, which contains many avenues to scoring. All of these players will find themselves more confident heading into the regular season after this performance. Despite the brutal loss, Sam McDaniel never gave up for the JackJumpers, finishing with 16 points in an admirable display.