THE SEM Phoenix have punched their ticket to the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) semi-finals after defeating the Perth Wildcats by 17 points when the two sides went head to head in a seeding match last night.

The NBL postseason officially kicked off on Wednesday night when the Phoenix welcomed the Wildcats to John Cain Arena in a match that would shape the semi-finals. The winner would advance to a series against the second-placed Adelaide 36ers, while the loser would be placed into an elimination clash against the winner of tonight’s game between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Melbourne United.

Although the last few encounters between the two sides had gone either way, setting up an intriguing seeding match, the Phoenix were far too good for the Wildcats, cruising home to a big victory at home to construct a massive series against the Sixers.

South East Melbourne Phoenix (111) def. Perth Wildcats (94)

The Phoenix were locked in with their defensive style from the opening tip, putting plenty of pressure on the Wildcats at all times and began picking Perth up full court from the first quarter, which was a message of intent. The visitors could not get any space on the offensive end, and had to slog their way to just a six-point buffer at quarter time.

The Phoenix were simply forcing the Wildcats into far too many turnovers, meaning Perth was consistently giving up points in transition, which was a killer on the scoreboard. There was certainly a defensive emphasis on the visitors’ backcourt, with Ben Henshall and Elijah Pepper copping the worst of it, as the margin sat at 15 points at the main break.

The Wildcats’ efficiency shooting the ball from long range was keeping them in the fight, but gifting the Phoenix extra possessions was not a winning strategy. Another massive factor in the contest was South East Melbourne’s work on the offensive glass, with the Phoenix pulling down 17 boards after their own misses compared to the Wildcats only managing eight down the other end.

In the end, the home side just looked a better side, and came into the match with a better gameplan as well as excellent execution. If they can bring that level of hustle and intensity to the Sixers in their upcoming series, it is not unrealistic to see South East Melbourne in the deciding series in the coming month.

As he has done all season, veteran guard Nathan Sobey led from the front offensively, shooting 9/18 from the field to finish the match with 24 points and seven assists, to show he is likely to be the man of the moment on the scoring front for the Phoenix. Fresh off signing with the LSU Tigers in the NCAA, Owen Foxwell gave Sobey plenty of support in the backcourt, pouring in 18 points and five assists in just 20 minutes of court time.

Foxwell and John Brown III combined for eight steals for the match, encapsulating the defensive pressure that the Phoenix brought for all four quarters, and creating plenty of transition scoring opportunities for the home side.

All-NBL First Team forward Kristian Doolittle (22 points) tried to generate some offence in a gutsy effort through defensive pressure, but was the biggest culprit of losing the ball too easily, coughing up five turnovers in the process, while Henshall and Dylan Windler committed four apiece.

The Phoenix have earned a break before their semi-final outing against the Sixers, while the Wildcats will be keeping a close eye on tonight’s elimination matchup between United and the JackJumpers, which will determine Perth’s next opponent.