WITH the National Basketball League (NBL) continuing its run of matches taking place nearly every day of the week, Tuesday night saw another clash. This time, it was between the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Cairns Taipans facing off at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, in what was some well-deserved action for fans in the area.

Both teams have not played much in recent weeks due to COVID-related interruptions. The Taipans in particular were understandably underdone heading into this match, as this was their first outing since New Year’s Eve, and was just their fifth for the entire season. In the end, they performed admirably given the circumstances, but the Phoenix were simply too good. Led by an eye-catching two-way performance from superstar Mitch Creek, the home side produced a powerful second-term to take a commanding lead and from there, they never looked back. Helping the cause was the fact that the Taipans coughed up the ball 23 times, which led to the Phoenix taking 15 more shots from the field, in what were clear signs of justified rust from the visitors.

FIRST QUARTER

The match opened with some impressive scoring in the opening minutes, with the Phoenix getting on the board early to take the lead. Creek started the game in aggressive fashion, going right at the defence on the first possession of the match and his hookshot found the bottom of the net. The Phoenix continued this style of play, jumping out to a six-point lead in the first few minutes of play. The Taipans finally found their feet in the next few possessions, reducing the margin and even taking the lead. The remainder of the term saw some exciting back-and-forth action between the two sides, with neither team able to gain a meaningful advantage over their opponents. Proceedings were tied up heading into the first break, in what was an exciting way to start the match.

SECOND QUARTER

The second period saw the Phoenix truly begin to find their offensive rhythm, while the Taipans could not match this output with ball in hand. They were quickly able to break away from their opponents and take a double-digit lead over the Taipans early in the quarter. Taipans big man Majok Deng tried to keep his side in the match, but the Phoenix could not be stopped, and every time the visitors made a run, it was immediately answered. The home team were able to do as they pleased, even stealing the ball when the Taipans would pull down an apparently safe offensive rebound. The lead finished at 12 points by the time half time rolled around, as the Phoenix looked back to their best.

THIRD QUARTER

The Taipans were able to produce a fightback to open the second half, getting the better of their opponents in this time, which was a far cry from the form we saw in the previous quarter. The scoring of the Phoenix dropped big time, with their output halved for the period compared to their dominant second term. Things looked as if they would go from bad to worse for the Taipans, and when the Phoenix stretched their lead out to 15 early on, it looked as if the match was all but over. However, Cairns was able to find to find another gear to close out the term, and the duo of Tahjere McCall and Bul Kuol got some mojo going on the offensive end of the floor, and began to chip away at the lead. Suddenly, the Phoenix led by just eight points and an upset victory was well within reach for their opponents heading into the final term.

FOURTH QUARTER

Unfortunately for the Taipans, they could not continue their charge towards the Phoenix, with the home side able to produce an answer anytime the opposition made a big play. Creek was once again able to get involved with ball in hand, with back-to-back layups taking the lead back out to double-digits early in the term. The Taipans attempted to get things rolling, but their defence could not slow down the Phoenix, who seemingly always made the right plays when looking to score. A free throw from McCall brought the margin back to six points with just a minute to play, but the Phoenix were able to prevent this from getting any worse as they ended up finishing up as 10-point victors in an entertaining contest.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the Phoenix, Creek was clearly the star of the show as he continues to push his case for the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Against the Taipans, he poured in 21 points and eight rebounds to lead all-comers in terms of scoring. What was most impressive was his ability to rip the ball away from the opposition, as he finished with a whopping seven steals for the match. For the Taipans, McCall fought tooth and nail to keep his side in the contest, producing 16 points and nine assists in a valiant effort.