THE National Basketball League (NBL)’s stacked round continued on Sunday afternoon, with the South East Melbourne Phoenix travelling across the Bass Strait to take on the Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena.

It was the first time the JackJumpers had been able to hit the court for a while due to COVID-related interruptions, so fans were looking forward to seeing their side in action again. However, they were bested by a Phoenix side that was desperate to make amends for a Round 7 loss to the Brisbane Bullets. They were one of the competition’s strongest sides to start the season, but their form has fluctuated in the last month, with pandemic-related obstacles hitting them hard. This was a crucial win in the context of their season, finding themselves back on the winners’ list to keep in touch with the teams above them in the standings. On the other hand, the JackJumpers were unable to match it with another of the competition’s heavyweight sides and slumped to their fifth loss of the season, with the wooden spoon spot slowly edging closer.

FIRST QUARTER

The match opened in cracking fashion, starting things off with a high-scoring first term, treating fans to some entertaining basketball. It appeared as if the JackJumpers were willing to match the intensity of their opponents throughout the match, producing some highlight-filled passages of play, with big man Will Magnay involved on multiple occasions. The home side took an early nine-point lead over their opponents, before the Phoenix were finally able to produce the offensive output we have come to expect of them. They produced a blitz at the end of the period to cut the margin back to just one point, but it was evident that they were facing a formidable opponent and fans had a match on their hands.

SECOND QUARTER

The second term saw both sides tighten things up on the defensive end, a message that was likely relayed by the two head coaches at quarter-time. The scoring did not reach the heights of the first term, but this did not impact the entertainment factor throughout the term. Both teams made sure their hands were active when defending the play, with plenty of steals coming throughout the period. The JackJumpers looked to grow their lead early in the quarter, before the Phoenix were able to scrap the lead as half-time approached. A Matt Kenyon lay-up extended the margin on the eve of the main break, where his side held a three-point advantage.

THIRD QUARTER

This term simply belonged to the Phoenix, with the visitors producing a dominant 10 minutes to power past their opponents. The 32-15 run was sparked by frontcourt duo Zhou Qi and Mitch Creek, both of whom were able to get involved near the basket and generate some much-needed offence after a quiet first half on this front. The JackJumpers had no answer for the opposition on both ends of the court, unable to stop the potent offence of the Phoenix, and could not produce any of their own up the other end. Their three-point lead was quickly turned into a 14-point deficit, with the home side thankful that three-quarter time was able to stop some of the bleeding.

FOURTH QUARTER

The final term saw the scoring once again slow up, with the lack of conditioning coming back to bite both sides. The Phoenix could not recreate their scoring power of the previous quarter, but were benefited by the fact that the JackJumpers suffered from the same struggles. Only a combined 19 points were scored for the period, and unfortunately for Tasmania, they could only reduce the margin by one point in the final 10 minutes of the match, eventually falling by 13 points, with all of the damage done in the third term.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the victors, the dynamic duo of Creek and Zhou were the most damaging contributors in this contest, both providing a reliable avenue to the basket. Most of their work was done inside the paint, with Tasmania unable to provide enough interior defence, particularly in the third term. Creek finished with 21 points in a typically impressive offensive performance, while Zhou was also excellent with 20 points, eight boards and two blocks in one of his strongest outings in the NBL For the JackJumpers, captain Clint Steindl led the way with 16 points off the bench as he battled to keep his side in the contest.