THE FORM team of the National Basketball League (NBL) continued that trend over the weekend, with the SEM Phoenix convincingly defeating the Tasmania JackJumpers by 14 points at MyState Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

In one of the most anticipated clashes of Round 15, two teams that have been putting a string of wins together in the past month locked horns. The Phoenix continued their remarkable resurgence since the appointment of Josh King in late October, storming up the standings after a horrible start to the season. On the other hand, the JackJumpers also overcame an underwhelming first month of their title defence to steady the ship and best their offensive woes.

Although it was one of the most intriguing matchups of the season to date, the game ended up being a blowout, with the Phoenix dominating most of the clash and moving into the top six as a result of this victory.

Tasmania JackJumpers (91) def. by South East Melbourne Phoenix (105)

The Phoenix began the game in ideal fashion, dominating the first quarter and getting their offence rolling immediately. The lack of size for Tassie in the absence of Will Magnay proved costly, with the likes of Jordan Hunter and Matt Hurt helping South East Melbourne gain early ascendancy and take a double-digit lead into the first change.

The JackJumpers bounced back in the second quarter to steady things, largely due to the offensive production of Jordan Crawford. The guard erupted with consecutive triples to drag Tassie back into the match, gesturing for the crowd to get involved as well and the home side even hit the front momentarily in the second period. However, the Phoenix bounced back with the final seven points of the quarter to see the Jackies trailing by seven at the main break.

Tasmania remained in touch after half time thanks to some timely makes from behind the arc, but the Phoenix seemingly always had an answer. South East Melbourne was simply too dominant in its offensive sets and some sloppy turnovers from the hosts ensured the Phoenix still led by 12 points at the final change.

The JackJumpers rallied once again to start the fourth quarter by drawing within seven in the early minutes of the period, but the Phoenix were not going to be denied. A 9-0 run to the visitors removed any doubt of a collapse, cruising home to a 14-point victory, bouncing back following a loss to the Sydney Kings a few days earlier.

Although the JackJumpers were better from behind the arc, it was the Phoenix’s dominance inside the paint that proved the difference. Tasmania could not match the height of South East Melbourne, and the visitors ended up cashing in at the free throw line, knocking down 24 shots at the charity stripe to the JackJumpers’ four.

Hurt was the star of the show on the offensive end, posting a game-high 20 points along with six boards, while Hunter was also dominant with 17 points and eight rebounds and Derrick Walton Jr made his mark with 16 points and six rebounds.