FRESH off his maiden campaign with the Perth Wildcats in the NBL, Elijah Pepper could not have started his time in the NBL1 West any better, dropping 50 points as the Warwick Senators bested the Lakeside Lightning.

Pepper wrapped up his college career in the United States and returned to his home country to play for the Wildcats, where he was a solid contributor off the bench in a promising start to his Australian career. With the NBL season now wrapped, he remained in Western Australia and signed with the Warwick Senators for the 2025 NBL1 season.

The Senators came up against the Lightning in the first round of the season, and were looking to get off to a hot start and start their campaign with some momentum. That is exactly what they did, storming out to a 13-point lead at the first change and continuing to build from there. Warwick won all four quarters quite comfortably, and cruised home to a whopping 38-point win.

The performance of Pepper was undoubtedly the biggest factor in the match, with the guard producing one of the most memorable debuts in recent memory.

Lakeside Lightning (79) def. by Warwick Senators (117)

Elijah Pepper – 50 points, seven rebounds, seven assists

Pepper produced the best performance in the country over the weekend, showing why he is touted as one of the more exciting players in the NBL, and absolutely torching the Lightning on the offensive end.

The Lightning simply had no match for his scoring output, only producing 29 points than Pepper as an entire team. The 23-year-old was unstoppable for the Senators, and is now firmly on the radar as one of the best scorers in the nation.

It was evident the guard was in for a big game from the opening frame, posting 17 points in the first quarter to help guide his side to a big buffer at quarter time. Another 15 points followed in the second term, and with 32 points to his name at the main break, he was the dominant figure in the match.

Although the Lightning tried to step up their defensive coverage on Pepper coming out of half time, he still had 42 points to his name with a quarter to play. There was simply not much Lakeside could do to slow him down, and he hit the 50-point mark with a pair of free throws with just under four minutes on the clock, being subbed out shortly after.

His scoring balance was sublime, showing an ability to find the bottom of the net across all three levels, but it was his long-range shooting that ended up being Pepper’s biggest weapon. The guard splashed home nine triples on 15 attempts, showing no hesitation to pull the trigger from range, even in transition, and consistently drilling home shots from distance.

He finished the match shooting 18/25 from the field (9/10 2PT) to go with his seven rebounds and seven assists in a simply masterful display of scoring. Now recognised as one of the best signings of the off-season, Pepper looms as a central figure for the 2025 NBL1 season.