NEXT STAR Alex Toohey‘s performance was one of the biggest positives in the Sydney Kings‘ seven-point loss to the Perth Wildcats in Round 19 of the National Basketball League (NBL) over the weekend.

The two sides locked horns at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon in a potential finals preview, with both sides currently locked into the play-in as it stands. The Kings did hold home court advantage, but entered the clash two wins behind the Wildcats, and with Bryce Cotton in MVP form, still faced an uphill battle.

Coming off an impressive win over the SEM Phoenix, the Wildcats kept that momentum rolling with a hot start to Sunday’s clash, putting up 32 points in the opening quarter to lead by 11 points at the first change.

Although the Kings did well to keep in the contest, Perth seemingly had an answer for every run the hosts looked to make, and led from start to finish to move to 17-11 on the season, while Sydney’s path to a double-chance in the play-in gets tougher after this loss.

Toohey was one of the best performers of the match despite the result, and continues to add to his NBA Draft stock as the NBL season winds to a close.

Sydney Kings (97) def. by Perth Wildcats (104)

Alex Toohey – 23 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, three blocks

It was another stat stuffing performance from Toohey, who has emerged as the most balanced Next Star in this year’s crop, with his ability to impact the game in several facets proving fruitful for the Kings as he delivered yet another standout showing.

The forward kept his side in the contest in the first half as the Wildcats looked to break away and gained early ascendancy. Toohey first found the bottom of the net with a willing tip-in, following up his own miss and showing his timing and athletic leaping ability to tower over opponents.

His guard-like handle and explosiveness off the dribble helped him score close to the basket once again, with the defence not reacting fast enough to Toohey’s quick first step. Back to back triples to open the second quarter demonstrated why it is unwise to leave the Next Star wide open on the perimeter, and punished the Wildcats’ poor rotation with six quick points.

The 20-year-old beat the buzzer with another putback lay-up after Xavier Cooks‘ three-pointer missed everything capping off an emphatic start to the game. Toohey poured in 17 points in the first half alone, single-handedly keeping the Kings in the contest with a heroic effort.

The young gun ensured his impact remained to start the second half with a crafty assist, breaking down his defender at the top of the key with a snatch-back handle through his legs, before drawing in the interior defence and dishing off the ball to a cutting Cameron Oliver, who threw down the dunk.

Defensively, Toohey held his own against the intimidating Cotton despite being left alone on an island with the four-time MVP, swatting his attempted lay-up to record one of his three blocks for the match, showing his ability to lock down defensively against the very best.

Although he was unable to repeat his first half output on the scoring front, Toohey still chimed in for some eye-catching plays in the fourth quarter. He played the ‘point forward’ role to perfection in a pick and roll with Oliver, getting the defence on the back foot before throwing up the lob for his teammate, who nailed another lay-up.

He finished the game with 23 points and ensured his presence was felt on both ends in the loss to the Kings. With the NBL wrapping up in the next six weeks, Toohey’s performances to close out the fixture will prove crucial for his NBA draft hopes, and Sunday’s showing will have done no harm to his stock.