{"id":37196,"date":"2023-12-14T12:40:45","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T02:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/basketball\/?p=37196"},"modified":"2023-12-14T12:40:47","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T02:40:47","slug":"mccall-makes-history-with-massive-double-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/basketball\/mccall-makes-history-with-massive-double-double\/","title":{"rendered":"McCall makes history with massive double-double"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IT was a troublesome weekend for the Cairns Taipans<\/a> at times, but the team did manage to claim one win from its two outings, largely thanks to the heroics of Tahjere McCall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCall and the Taipans fell to the reigning champions on Thursday night in a game that was played without a shot clock in the second half. However, they bounced back with a gritty win over the Adelaide 36ers<\/a> on Saturday night in a high-scoring affair at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the 36ers first game following the departure of CJ Bruton <\/em><\/strong>as head coach, while the Taipans were still reeling from their three-point loss at the hands of the Kings just two days earlier. Both teams were looking to bounce back, but it was the Taipans that managed to do enough in a game that had plenty of offence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cairns broke away in the fourth quarter to outscore the home side 31-17 to snag a 15-point win and continue its resurgence in terms of offensive production. With a clean bill of health, the Taipans have been able to post big scores against a number of sides, and that trend continued on Saturday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest factors of the match was the performance of McCall, who put himself in the history books with a marvellous outing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adelaide 36ers (101) def. by Cairns Taipans (116)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tahjere McCall – 19 points, four rebounds, 15 assists, four steals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The numbers produced by McCall have never been seen before, with the guard becoming the first player to record at least 15 points and 15 assists in the 40-minute era of the NBL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shot 6\/12 from the field and did most of his work from driving to the lane or pulling up from mid-range, although McCall did nail his sole three-point attempt. Having led the Taipans with his scoring ability for several seasons now, the team knows he can have scoring performances of this calibre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, the Taipans are hitting the court near full-strength, and as a playmaker, McCall has plenty of scoring options. He is an elite passer and combined well with the likes of Patrick Miller <\/strong>and Bobi Klintman<\/strong> to keep the team’s offence ticking over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defensively, he has stepped up his output in recent weeks, and recorded four steals for the second time in Round 10, making life difficult for Adelaide’s playmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCall single-handedly orchestrated the Taipans’ offence and helped get the team to a winning score with both his scoring and passing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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