MANY young stars had solid outings in Round 6 of the National Basketball League (NBL), as they continue to show the competition they have the composure and determination to compete at this level. Cairns duo, Melo Trimble and Devon Hall put up big points, scoring 18 each. Others are getting some game time with Finn Delaney and Harry Froling coming through nicely while Brian Bowen had a great all-round game.

#1 Melo Trimble- Cairns Taipans

Has given up the mantle of the league’s top-scorer to Perth’s Bryce Cotton, with his 18-point game against the Wildcats evidently. This was his second-lowest tally for the season, and takes his average down to 24.1 points a game. Trimble finished the game with a double-double after gathering 12 rebounds. He also had seven assists and one block to his name.

#3 Finn Delaney- New Zealand Breakers

He has not been lighting it up off the bench, scoring seven points in the loss to Melbourne on Friday night. Across the round, he collected three rebounds, one steal and one assist, which also included Sunday’s game against Sydney. He has been getting consistent game time (averaging over 14 minutes in his last four games) but given his only bucket from Sunday was a free throw, Delaney needs to show Kevin Braswell he can still provide some damage on the court.

#5 Devon Hall- Cairns Taipans 

Hall backed up his impressive 12-point game last week, with an even better 18-point outing against Perth. He shot eight from 19 which is his best shooting percentage of the season (42.1 per cent). He had five rebounds, two assists and one steal to cap off a great game.

#11 Harry Froling- Adelaide 36ers 

Froling is really starting to come into a great 36ers side, and he displays an intensity anyone wants to see on court, reflected in his tussle with Illawarra’s Jordair Jett. He ran the court well, connecting on a long ball from Ramone Moore to dunk it for two of his seven points in the game. He also picked up five rebounds, sitting at 4.2 for the season.

#11 Daniel Grida- Illawarra Hawks 

The Hawks big man had a good game against the 36ers, collecting a two and a three-pointer in nine and a half minutes. He played his part in defence as well, being on the rebound three times, putting up a block and adding an assist to his stats.

#14 Tohi Smith-Milner- Melbourne United 

Smith-Milner has not had a lot of time on court, and again on Sunday against the Bullets, he stepped on for just under a minute and half. In that time, he put up a two-pointer and converted a free throw attempt. It was his first score since October 29 against the Hawks. He gathered a rebound too, his first since October 27 against Perth.

#20 Brian Bowen- Sydney Kings 

The Kings forward, when switched on, can have a good stat line. His efforts against the Breakers read as nine points, four rebounds and three assists. He went three from three from inside the arc, adding three free throws and two steals, the most for Bowen this season.