NBL Round 16: South East Melbourne win big over Brisbane despite loss of star import; Illawarra break 40-minute first-half record in win over New Zealand; JackJumpers score miracle OT win over Adelaide 36ers
While a South East Melbourne veteran reminded Brisbane of his damaging best on Saturday, two separate injuries are set to raise concerns about the state of the court in Gippsland.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The killer instincts of guard Nathan Sobey came to the fore as South East Melbourne Phoenix landed a major blow in the NBL play-in race.
Sobey had to step up big time with starting point guard Derrick Walton Jr sustaining a potentially season-ending hamstring injury in the first quarter to help Phoenix overturn an 11-point deficit to take down Brisbane Bullets 105-86 in the vital sixth-versus-seventh encounter at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday night.
Veteran Sobey typified the Phoenix’s next man up mentality, torching his former side with 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
And did he let the Bullets bench know all about it, beating his chest towards the opposition bench late in the game.
The 34-year-old was cut loose by the Bullets at the end of last season and left on bitter terms.
Sobey and young guard Owen Foxwell patrolled the back court with aplomb, with Foxwell providing the defensive intensity required to get Phoenix back from a precarious position.
HOT HURT
Phoenix star Matt Hurt was nigh on unstoppable at times.
The 24-year-old sliced through the Bullets defence like a hot knife through butter en route to a double-double 32 points and 12 rebounds.
Hurt scored the Phoenix’s first 11 points when the Bullets threatened to take the game by the scruff off the neck.
It was Phoenix’s seventh consecutive home win and they snapped a four-game losing streak against the Bullets, beating them for the first time in three tries this season.
The Phoenix is now two games clear in sixth place after winning seven of their past nine games, leaving the Bullets are two games outside.
Suggest the condition of the floor will be a big talking point tonight.
— Michael Randall (@MickRandallHS) January 11, 2025
Storms in Traralgon have made it very humid. Lots of players have slipped and it was a contributing factor in injuries to both Derrick Walton Jr and Josh Bannan.
DEVESTATED DERRICK
Is it season over for star Walton Jr?
The Phoenix will be sweating on scans after Walton Jr re-injured his left hamstring.
Walton Jr accelerated past a Bullets defender in the first quarter and lost his footing before hopping straight to the changerooms holding the back of his leg.
The 29-year-old screamed with pain and frustration knowing how serious the injury could potentially be.
BRILLIANT BANNAN
Makeshift centre Josh Bannan was superb for the Bullets.
With starting centre Tyrell Harrison out with concussion, the Bullets rolled out a smaller line-up and Bannan was outstanding with 21 first half points as part of a 23-point, nine-rebound game.
Bannan’s night ended on a sour note when he slipped on the court while trying to regain his footing and got up clutching at his knee.
Casey Prather put up 21 points and 11 rebounds, but was not as devastating as he had been over his previous 11 games, where he averaged 27.4 points per game.
NEXT MAN UP
Foxwell has thrived in bigger roles this season when minutes have presented.
When Walton Jr exited the game, the Phoenix needed an influx of energy and the 21-year-old provided it with a defensive play in the back court that forced a turnover on Mitch Norton.
It was a momentum turner in the game.
With Foxwell, Sobey and Angus Glover in the back court, the Phoenix just might have enough in the guard depth chart to cover for Walton Jr.
Phoenix import Joe Wieskamp continued his strong form with 16 points.
NBL SCOREBOARD
South East Melbourne Phoenix 105 (Hurt 32 Sobey 31 Wieskamp 16) d Brisbane Bullets 86 (Bannan 23 Prather 21 Cook 11).
At the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in Traralgon.
Record breaking Hawks dispose of valiant Breakers
Ryan Rosendale
Illawarra have heaped further pain on New Zealand’s season with an eight point win on Saturday night continuing to further cement the Hawks as NBL Championship favourites, despite a less than impressive second-half.
The struggling Breakers were no match for the Hawks who walked away winners 108-100 and claimed their second straight win after a shock loss to Cairns last Friday night.
Despite the visitors dragging the final margin back to single digits, the home side controlled play from the outfit, largely thanks to star duo Trey Kell III (31 points, three rebounds and two assists) and Tyler Harvey (19 points, three rebounds and two assists).
With Breakers star Parker Jackson-Cartwright still missing through suspension, it was Matt Mooney (33 points, eight assists and four rebounds) that led the way in defeat, with Sam Mennenga (24 points, four rebounds and two assists) also key in a second-half fightback.
After putting up their highest first-half score of the 40-minute era (69), the Hawks were outscored comfortably by the Breakers in the second-half (52-39) in a sign they still have plenty of improvement despite an impressive 15-7 standing heading into the back-end of the regular season.
Both sides will again front up on Monday with New Zealand set to host Melbourne in Wellington while Illawarra face Adelaide on the road.
Deng stars as JackJumpers steal miracle OT win against 36ers
Brayden May
Tasmania’s never die attitude has kept the JackJumpers in pole position in the race for the NBL’s top-six with a thrilling win over the Adelaide 36ers.
A Milton Doyle tip with just 0.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference between the two sides in a 104-103 thriller at MyState Bank Arena.
The dying seconds were frantic with officials taking time to decide which team should have been awarded possession after a jump ball was called – both ball clubs believing they should have had it in their favour.
The JackJumpers received the ball and on their third shot attempt, after a Majok Deng miss and off-target tip from Doyle, did the home side hit the front.
Deng produced arguably his best performance of the season with 26 points and eight rebounds while Doyle rediscovered his scoring touch with 22 points and nine assists after not registering a field goal in his last outing.
Many had written the JackJumpers off during the week when Sean MacDonald was ruled out for the season with injury and Will Magnay still sidelined.
Adelaide point guard Kendric Davis had a career night with 39 points but it wasn’t enough.
THE HORROR TURNOVER
The 36ers would love to play the final minute of regulation again. Leading by five with 45 seconds remaining, the JackJumpers ran the floor off a missed 36ers shot with Jordan Crawford finding Majok Deng for the alley-oop.
From the inbound, the visitors inexcusably turned the ball over as Lat. Mayen threw an errant pass instead of taking the foul as Deng stepped into the three and levelled the game.
ROTH’S REF CONFUSION
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth was in the headlines this week after his post-match comments about officiating in Tuesday’s loss to Illawarra and his frustrations grew.
In the third quarter, he was left perplexed after an Adelaide coach’s challenge on the back of a foul call against Harrell for pushing Ian Hummer out using his forearm while chasing an offensive rebound.
Adelaide immediately challenged and while unsuccessful, a jump ball took place at centre court with the visitors winning the tip. Roth believed his side should have had possession.
Roth’s frustration only grew early in the last quarter when his own challenge was unsuccessful.
With Davis stuck in the corner and trapped by a Jackies’ double team, a foul was called on Anthony Drmic as the 36ers guard tried to call a time-out which isn’t possible in live play.
ADELAIDE’S MISSED CHANCE
When the 36ers had the game on their terms in the second term, scoring 31-11, it was largely due to their dominance on the inside.
Isaac Humphries made the most of his opportunities around the ring with 15 first-half points but wasn’t as involved in the second half.
He took just several shots after halftime with NBL champion Lanard Copeland suggesting the 36ers played “stupid basketball” during the third quarter as they relied more on the three-point shot.
INSTANT IMPACT
Roth pulled somewhat of a surprise when he threw Nicholas Stoddart into the starting line-up, after he made his debut last week, in MacDonald’s absence.
After taking the first shot of the game, which he missed, the 25-year-old then introduced himself to the competition with three triples in the first quarter.
“I think he’s just being who he is,” Jackies assistant coach Jarrad Weeks told the broadcast after the main break.
Originally published as NBL Round 16: South East Melbourne win big over Brisbane despite loss of star import; Illawarra break 40-minute first-half record in win over New Zealand; JackJumpers score miracle OT win over Adelaide 36ers
Insta-trouble: social media junkies driving dangerous behaviours
People desperate for content are making reckless decisions tackling Tasmania’s beautiful — but dangerous — outdoors. Here’s the profession most likely needing assistance.
Rare insight into life on Antarctica
The Australian Antarctic Division has compiled seldom seen shots taken by its staff in Antarctica that includes cooks, engineers and doctors. Check out the best snaps from 2024 >>