NBL Round 22 (Regular Season): Illawarra H. defeats Tasmania JJ in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 22 in the NBL took place in Wollongong. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked JackJumpers (10-13) to eighth ranked Hawks (7-13) 92-90 on Wednesday evening. Illawarra H. outrebounded Tasmania JJ 41-29 including 16 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Illawarra H. made 10 blocks. The former international power forward Samson Froling (209-2000, college: Creighton) had a double-double by scoring 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American center Javale McGee (213-1988, college: Nevada) chipped in 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks during the contest. Hawks' coach Justin Tatum used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side international forward Josh Bannan (208-2001, college: Montana) responded with 25 points and 6 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). Illawarra H. maintains eighth position with 7-13 record. Defending champion Tasmania JJ keeps the sixth place with 13 games lost. Illawarra H. are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Cairns (#10) at home in the next round. Tasmania JJ will play against the league's second-placed Melbourne Utd (#2) having rather not much hope for a victory.
Fourth ranked Kings (13-8) crushed at home 9th ranked Bullets (6-17) by 25 points 95-70, which is the biggest margin this round. The former international forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) notched 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and Tim Soares supported him with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Even 18 points and 4 assists by the former international swingman Samuel McDaniel (198-1995, college: ULM) did not help to save the game for Brisbane. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Kings have an impressive six-game winning streak. Sydney maintains fourth position with 13-8 record. Brisbane lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with 17 games lost. Sydney will play against league's leader Adelaide in Findon in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Brisbane will play at home against the league's leader Adelaide (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.

In the last two games of round 22 SE Melbourne won against Cairns on the opponent's court 111-96. Brisbane was outscored by Perth in a home game 75-95.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 17 points and 7 rebounds by Jacob Holt of Brisbane.



Sydney - Brisbane 95-70

Fourth ranked Kings (13-8) crushed at home 9th ranked Bullets (6-17) by 25 points 95-70, which is the biggest margin this round. Sydney dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Bullets's 26. Sydney players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists. The former international forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) notched 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and Brazilian-American center Tim Soares (211-1997, college: Master's) supported him with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Even 18 points and 4 assists by the former international swingman Samuel McDaniel (198-1995, college: ULM) did not help to save the game for Brisbane. The former international point guard Mitch Norton (184-1993) added 15 points and 6 assists for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Kings have an impressive six-game winning streak. Sydney maintains fourth position with 13-8 record. Brisbane lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with 17 games lost. Sydney will play against league's leader Adelaide in Findon in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Brisbane will play at home against the league's leader Adelaide (#1) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Brisbane: S.McDaniel 18+2reb+4ast, M.Norton 15+1reb+6ast, T.Smith-Milner 12+4reb, T.Harrison 12+7reb, J.Freeman-Liberty 4+7reb+3ast, D.Tristan 4+3reb+1ast
Sydney: C.Xavier 20+5reb+4ast, S.Tim 14+7reb+2ast, D.Kendric 14+2reb+7ast, M.Makuach 11+3reb+1ast, N.Kouat 10+6reb+1ast, K.Bul 9+6reb+1ast

Illawarra H. - Tasmania JJ 92-90

The most exciting game of round 22 in the NBL took place in Wollongong. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked JackJumpers (10-13) to eighth ranked Hawks (7-13) 92-90 on Wednesday evening. Illawarra H. outrebounded Tasmania JJ 41-29 including 16 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Illawarra H. made 10 blocks. The former international power forward Samson Froling (209-2000, college: Creighton) had a double-double by scoring 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American center Javale McGee (213-1988, college: Nevada) chipped in 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks during the contest. Hawks' coach Justin Tatum used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side international forward Josh Bannan (208-2001, college: Montana) responded with 25 points and 6 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and American point guard Tyger Campbell (180-2000, college: UCLA) scored 18 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Illawarra H. maintains eighth position with 7-13 record. Defending champion Tasmania JJ keeps the sixth place with 13 games lost. Illawarra H. are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Cairns (#10) at home in the next round. Tasmania JJ will play against the league's second-placed Melbourne Utd (#2) having rather not much hope for a victory.
Top scorers:
Tasmania JJ: J.Bannan 25+6reb+2ast, T.Campbell 18+2reb+3ast, D.Johnson 16+5reb+2ast, M.Deng 11+2reb+2ast, B.Hamilton 10+2reb+2ast, N.Marshall 8+3reb+4ast
Illawarra H.: M.Javale 16+6reb+2ast, F.Samson 16+10reb+4ast, H.Tyler 15+2reb+1ast, P.QJ 13+5reb+5ast, H.William 8+4reb+3ast, B.Biwali 7+5reb+2ast

Cairns - SE Melbourne 96-111

Very expected game in Cairns where 10th ranked Taipans (5-16) were defeated by third ranked Phoenix (14-7) 111-96. SE Melbourne dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Taipans' 40. SE Melbourne forced 21 Cairns turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. The former international guard Nathan Sobey (190-1990, college: Wyoming) notched a double-double by scoring 31 points, 10 assists and 4 steals to lead the effort and the former international guard Owen Foxwell (188-2003) supported him with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Phoenix's coach Josh King allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even 17 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists by American Andrew Andrews (188-1993, college: Washington) did not help to save the game for Cairns. The former international forward Jack McVeigh (203-1996, college: Nebraska) added 26 points and 5 rebounds for lost side. Five SE Melbourne and four Cairns players scored in double figures. SE Melbourne maintains third position with 14-7 record having five points less than leader Adelaide. Cairns lost third consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with 16 games lost. SE Melbourne will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Cairns will play on the road against Illawarra H. (#8) in Wollongong and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Cairns: J.McVeigh 26+5reb+2ast, S.Waardenburg 22+6reb+3ast, A.Andrews 17+7reb+9ast, M.King 14+4reb, K.Galloway 7+3reb+1ast, M.Lee 4+4reb+1ast
SE Melbourne: S.Nathan 31+3reb+10ast, H.Jordan 19+5reb+2ast, F.Owen 17+5reb+6ast, I.Wes 15+5reb+2ast, B.John 12+3reb+1ast, C.Ian 9

Brisbane - Perth 75-95

Rather predictable result in Brisbane where fifth ranked Wildcats (12-10) smashed 9th ranked Bullets (6-17) 95-75. Perth made 19-of-24 charity shots (79.2 percent) during the game. Perth outrebounded Brisbane 40-28 including 26 on the defensive glass. Perth players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Naturalized South Sudanese center Jo Lual-Acuil (213-1994, college: Baylor) notched 17 points and 8 rebounds to lead the effort and the former international guard Elijah Pepper (193-2001, college: UC Davis) supported him with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Four Wildcats players scored in double figures. Even 17 points and 7 rebounds by Canadian forward Jacob Holt (206-2003, college: Sacramento St.) did not help to save the game for Brisbane. The former international swingman Samuel McDaniel (198-1995, college: ULM) added 7 points and 5 assists for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Perth maintains fifth position with 12-10 record. Brisbane lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with 17 games lost. Perth will play against NZL Breakers (#7) in Auckland in the next round. Brisbane will play at home against the league's leader Adelaide and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Brisbane: J.Holt 17+7reb+3ast, A.Ducas 9+1ast, D.Tristan 9+2reb+2ast, T.Taylor 8+3reb+1ast, T.Harrison 8+2reb+1ast, S.McDaniel 7+3reb+5ast
Perth: L.Jo 17+8reb+1ast, P.Elijah 14+6reb+1ast, W.Dylan 12+6reb, H.Ben 12+4reb+3ast, D.Kristian 11+4reb+2ast, O.David 8+6reb+4ast