NBL Round Nine Review

Despite suffering just their second loss of the season, Adelaide has continued its reign on top of the NBL with nine rounds now completed, as Sydney also maintained its hot form and Perth moved into the top four.

The Wildcats ended Adelaide’s eight game winning streak with a convincing 121-100 victory at the Challenge Stadium in Perth on Friday night, behind 25 points apiece to David Bailey and Tony Ronaldson.

Scott Fisher’s men then notched up their fifth straight win on the road in Brisbane on Sunday, a 104-93 triumph moving them into the league top four for the first time this season.

It was the Bullets’ fourth successive defeat and second for the round after going down 85-83 to Hunter in a real nail-biter on Friday evening, despite strong performances from frontcourt duo Mark Bradtke (22 points and 12 rebounds) and Bobby Brannen (14 and 16).

Dusty Rychart’s career game got the 36ers back on track on Sunday, relying on the familiar comforts of the Distinctive Homes Dome to bounce back with a 122-101 victory over New Zealand.

The University of Minnesota product exploded for 17 first-quarter points en route to a career-high 44, making 16-26 field goal attempts and grabbing 13 rebounds as well, as coach Phil Smyth reflected on an impressive team effort.

“We thought the game was going to be a grind, we thought it was going to be close all night, we thought if we could just be persistent and hang in there that our defence would wear them down and towards the end that's what happened,” he said.

Melbourne consolidated its place in the league’s top three with a pair of impressive wins for the round, registering a 106-77 belting of West Sydney on Wednesday night, before returning home to defeat Hunter 109-91 on Sunday.

Dave Thomas led six Tigers in double figures with 20 points against the Razorbacks, and followed up with 19 against the Pirates, as Melbourne topped their previous effort with seven players reaching at least ten points.

The Pigs got no joy on Saturday night either against cross-town rivals Sydney, suffering their second 30-point thrashing in a week, a 106-74 loss their fourth in a row.

Rolan Roberts led the Kings with 19 points, as they repeated Melbourne’s performance with six players reaching double figures, although Brian Goorjian stressed the margin could have been even bigger.

“Tonight I thought our young guys really played well, and brought a lot of energy to the table.

“In the end, we were just too deep and we stayed on them and if we had shot the ball a little better, we could have really done some damage.”

Elsewhere, Townsville slumped to its seventh straight defeat – relinquishing a spot in the top eight in the process – with a 101-97 home loss to Wollongong on Saturday night, as Adam Ballinger followed up his monster game last week with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Glen Saville (12 points, 20 rebounds, six assists) was also prominent.

It was the Hawks’ second win in a row, following a 94-86 win over Cairns the night before, with Saville (20 points and 14 rebounds) and Ballinger (17 and 15) again the chief destroyers.

After nine rounds, the top three clubs – Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne – remain the same, while Perth move into the top four at the expense on the Taipans. Down the bottom, Townsville, West Sydney and New Zealand make up the three teams outside the eight, and have lost a combined 14 successive matches.

Team of the Week: Perth Wildcats
- 121-100 win vs Adelaide
- 104-93 win @ Brisbane

Player of the Week: Dusty Rychart (Adelaide)
- 19 points, five rebounds vs Perth
- 44 points, 13 rebounds vs New Zealand

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Tigers Bring Home the Bacon (Wed Oct 26)

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