Cairns defeat Townsville 4-0 in TOTN series

CQUniversity Cairns Taipans trio Mirko Djeric, Mojave King and George Blagojevic travelled to Townsville on the weekend to complete the Top of the North series for the Marlins, finishing the competition 4-0 over the Heat.

Recently re-signed, forward George Blagojevic top-scored on Saturday night with a double-double of 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Mojave King registered 16 points and eight rebounds. Mirko Djeric almost played the full 40 minutes and was the leading presence for the young Marlins squad, also contributing five points, eight assists and six boards in the 66-57 win.

On Sunday, despite just a four-point advantage ahead at half-time, the Marlins finished the series with a dominant 22-point win, thanks to a 16-point final quarter and further strong performances from Blagojevic (17 points, eight rebounds) and Mojave King (19 points). Djeric chipped in 12 points, 5 assists and four boards while Koen Sapwell was the game’s leading scorer with 23-points, shooting at 60% FG for Cairns. 

The “Top of the North” series featured a similar scoring system to the NBL Blitz, with teams scoring one point for winning a quarter, and three points for winning the game. The Dolphins split their games in Cairns against the Flames, but fell in both matches in Townsville.

CAIRNS ROUND
Cairns 17.5
Townsville 10.5

TOWNSVILLE ROUND
Cairns 13
Townsville 15

TOTAL
Cairns 30.5 
Townsville 25.5