King Shines, but Taipans fall to Hawks in shootout

Despite a blistering career-best performance from new recruit Mojave King, the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans were unable to slow down a hot Illawarra Hawks outfit, falling 90–107 at the Cairns Convention Centre on Friday night.

Undermanned and forced into rotation changes, the Taipans showed stretches of fast, disciplined basketball behind their small-ball approach from Head Coach Adam Forde, but the reigning champions proved too polished down the stretch.

The home side kept the contest tight through the opening half, trailing 48–52 at the main break. But a 29–20 third term from Illawarra gave the visitors a double-digit buffer, and despite Cairns’ best efforts to respond, the Hawks maintained control to close out a 17-point win.

King Explodes for New Career-High

Elevated into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Mojave King delivered the most complete offensive performance of his career.

The 23-year-old set the tone early with a soaring transition dunk and piled on 10 points in the opening quarter before finishing with 32 points (13-16 FG, 6-8 3P), 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

King carried a significant offensive load with a number of teammates sidelined, surpassing his previous Taipans career-high of 25 against Brisbane in 2021. 

"The reality is we didn’t have anybody to directly match up against JaVale McGee. He’s massive.

"We thought for every two points that go up, we’ll go get three at the other end by stretching the floor with shooters. When we were composed and purposeful, we got good looks out of it.

"Credit to Admiral Schofield for battling hard with the significant height disadvantage. But McGee is just an impressive basketball player.

“The role players played great. Lachlan Barker was super serviceable in the absence of Reyne Smith. Mojave stepped up and had an incredible game. Kyrin Galloway was huge — this was one of his better games in a role he was suited to.

"We needed a little bit more from the other guys tonight. There were missed lay-ups, bad shot attempts, missed defensive assignments. But right now, with a seven-and-a-half-man rotation, we need everybody on point, and today we clearly weren’t."

Head Coach Adam Forde

Galloway & Barker Step Up

With Reyne Smith (foot) and Kody Stattmann (hamstring) unavailable, the Taipans called on their role players — and they delivered.

Forward Kyrin Galloway produced 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3P) and seven rebounds, stretching the floor and battling inside against Illawarra’s size.

Guard Lachlan Barker, also making his first start of the season, provided defensive intensity and worked tirelessly at the point of attack to disrupt the Hawks’ backcourt.

Small-Ball vs McGee

Forde opted for speed over size, shifting Admiral Schofield to the five spot to counter Illawarra’s three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee.

While Schofield’s mobility helped Cairns push the pace, McGee still made his presence felt with 29 points (12-13 FG) and six rebounds.

Illawarra guard William Hickey added a triple-double — 19 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists — to steer the visitors home.

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans have a week to prepare for their next battle, with the schedule seeing them return to their home court. They'll host the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday, 14 November from 6:30pm - grab your tickets HERE.