‘Keep it going’: Depth key to Taipans triumph

Head Coach Adam Forde wanted the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans to find a way to get their first win on the board and how his side achieved it may have revealed something even more important about the new-look group.

With Kyrin Galloway catching fire during Wednesday night’s 93-87 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers, Forde resisted the temptation to immediately bring captain Jack McVeigh back into the contest.

McVeigh had no complaints.

“It’s a credit to Jack, because he didn't even question it,” Forde said.

“At the point where I think KG hit another one, I looked at Jack, and he was like, ‘no, keep it going’.”

Galloway’s 19 points, including five three-pointers helped change the complexion of the contest, with the power forward combining with point guard Jaylon Brown to drive a decisive 22-5 Taipans run spanning the third and fourth quarters.

Forde saw a combination working and kept going back to it.

“KG hit one, then hit a second one, and then I just remember saying to Jack on the bench, ‘hey, we're just going to roll this momentum a little bit’,” Forde said.

“If it works the first time, run it back again, run it back again.”

It was a sequence that demonstrated the options Forde now has at his disposal.

Nine Taipans saw court time against Tasmania, with Forde able to change combinations depending on what the game demanded down the stretch.

“We legitimately rotated nine deep,” he said.

“I was able to put a defensive team on at the end, and then I was able to put a rebounding team at the end, and then we had an offensive team, and then we had a foul-shooting team when we needed to safely inbound the ball.

“It's kind of nice.”

Cairns showed glimpses of its potential during a blistering opening quarter before Tasmania dragged itself back into the contest, turning what had threatened to become a runaway Taipans victory into an arm wrestle.

While Forde knows there is plenty to improve, getting the first win was paramount.

“We just had to find a way to win, which was important,” he said.

“You just want to get that first one, you sort of get the hoodoo out of the way, and now we can just back ourselves and play.”

For McVeigh, the performance was another step in establishing the identity of a group still learning how to play together.

Brown’s growing command at point guard is central to that process, with the captain impressed by what he saw from his new teammate.

“He’s our point guard, and he leads the ship on the court,” McVeigh said.

“It’s fun watching him get downhill and step into threes and push the ball on the break.

“We’re still learning each other, and it’s the fun of a new team.”

That learning process will continue, but McVeigh believes the Taipans already know exactly what type of basketball they want to produce.

“We have a very distinct style that we want to play, and it takes time to build trust, believe in it,” he said.

“We’re a new team, we’re a fresh team, so it’s staying on those habits and holding people accountable to them.

“Because if we play our way, we’re going to be a very, very tough team to beat.”

For Cairns, the first box has been ticked. Now comes the challenge of building on it, which comes on Sunday afternoon against the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.