McVeigh, Waardenburg Rise on New Year’s Eve Stage despite Taipans Loss

In front of a fired-up New Year’s Eve crowd on the biggest night of the Taipans calendar, Jack McVeigh and Sam Waardenburg stood tall but South East Melbourne spoiled the party with a 96-111 Ignite Cup win at the Cairns Convention Centre.

Back home after a demanding three-game road trip, the Cairns Taipans returned for a clash that carried finals-like intensity and a vocal Orange Army ready to usher in the new year on home soil.

Cairns controlled the arm wrestle early, winning the opening quarter 28-21 behind a fast start from exciting Kiwi Mojave King, who scored the Taipans’ first eight points and set the offensive tone.

Jack McVeigh and Andrew Andrews consistently found lanes into the paint, while Cairns’ defensive attention limited league MVP contender Nathan Sobey to just three points in the first term.

The Taipans maintained their edge through the second quarter.

Scoring machine McVeigh ignited the crowd with tough shots and closed the half with a personal 7-0 run to reach 19 points, as Cairns led 52-48 at the main break.

Andrews was the steady hand, racking up seven assists by halftime despite relentless Phoenix pressure. Foul trouble, however, forced coach Adam Forde to inject Kyle Adnam to control tempo against the league’s most aggressive full-court defence.

South East Melbourne flipped momentum after the break.

Sobey (31 points from 10-21 FG, 10 assists, four steals and zero turnovers) found his rhythm, while Phoenix defenders — led by John Brown III (12 points from 6-11 FG and five steals) and Wes Iwundu (15 points from 7-11 FG and five rebounds) — generated turnovers and second-chance opportunities that swung the game.

Cairns stayed within touch thanks to the power and poise of Sam Waardenburg (22 points from 8-13 FG, six rebounds and two blocks), whose straight-line drives were a constant threat as he surged past 20 points, but Phoenix edged ahead 83-78 entering the final quarter.

The visitors broke the contest open midway through the fourth, extending the margin to 14 before the Taipans mounted a final push.

Waardenburg produced the play of the night with a ferocious rejection on Sobey at the rim, then finished at the other end to cut the deficit to nine and lift the Orange Army to its feet.

Andrews (17 points from 5-13 FG and nine assists) drained triples down the stretch, but Sobey closed the door as South East Melbourne finished with five players in double figures.

22 turnovers proved costly for Cairns, as Phoenix turned the extra possessions into 17 more shot attempts.
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McVeigh led Cairns with 26 points from 7-10 FG, five rebounds and two blocks, continuing his elite scoring run.

McVeigh v Brown III

The headline matchup between one of the superstar scorers of the competition and a lockdown beast didn’t disappoint.

McVeigh’s relentless shot-making and rim pressure were elite, while premier defender Brown III’s defensive activity with steals, deflections and physicality helped fuel Phoenix’s third-quarter turnaround.
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Since the beginning of Round 9, Jack McVeigh has averaged 26.7 points per game, the most in the league.
Meanwhile Brown III ranks third for steals per game (1.8) this season and is a strong candidate for the best defensive player award this season.

Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde:
“First half the offensive rebounds [were an issue], we didn’t want to play at South East Melbourne’s pace. They’re really good at the pace they play with. We wanted to be more methodical in the sets we wanted to get into. We had 22 turnovers, if you look at a snapshot of the conclusion of the second quarter, from the 3:36 mark to the 2:30 mark there’s around 11 possessions. That was way too fast for us.”

“In the third quarter Ian Clark provided a spark while Nathan Sobey was just unguardable, we kept rotating different match ups and line-ups on him but we just didn’t have anybody who could directly match up with [Sobey].”

Stattmann’s 50th

Cairns local Kody Stattmann marked his 50th NBL appearance where his journey began, in a full-circle moment.
After brief stints with the Brisbane Bullets and South East Melbourne, Stattmann celebrated the milestone in his hometown and provided energy off the bench.

King’s Continued Climb

King’s fearless start and offensive performance underlined his growing influence finishing with 14 points from 4-7 FG and 4-6 from three.
His ability to score early, burst in transition and stretch the floor added another dimension to Cairns’ backcourt on the league’s biggest regular-season stage.

The Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans cap off their Round 15 double-header with an away trip to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday afternoon, before taking on Melbourne United next Wednesday. The Taipans then return to the Cairns Convention Centre for a Queensland state rivalry clash against the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday, January 10. Grab your tickets HERE. ‍