Rillie: "We weathered the storm"

The Australian Boomers wrapped up their FIBA Window fixtures on Sunday with a victory over the Philippines in Manila.

Not only was it the Boomers’ second game in less than a week in another country, but it also marked the first time Australia had been back to the Philippines since the ugly 2018 on-court altercation.

As such, Boomers coach John Rillie is proud of his team’s 99-63 victory, in front of a “fantastic atmosphere”.

“We knew the Philippines would come really hard at the start of the game, due to their match with New Zealand, so it was important we weathered that storm,” Rillie said in the post-game press conference.

“I thought our intent on the defensive end, for 40 minutes, was good, and we wore them down over the entirety of the game.

“Offensively, we really looked after the ball and shared it around, with Elijah [Pepper] being one of the beneficiaries.

“I thought our pace was good and whenever we created an advantage, we did a good job keeping it, which led to good shot quality.”

Pepper, who scored a game-high 28 points on the night, made it back-to-back strong scoring performances during this window, after pouring in 23 against Guam.

The Wildcats' sharpshooter credited the NBL for helping him and the squad prepare for these fixtures.

“It helps with the way we play basketball back in Australia, as we travel a lot being from Perth,” Pepper said.

“So I don’t think the travel aspect this past week had too big an effect on us, because we’re used to that with the way the NBL is set up. It’s our job to take care of our bodies and make sure we’re ready to go.

“In terms of mindset, [I always try to] be aggressive and find those shots in the open spots.

“JR reminded us at half-time that if we were open, to shoot the ball and don’t be afraid to take it.

“[The shots I made] were the opportunities that presented themselves [today].”

The NBL26 Finals tip off on Wednesday, March 4, with the Seeding Qualifier between South East Melbourne and Perth at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.