McCall Steps Up as Cairns Win on Homecoming

Things weren’t looking good for the Cairns Taipans when superstar point guard Scott Machado exited the match with a heel injury, but new import Tahjere McCall took over in the gritty 69-62 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers at Cairns Convention Centre.

Despite returning to their home venue on Saturday night after it was going through a redevelopment last season, the Taipans were doing it tough when Machado went down hurt in the first quarter joining key players Mirko Djeric and Jordan Ngatai sidelined.

They then managed just six points in the second quarter to be down by six to the JackJumpers at half-time, but the Taipans steadied from there and it was on the back of McCall stepping up to run the team, to lead the scoring and to play his trademark standout defending.

McCall finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks to be the major difference in the game.

Still, it was never pretty and with both teams combining for 40 turnovers, they got in their way plenty, but in the end the Snakes had all the answers in the second half to secure the seven-point win to mark coach Adam Forde's home coaching debut with a win.

It was a remarkable game in a lot of ways. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, but still Tasmania dominated the offensive glass with 19 rebounds at that end to eight, but it only led to a 14 to nine second chance points edge.

The most frustrating aspect for the JackJumpers was they just couldn’t make a shot. They took an incredible 24 extra field goals than the Taipans, but only went at 31 per cent and 5/34 at 14 per cent from deep.

The Taipans big edge came in getting to the foul line. At one point they had taken 18 free-throws to one from the JackJumpers, and they ended up going 22/30 at the stripe compared to 9/14 from the visitors.

Taipans coach Adam Forde marked his first game in charge at home with the win, and he was proud of their response in the second half.

"We went down to the change room and the turnovers was one of those things we addressed," Forde said.

"It was about playing ball. Taj led the way and the boys followed him. I was finding it hard to not sub him out so we used some timeouts and breaks in the game. t was a really inspiring effort to show some heart. 

"Give credit to the guys. I've called everybody in during the preseason and the season and at some point, I've asked for more. I can go through this entire list and praise everyone on the roster because I'm so proud of them. Now they've set the standard [defensively], I'll expect this every week. And I think they can do that."

The Taipans scored 10 of the game's first 14 points. It was the JackJumpers’ first ever away game, and it looked like it. JackJumpers coach Scott Roth called an early timeout, and Tasmania responded to fight back into the encounter. 

Their ability to force turnovers, with a pesky defensive attitude that is quickly becoming their trademark, that got them back into the game. The Taipans coughed up 11 turnovers in the second quarter alone while scoring six points.

The match faced a potential twist when Machado went down with a heel complaint. Machado, who finished second in NBL in assists at 7.0 per game last year, managed only six minutes before exiting in the first quarter. 

At half-time, the JackJumpers were out to a six-point lead (34-28) with captain Clint Steindl continuing his form from Thursday against Adelaide to put up 13 first half points.

Things all changed after the break starting with a game turning 19-2 run for the Taipans, which was inspired by some incredible play by both Kouat Noi and McCall. 

Noi upped his aggression and scored a quick-fire seven points on his way to 17 for the match. An injured PCL robbed the Taipans of his electric play for much of last season, but he delivered here. 

It was another tough shooting night for Tasmania's import backcourt duo Josh Magette and Josh Adams. They combined for 10/37 shooting from the field and 3/20 from deep. Magette had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Adams nine points and four rebounds.

Steindl didn’t add to his 13 first half points while Will Magnay was virtually invisible for the second game running with four points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.

Tasmania coach Scott Roth afterwards said much of the game was like pulling teeth in a lot of ways.

"We settled for a lot of jump shots. It was like going to the dentist's office and not getting any novocaine," Roth said.

"Obviously when the shots go in, it looks brilliant. But when they don't, you have to create something else. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We don't have a high margin of error. We just have to improve on the offensive end."

The Taipans remain at the Cairns Convention Centre to host the Adelaide 36ers next Saturday while the JackJumpers remain on the road to take on the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena next Sunday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 2

CAIRNS TAIPANS 69 (McCall 20, Noi 17, Kenny 8)

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 62 (Magette 19, Steindl 13, Adams 9) 

BOX SCORE