HOW’S A COOL 74 POINTS?
ANSETT’S spring-heeled American Jerron Jamerson’s outrageous 74-point outburst on Friday night highlighted a lopsided League Men round in the Darwin Basketball Association.
Forty-three of Jamerson’s points came in the first half and he added 14 and 17 in the respective third and fourth quarters in a typically high-flying, dunk-filled display.
It is not a competition record, with Uni Rebels import Andre Moss’ 80-point effort against Lightning in the 2011 Championship season still the most.
Top side Ansett – with assistant Dan Sivan stepping up in Paul Rowse’s absence – improved to 8-0 in games they scored in triple digits, thumping winless Razzle 128-98.
Reed Ridder (38 points) continued his fine form for Razzle.
Those two clubs’ contrasting season fortunes have long been known, but second-placed Eagles’ 92-75 defeat of Lightning could have ramifications for the losing side.
Lightning are in fifth spot, on the same number of wins as Palmerston in fourth, and a game behind the surging Rebels, whose 90-66 drubbing of TV Jets was their fifth win in a row.
They have a 2-1 head-to-head record against the Power and will be favoured to beat Razzle (twice) and the Jets, but end the regular season against Ansett and the Rebels.
Fourth position could come down to Palmerston’s clash with Eagles next week, with Lance Godwin’s men, who had the bye, having an otherwise similar run home.
The Donna Hurst-coached Eagles snapped a two-game slide with the victory – achieved with only six players – and hold a threematch buffer over the Rebels for the double chance.
They jumped out to a 15-6 lead, but the clash was close until midway through the third quarter.
A one-point advantage became a 70-55 three-quarter time margin, with unheralded pair Lachie Shipway and Jesse Williams-Hook (21) contributing a combined 13 points in barely three minutes.
Alex Fertig’s 23 points led four Eagles with at least 18, while Austin Kisselev’s 29 points were Lightning’s highest as Craig Martin struggled with just 10.
“Jesse played the best game I’ve seen him play in the last 18 months,” Hurst said.
“He works hard the whole game and tonight he was tapping balls in, getting rebounds and running the floor – he’s very fit and very fast. Dirk (Steenbergen) did an awesome job inside and everyone stepped up ... I was really proud of them.”