Perth has come into Far North Queensland and stolen the show in a grinded out victory over Cairns.

It wasn’t a pretty display from either team offensively, but the Wildcats ultimately got it done when it mattered most, winning 80-77 in a thrilling contest at Cairns Convention Centre.

It was their star center Jo Lual-Acuil Jr that set the tone early, with 10 points in the opening term.

Much has been made of the start to the season that Lual-Acuil has been having, with both Adam Forde and Jack McVeigh mentioning him as a player they would have to gameplan for.

And early it looked as though JLA was going to have his way, as he put up 16 points in the first half.

“Our defence is doing a really good job of keeping us in games while we still work some things out on the offensive end,” Wildcats coach John Rillie said.

“I think we did a good job when they got their noses in front of staying composed in those moments.”

The Taipans have had trouble defending bigs so far this season, with Brisbane’s Tyrell Harrison and Adelaide’s Isaac Humphrey both having big nights in Cairns.

But the Snakes seemed to have the answer in the second half, with the 213cm journeyman barely sighted in the scorebooks in the third term.

Much of that can be put down to the discipline of Marcus Lee, whose struggles with foul trouble have been noted throughout the season thus far.

“We knew JLA was going to be a tough cover,” Forde said.

“One of the things we said was that we needed Marcus out on the court, the best ability is availability.

“I think he was hard done by with a couple of calls, but he was great, and we need him to be with Waardenburg out for this stretch.”

However, the big man from WA came alive when it mattered most, hitting a huge running hook shot to give his side the lead with less than two minutes remaining.

He then nailed a pair of clutch free throws to extend the margin to two possessions.

But his biggest moment of the night came with just 12 seconds remaining, as he tipped in a Dylan Windler miss to keep his side four points ahead.

Andrews steps up for Snakes

Taipans import Andrew Andrews had an impressive display in the defeat, nailing some timely threes - including a four-point play midway through the fourth - that kept the game within reach.

He was a true three-level scorer, able to penetrate off the dribble and use screens from his bigs, including drawing a huge pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining to trim the margin back to two.

He finished with 21 points on the night in what was the Taipans best showing despite him missing the tying shot at the buzzer.

Long range struggles

The Taipans have been the most three-point-happy team in the NBL this season, getting up 31.5 attempts per game from beyond the arc.

They struggled to capitalise on those looks in the first half, as apart from Admiral Schofield (3/6) the team shot a combined 2/13 from distance.

The Wildcats were even less efficient during that period, hitting on just one of their 10 attempts, but were comparatively far more efficient on the interior.

Those figures worsened to 1/14 by the end of the third term.

Forde rolls out preseason look

After giving fans an early glimpse in the preseason, Taipans coach Adam Forde rikked out his ‘Point Statt’ lineup, with Kody Stattman taking the role as the initial distributor for several minutes.

The results weren’t glittering with both Reyne Smith and Andrew Andrews on the bench, but Cairns at the very least kept pace with their Perth opponents.

If nothing else it gives Forde some additional flexibility in case of injury, foul trouble, or in situational play.

“It’s a step-by-step process, we didn’t go back to him in the second half because we thought we could get a bit more offense with Kyle (Adnam),” Forde said.

“It’s a work in progress with Kody, when the defence tries to speed you up and you’re coming off an on-ball, one pass offense is not what we’re trying to get to.

“The responsibility of the point guard is to make sure the ball gets through some hands and ends up where we want it to end up.”

Preview

The Perth Wildcats may no longer boast a five-time MVP as the spearhead of their roster, but they remain a massive challenge for the Cairns Taipans to face in round 3.

The Wildcats have a “new identity” since the departure of Bryce Cotton according to Taipans coach Adam Forde, and it’s an identity built around their 213cm monster on the inside.

Joseph Lual-Acuil Jr is making a huge impression in his first season in Perth, currently leading the league in blocks and in the top 10 for point scorers.

Both Forde and his star player Jack McVeigh noted the influence that ‘JLA’ was having on their upcoming opponent.

“JLA is doing JLA things, and they’ve put a great group around him,” McVeigh said on Wednesday.

“(Kristian) Doolittle is a lot of fun to play against, I love to go to battle against him, he’s a great player.

“Then they’ve got a lot of young guards that are hungry and ready to get after it.

“It’ll be a good test and we’ll get better as a group for it.”

Forde similarly emphasised the role of Lual-Acuil on both ends of the court.

“JLA poses a different threat than what they’ve had previously, they’re doing really well as a result,” he said.

“They’ve secured some gutsy wins, and they’re going to come into our building with plenty of confidence.

“On the other side of the coin, we’re looking to bounce back from a disappointing lose in front of our home crowd.

“There’s a chance to redeem ourselves a bit.”

By his own admission, Forde’s crew struggled with the fatigue of a heavy schedule last week.

But blocks of games in a short span of time are just a reality in the NBL, and Forde said they would learn from that experience and be better.

“We build up some mental calluses from having done it before,” he said.

“We’ve talked about the things we could identify that are fixable and made sure the guys are as physically and mentally prepared as possible.”

‘Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else’: McVeigh speaks on Cairns move

While this Cairns Taipans group is far from a finished product, their biggest name has said he believes things are beginning to fall into place.

Jack McVeigh was the Snakes splash off-season recruit in what was a whirlwind few weeks in the Far North prior to the start of the season.

He said while there are plenty of kinks still to be ironed out, the group is slowly starting to get used to playing together after an eight-day break.

“The best part has been integrating ‘Drew’ (newest recruit Andrew Andrews) into the group,” he said.

“We had one day practice before the double header and so now it’s been about going over everything, relearning everything and building clarity on our offensive and defensive package.

“It’s just about getting to know each other and our tendencies.”

McVeigh said one of the key insights from their pair of hefty losses to South East Melbourne and Adelaide had been where they could go to “when things get tough.”

“When things are going well, it’s easier to flow into our stuff,” he said.

“So now it’s figuring out what our base defence is and what we lean on offensively when things start to fall apart.

“We’re going to face more challenges and more bumps, but it’s about using those to continue to get better as a team for when those playoffs come and making sure we’re in that top six.”

McVeigh has been sharing the ball-carrying duties with both Andrews and another recruit in Reyne Smith, a role which he said is new to him.

“Having the ball in my hands at the start of possessions is something that has never happened throughout my whole career,” he said.

“I’m learning how to make the right play and when to be aggressive, knowing when teams are sending help, it’s just an awesome learning experience.

“I feel myself getting better every single game, and every single day in training, getting reps on reps on reps.”

McVeigh revealed prior to the season that the lifestyle for him and his family was a huge factor in the decision to move to Cairns.

He said on Wednesday that the experience has been “the best.”

“I’ve got the river right next to my house, the temperature is perfect, we’ve got the pool in the backyard. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said.

“The dog is loving it, and Cairns is just a beautiful place to live.

“I’m from the far north of New South Wales so that kind of tropical, laid back environment is where I belong.”

Waardenburg ‘still a part of the journey’

The Taipans have had to navigate the early portions of the season without their captain Sam Waardenburg, with his ankle injury set to see him sidelined until at least December.

But Cairns coach Adam Forde has said while the forward is still a ways off from returning to training, let alone suiting up on game day, he has been integrated into the Taipans set up.

“I’m sure he got some cabin fever with a couple of weeks in a hard cast not able to go anywhere,” Forde said.

“Just for him to get out and be among the group and get involved is really important.

“The last thing you want for injured players is to feel isolated from the group.

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“Sam is such a big piece of who were are, and he’s been with me for three years now.

“So even though he’s injured I still want him to be part of this journey, and his contribution is still important.”

The Taipans’ next challenge will see them face the Perth Wildcats on Friday at 6.30pm at Cairns Convention Centre.

Originally published as Perth has come into Far North Queensland and stolen the show in a grinded out victory over Cairns.