In a dominating performance, the Melbourne Flames cruised to a 97-68 victory over the Perth Thunder, despite being without their star player, who was absent due to the birth of his child. The Flames’ offense was firing on all cylinders, led by the scorching hot Ian Clark, who poured in 25 points, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
The Flames came out strong from the opening tip, racing out to a 17-2 run in the first quarter, which set the tone for the rest of the game. They continued to pour it on in the second quarter, scoring 13 unanswered points, with Clark, Marcus Lee, and Jack White leading the charge.
At halftime, the Flames held a commanding 64-41 lead, thanks to their blistering 64% shooting from the field. They refused to let up in the second half, with Clark and Shea Ili hitting clutch threes to push the lead to 33 points.
The Flames’ balanced attack saw six players score in double figures, with Ili adding 16 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, Chris Goulding chipping in 12 points and four assists, and Rob Loe contributing 10 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Thunder struggled to find their rhythm, shooting a dismal 32% from the field. Their star player, Bryce Cotton, was limited to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, and the team sorely missed the presence of injured players Dylan Windler and Tai Webster.
“We didn’t show up and play very well,” lamented Thunder coach John Rillie. “We desperately missed Tai and Windler, but we can’t use that as an excuse. We just didn’t execute.”
In contrast, Flames coach Dean Vickerman was thrilled with his team’s performance. “Credit to our guys, that was probably the best first half of offense we’ve played in a long time. The ball really popped around, and that was the message coming in – to share the basketball and play for each other.”
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