Sobey, Foxwell impress as SEM Phoenix defeat Perth 94-89

Written by Lachlan Sherriff

Nathan Sobey once again impressed for the Phoenix with 22 points. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Returning to John Cain Arena on a three-game winning streak, the South East Melbourne Phoenix hoped to continue their winning form against the Perth Wildcats.

The start to life without Bryce Cotton had been a bumpy one so far for Perth, but following a 95-84 win against Tasmania on Wednesday, they also came into John Cain Arena high on confidence.

With this, it was no surprise that both teams came into this one hot. Perth led 24-21 at the end of the first quarter, but there was nothing separating the two teams at half time, with the game tied at 46-46 going into the main break.

The Wildcats led for most of the third quarter, but found themselves down by a point with seconds left in the third quarter.

And when John Brown III knocked down a buzzer beater, the Phoenix extended their lead to three with ten minutes to play. John Cain Arena was rocking, and the Phoenix were one quarter away from extending their record to 6-2.

Phoenix fans were up on their feet after a buzzer beater from John Brown III. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

It was a hot start for the Phoenix in the final quarter, who extended the lead out to eight following a three from Nathan Sobey. Perth managed to cut it back down to two, but a second onslaught from South East Melbourne put the icing on the cake, as an Owen Foxwell three gave Phoenix a 91-82 lead with just over two minutes left.

From there on, South East Melbourne would never look back, winning 94-89 and extending their winning streak to four. 

Nathan Sobey found his way to the hoop as he has done all season, scoring 22 points, more than any other player. But it wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball where Sobey contributed, as he finished with two steals and two blocks.

Sobey’s partner in crime was once again Owen Foxwell, who had twenty points, five assists and three rebounds. Right now, you’d be hard pressed to find many backcourts in the league better than those two.

John Brown III added twelve points and eight rebounds, while Angus Glover also scored twelve points for the Phoenix. Unfortunately for Glover, he injured his ankle towards the end of the game and never came back on.

“It was his ankle. I hope he's good. Luckily, I thought it may be something else but it is his ankle. So we'll just have to see how he feels when he wakes up in the morning. Hopefully he's not out very long for us because he's a big part of what we do.”

- Josh King on Angus Glover's injury

Kristian Doolittle had nineteen points and thirteen rebounds for the Wildcats, while Jaron Rillie had an impressive game all around with sixteen points, seven assists and five rebounds. 

Perth now have a seven day break before turning their attention to the Adelaide 36ers on the road. It won't be an easy game by any means, but coach John Rillie has full faith in his team.

“We’re always confident, We've shown that we can travel well. I'm looking forward to us getting home and getting three really good practices before we head to Adelaide. We're an evolving group and that's just going to take time.”

- John Rillie on Perth's upcoming matchup against Adelaide

As for the Phoenix, they'll travel south to Tasmania on Thursday to take on the JackJumpers, before returning to Melbourne two days later for the second Throwdown of the season against rivals Melbourne United.