NBL1 North Round 12 Sunday men’s recap

Catch up on the Round 12 action from the Coles Express NBL1 North men’s competition on Sunday.

Rockhampton Rockets 89 def Cairns Marlins 86

Rockhampton Rockets have upset Cairns Marlins with a come-from-behind 89-86 victory at Bravus Arena on Sunday.

The Rockets, down 11 points with 8.52 left in the game, outscored the visitors 23-9 in the run home. Rockhampton’s Josh Wilcher scored nine of his team-high 22 points and Kendall Stephens scored seven of his 21 points in that stretch.

Stephens hit a clutch four-point play with 17 seconds left on the clock as his fifth three-pointer of the game levelled the scores and the free throw gave the Rockets an 87-86 lead.

Wilcher, who tallied a double double with 15 assists, hit two free throws to seal Rockhampton’s first win of the season.

Rockhampton’s Najeal Young (pictured) also stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

The Marlins offence was led by Anthony Fisher with a game-high 24 points including 5 of 6 made from deep. Alex Loughton (17 points), Deba George (13 points), and James Mitchell (12 points) all scored in double figures for Cairns.

The Rockets (1-13) are in 14^th place while the Marlins (7-6) narrowly hold on to fifth place with no more than one win the difference between Cairns and the next five teams.