Eltham overcome Pelita Jaya's defence

The reigning NBL1 South champions, the Eltham Wildcats, played their first game at home since winning the championship -- and gave their fans a spectacular finish over the touring Pelita Jaya 75-70. 

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They got their rust off early, firing from outside at a ridiculous clip in the first half – making 11-18 of their three-point attempts. 

While they were missing their two NBL stars in Owen Foxwell and Angus Glover, the Wildcats did not miss a beat – scoring 51 points to Pelita Jaya’s 29. 

Sam Whelan with the dimeee ?

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However, the third quarter was a different story. Pelita Jaya locked down Eltham in the period, holding them from scoring until the five-minute mark. In this stretch, Pelita Jaya brought the game back to a six-point difference and held momentum going into the fourth. 

Former NBA player KJ McDaniels led the charge, scoring 24 points with 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals to finish the game.

KJ McDaniels threw it down ?‍?

Watch Pelita Jaya against the Eltham Wildcats Live & Free via https://t.co/NEk1I7kIKG or the NBL1 App ? pic.twitter.com/g4Fj2wtKNw

— NBL1 (@NBL1) December 19, 2024

Despite his stellar play, the South champion’s defence was too potent –  holding the team to 34.2 percent from the field for the game. 

The standout for Eltham was Zahn Agosta, who scored a team-high 21 points. The 20-year-old bounced between the Youth League and NBL1 squads last season, averaging under 10 minutes per game in 2024. 

With the team going ice cold in the third quarter, Agosta was the only offensive option and weathered his Wildcats through the storm. 

The final game of the tour will take place on Saturday, against the Melbourne Tigers. Watch the game from 2:00pm AEDT live and free via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

Get your tickets here.