South Spotlight | Tigers keep winning on Purchase triple double

Featured image: @xnp_photography

Jack Purchase delivered a triple double while George Blagojevic and Tom Wilson combined for 45 points as the Melbourne Tigers kept on winning in the NBL1 South beating the Dandenong Rangers and Harry Froling 99-76.

The Tigers were playing their lone game of the weekend and trying to reclaim top spot as they hosted the Rangers at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre who were fresh off a Saturday night thrilling win over the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

That stopped a run of two losses for Dandenong with Froling in their line-up against the team he reached a Grand Final with last year, but Melbourne put up 36 points to 19 in the first quarter and never really looked back from there.

The lead for the Tigers grew to as much as 30 points in the second half before they won by 23 to improve to a 14-4 record as a result with four consecutive wins while the Rangers slip to 10-9 having now lost five of the past seven.

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | COMBS DELIVERS LATE FOR BLUES

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | WEEKS SPECTACULAR AS WILDCATS GO TOP

>> ON THE PATH TO THE NATIONAL FINALS

>> MT GAMBIER MOVE IGNITES SPARK IN CHAMPION

>> SOUTH WRAP | MEN'S ROUND 11

It was a scintillating shooting display from the Tigers inside the arc with them making 38/49 of their shots from two-point range on the way to 61 per cent overall despite going just 6/23 from downtown and only 5/8 at the free-throw line.

Dandenong managed to only shoot at 45 per cent from the field opposed to that along with 7/27 from beyond the arc and 9/15 at the charity stripe along with having 17 turnovers.

It's four straight wins now for the Tigers as a result with Jack Purchase delivering a triple double consisting of 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

George Blagojevic top scored with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds with 11/15 field goal shooting while Tom Wilson ended up with 22 points, four boards and three assists, and Josh Sykes 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Dandenong end up splitting their weekend with Joe Palmer producing 27 points and four rebounds with 6/13 shooting from three-point territory.

Harry Froling was up against the team he helped lead to a Grand Final last year and had 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, Michael Meadows 15 point and two steals, and Joe Lubarsky 10 points and seven rebounds.

Melbourne were making their lone appearance of the weekend while Dandenong were looking to back up their thrilling win from the night before, and it was the Tigers who made the flying start.

They end up being on fire in the first quarter shooting 76 per from the field along with getting up nine extra shots on the back of forcing the Rangers into eight turnovers in that first term.

That lead for Melbourne got out to 21 points in the second quarter and they remained in control at 56-35 by half-time before another 22 points to 18 in the third period and leading by 30 points along the way.

Jack Purchase was on track for a triple double with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while fellow former MVP Tom Wilson was up to 20 points while Harry Froling and Joe Palmer combined for 36 of the 53 points so far for Dandenong.

Melbourne were still leading 78-53 by three quarter-time and then went on with the job from there for the 23-point victory to maintain their hold on a top two position with the Rangers left fighting for their playoff lives.

The Tigers will now look to make it five and six straight next weekend when they head to Tasmania against the Hobart Chargers on Friday and Northern Force on Saturday. Dandenong are trying to cling to a playoff spot when they host the Ballarat Miners next Sunday.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 12

MELBOURNE TIGERS 99 (Blagojevic 23, Wilson 22, Purchase 14)

DANDENONG RANGERS 76 (Palmer 27, Froling 17, Meadows 15)