Latest news with #ElijahPepper
West Australian
20-07-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper sets NBL1 scoring record with 59 points for Warwick Senators
Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper continued a dominant NBL1 West season by setting the competition's single-game scoring record with a 59-point performance on Saturday night. Pepper powered his Warwick Senators to a 51-point victory over last-placed South West Slammers with a phenomenal showing at Eaton Recreation Centre where connected on six of his nine three-point shots and was even more dominant inside the arc, where only six of his 22 attempts did not find the bottom of the net. In his side's 130-78 win, he also dished out nine assists, grabbed four rebounds and recorded two steals. The visitors held an insurmountable 38-point advantage at the final break but Pepper remained in the game and added another 14 points in the final frame to ensure he claimed the record. As well as the NBL1 West record, the showing saw Pepper claim the record across the entire NBL1, the NBL's second-tier competition which comprises of five leagues around the country. The performance has all but sealed the league's most valuable player award for Pepper, who has produced per-game averages of 36.3 points and 7.3 assists for the second-placed Senators this season. Remarkably, it was the fourth time the 24-year-old had scored more than 50 points or more in a game this year — three of which came within the opening four games of a white-hot start to his campaign where he fell only two points short of the mark in his other appearance. Pepper averaged 7.1 points per game in his first campaign with the Wildcats as he floated in and out of the rotation but is set for a bigger role this season due to the defection of superstar Bryce Cotton to Adelaide 36ers. He is one of two 2024-25 Wildcats on the Senators' roster, alongside Todd Withers, who spent last season as the club's nominated replacement player able to cover for their other imports when they were unavailable.
Perth Now
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper sets NBL1 scoring record with 59 points for Warwick Senators
Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper continued a dominant NBL1 West season by setting the competition's single-game scoring record with a 59-point performance on Saturday night. Pepper powered his Warwick Senators to a 51-point victory over last-placed South West Slammers with a phenomenal showing at Eaton Recreation Centre where connected on six of his nine three-point shots and was even more dominant inside the arc, where only six of his 22 attempts did not find the bottom of the net. In his side's 130-78 win, he also dished out nine assists, grabbed four rebounds and recorded two steals. The visitors held an insurmountable 38-point advantage at the final break but Pepper remained in the game and added another 14 points in the final frame to ensure he claimed the record. As well as the NBL1 West record, the showing saw Pepper claim the record across the entire NBL1, the NBL's second-tier competition which comprises of five leagues around the country. Camera Icon Elijah Pepper played his first season with Perth Wildcats in 2024-25. Credit: Paul Kane / Getty Images The performance has all but sealed the league's most valuable player award for Pepper, who has produced per-game averages of 36.3 points and 7.3 assists for the second-placed Senators this season. Remarkably, it was the fourth time the 24-year-old had scored more than 50 points or more in a game this year — three of which came within the opening four games of a white-hot start to his campaign where he fell only two points short of the mark in his other appearance. Pepper averaged 7.1 points per game in his first campaign with the Wildcats as he floated in and out of the rotation but is set for a bigger role this season due to the defection of superstar Bryce Cotton to Adelaide 36ers. He is one of two 2024-25 Wildcats on the Senators' roster, alongside Todd Withers, who spent last season as the club's nominated replacement player able to cover for their other imports when they were unavailable.
West Australian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneers prepare for their biggest challenge yet as they host the top-placed Warwick Senators
The Geraldton Buccaneers are confronted by their biggest challenge yet — preparing to beat the unbeaten Warwick Senators at Activewest Stadium on Saturday night in round eight of the NBL1 West. The Buccs are coming off a win at home last round, while the star-studded Senators sit atop the table with nine wins from nine games in season 2025. Wildcats listed players Elijah Pepper and Todd Withers have been leading the way for the Senators this season, tallying up some incredible statistics. Pepper averages 40 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Withers averages 16 points, four rebounds and one assist per game. The pair have proven to be a headache for sides this season, with no one able so far to hand Warwick their first loss of the season. Buccs coach Dayle Joseph said it will be a welcome challenge as the Buccs look to cause a major upset this Saturday at home. 'I think it's a really good challenge for us,' he said. 'Considering over the last couple of weeks we've been up and down and our standards haven't probably been where we would like them to be. 'We've had a couple of weeks to work on that and hopefully we can put something together and challenge the Senators this weekend.' The sixth-placed Buccs, with a 5-3 record, now have the opportunity to pick up back-to-back wins at home when they face the Senators and will be looking to lean on their home fans for support. Joseph said the home crowd played a huge part in the contest of the game. 'Being at home is a great advantage to have with our home fans behind us,' he said. 'I think it is great however for any away side that comes up here to face us. 'They have the opportunity to play in front of a packed house even if it isn't their fans, it certainly amps everyone up.' An added hunger has been adopted by the Buccs after dropping a very winnable game at home against the East Perth Eagles in round six. Joseph said the squad took the loss to heart and used it as motivation to bounce back last round with a strong win over the Perry Lakes Hawks, hoping to carry that same hunger into Saturday night. 'We spent a bit of time on Tuesday highlighting some some areas and it did get a bit personal with a few things we weren't doing right,' Joseph said. 'We took that loss at home to heart but from that we improved a lot last week. 'I wouldn't say we were great last week but we certainly improved a lot on what we showed the week before. 'So we're hoping we can improve on that again against obviously, this is a real test when you plan the top team who's undefeated. 'They have NBL quality players on their squad, and hopefully we can answer that challenge.' The Geraldton Buccaneers take on the Warwick Senators at Activewest Stadium May 24 with tip off at 7pm.
The Advertiser
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Boomers thump Tall Blacks to clinch Trans-Tasman series
The Boomers have clinched the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown with an emphatic 92-67 win over New Zealand at a sold-out UniSC Arena. Australia's defence was all over the Tall Blacks early on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, before the Boomers finished with a flurry on offence, scoring 15 of the last 16 points. Sydney Kings captain Xavier Cooks (16 points, eight rebounds) stepped up impressively after he was well held in Wednesday's series opener in Adelaide. Perth Wildcat Elijah Pepper (12 points, five boards) and Illawarra Hawks' championship-winning veteran Todd Blanchfield (11, six) provided punch off the bench. "That's the way Boomers culture is built," Australia captain Mitch Norton said. "It's not just one guy. We've got a number of guys who can step up and our depth is endless, really. It's really cool to be part of." Reserve Taylor Britt (19 points) and Melbourne United veteran Shea Ili (18) were the standouts for the visitors. The Boomers held the tourists to 21 per cent shooting from the field in the first term to open up an 18-10 quarter-time lead. The second stanza was more free flowing, but still on the terms of the hosts, who got on a roll late with a pair of Blanchfield three-pointers to hold sway 42-28 at half-time. The home side's advantage was out to 18 points before Britt went on a tear for the Tall Blacks, single-handedly outscoring Australia 9-0 in less than two minutes to slice the margin to single digits. The gap was down to six points on a pair of Ili free throws early in the fourth period, before Norton, Cooks and Pepper revived the Aussies, who sprinted to the finish line. The Boomers, who won the opening stoush in Adelaide by 12 points, hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015. The third and final game will be in Hamilton in NZ on Sunday. The Boomers have clinched the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown with an emphatic 92-67 win over New Zealand at a sold-out UniSC Arena. Australia's defence was all over the Tall Blacks early on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, before the Boomers finished with a flurry on offence, scoring 15 of the last 16 points. Sydney Kings captain Xavier Cooks (16 points, eight rebounds) stepped up impressively after he was well held in Wednesday's series opener in Adelaide. Perth Wildcat Elijah Pepper (12 points, five boards) and Illawarra Hawks' championship-winning veteran Todd Blanchfield (11, six) provided punch off the bench. "That's the way Boomers culture is built," Australia captain Mitch Norton said. "It's not just one guy. We've got a number of guys who can step up and our depth is endless, really. It's really cool to be part of." Reserve Taylor Britt (19 points) and Melbourne United veteran Shea Ili (18) were the standouts for the visitors. The Boomers held the tourists to 21 per cent shooting from the field in the first term to open up an 18-10 quarter-time lead. The second stanza was more free flowing, but still on the terms of the hosts, who got on a roll late with a pair of Blanchfield three-pointers to hold sway 42-28 at half-time. The home side's advantage was out to 18 points before Britt went on a tear for the Tall Blacks, single-handedly outscoring Australia 9-0 in less than two minutes to slice the margin to single digits. The gap was down to six points on a pair of Ili free throws early in the fourth period, before Norton, Cooks and Pepper revived the Aussies, who sprinted to the finish line. The Boomers, who won the opening stoush in Adelaide by 12 points, hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015. The third and final game will be in Hamilton in NZ on Sunday. The Boomers have clinched the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown with an emphatic 92-67 win over New Zealand at a sold-out UniSC Arena. Australia's defence was all over the Tall Blacks early on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, before the Boomers finished with a flurry on offence, scoring 15 of the last 16 points. Sydney Kings captain Xavier Cooks (16 points, eight rebounds) stepped up impressively after he was well held in Wednesday's series opener in Adelaide. Perth Wildcat Elijah Pepper (12 points, five boards) and Illawarra Hawks' championship-winning veteran Todd Blanchfield (11, six) provided punch off the bench. "That's the way Boomers culture is built," Australia captain Mitch Norton said. "It's not just one guy. We've got a number of guys who can step up and our depth is endless, really. It's really cool to be part of." Reserve Taylor Britt (19 points) and Melbourne United veteran Shea Ili (18) were the standouts for the visitors. The Boomers held the tourists to 21 per cent shooting from the field in the first term to open up an 18-10 quarter-time lead. The second stanza was more free flowing, but still on the terms of the hosts, who got on a roll late with a pair of Blanchfield three-pointers to hold sway 42-28 at half-time. The home side's advantage was out to 18 points before Britt went on a tear for the Tall Blacks, single-handedly outscoring Australia 9-0 in less than two minutes to slice the margin to single digits. The gap was down to six points on a pair of Ili free throws early in the fourth period, before Norton, Cooks and Pepper revived the Aussies, who sprinted to the finish line. The Boomers, who won the opening stoush in Adelaide by 12 points, hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015. The third and final game will be in Hamilton in NZ on Sunday.
Perth Now
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Magic's turn to try to contain hot Pepper
Mandurah Magic face their greatest test since winning last year's title when they take on undefeated Warwick Senators and the league's hottest shooter Elijah Pepper this Saturday. Perth Wildcats young gun Pepper has made an unbelievable start to the State league season, hitting the 50-point mark three times in Warwick's four outings. He dropped 48 in the other game to lead the league with an astonishing 48.75 points-per-game average. Your local paper, whenever you want it. For context, the next best is Rockingham's Issac White averaging 28 points. Warwick are 4-0 but the Magic are also riding a four-game winning streak as they prepare to head north for the blockbuster clash on Saturday night. The Senators also have a game this Friday and Saturday's battle might come down to how much being fresh is better for the Magic, who won't have played in nine days. In their most recent game, Mandurah accounted for South West Slammers 116-92 on the back of outstanding long-range shooting from marksmen Julian Pesava and Lachie Bertram. Pasava made four of five three-point attempts in his 22 points, while Bertram led all scorers with 25 points including five triples. American imports Jahcoree Ealy and Sammie Freeman both had 17 points, while Cooper Lowe chipped in 10 off the bench.
