McVeigh, Lee ink third win in Tasmania return

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Marcus Lee and Jack McVeigh joked about covering their 2024 NBL JackJumpers championship ink but in the end their Cairns Taipans covered Tasmania 75-69 in Round 7 of NBL26 on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at the Silverdome.

"It’s great coming back to a place where you’ve won a championship," Lee said.

"We joked around like, 'We’ve gotta cover our JackJumper tattoos and act like we never did it'.

"But I think it was just big for us to show how important it was to be gritty. We weren’t really concerned about going to Jackies or whatever — we were like, 'Nah, forget that. We need to double down on what we know and try to get better'.”

McVeigh, who has recovered from a wrist injury, is back in the groove. He logged just over 37 minutes, had 23 points on 9-from-20 from the field, six rebounds, a pair of assists, a block and steal while point guard Andrew Andrews led all scorers with 27 points on 9-from-15 from the field in 33:32 minutes.

"We know how we can be great, and the goal is to stack days — each day," Lee added.

"We’ve got a good week ahead where we can take another jump, and that’s what we’re gonna try to do."

The JackJumpers went a brutal 4-from-25 from deep and 25-from-66 overall (38%).

"I don’t have an explanation," JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth said.

"They didn’t make shots. We had open shots; they didn’t go in. I can’t shoot the ball for them. We haven’t shot it well up here – ever – with any kind of consistency, whether they’re twos or threes."

It could be argued it was a road game for both clubs at the Silverdome in Launceston.

"So we’ve come up two days ahead of time; we’ve practiced," Roth said.

"We’ve come up like we’ve done in the past year and practiced the same day. This time we came up late in the evening so we’d just wake up and go to shoot-around on Thursday. We’re taking a bus up in the morning, playing the game, and bussing back home.

"We’ve tried to go into every possible angle of what it is, and the next one will be: we’ll bus up on Thursday morning and bus back after the game."

Taipans head coach Adam Forde, still recovering from the atmosphere inside the gym, stressed his ball club only needed to stick to the scout and game plan to be competitive.

"Sorry, it was loud — my ears are ringing, those speakers are ridiculous. What lessons? That we’re capable.

"And this is what I’ve been saying to the group — no one needs to play outside of themselves.

"Just play your role, play to the expectation. People will look at this and say Drew had a good game — but that’s what he’s been capable of his whole career. Scow got going, hit his middies, got rebounds. Jack, Marcus, KG (Kyrin Galloway) — like, KG was 0-1, right? But his impact defensively — that’s it. You’ve gotta make an impact.

"Everybody just has to play to their job description. We can’t have two guys not in it — especially with Reyne out now, we can’t have two guys have a bad game. Everyone’s gotta be consistent.

"That showed what it looks like when everybody steps up to the mark."

Cairns Taipans are now 3-8 and Tasmania JackJumpers 5-5.

Key Details

• Result: Cairns Taipans 75 def. Tasmania JackJumpers 69
• When: 1st November 2025
• Where: Silverdome, Tasmania
• Attendance: 3,255
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Andrew Andrews (Cairns Taipans) starred with 27 points, two rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes.
• Bryce Hamilton (Tasmania JackJumpers) scored 21 points, had six rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes.

What Happened

The Cairns Taipans established control early, taking an 18-15 lead after the first quarter. They extended their advantage in the second period, outscoring the JackJumpers 22-16 to build a nine-point halftime lead at 40-31.

Tasmania showed signs of life in the third quarter, narrowing the gap slightly by winning the frame 18-14. However, the Taipans maintained their composure in the final period, matching the home team's 21-20 fourth quarter output to secure the six-point victory.

Andrew Andrews delivered an exceptional performance for Cairns, shooting an outstanding 9-from-15 from the field, including a perfect 4-from-4 from three-point range. His efficiency was complemented by Jack McVeigh, who added 23 points and six rebounds, while Admiral Schofield contributed 18 points and six boards.

For Tasmania, Josh Bannan recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Will Magnay also made a solid contribution with 12 points and 10 rebounds. However, the JackJumpers' lackluster perimeter shooting proved costly, as they connected on just 4-from-25 (16%) from beyond the arc compared to Cairns' impressive 10-from-28 (35.7%).

Despite dominating the rebounding battle 48-34, including 16 offensive boards that led to second-chance opportunities, Tasmania couldn't overcome their shooting woes. The JackJumpers also struggled with ball security, committing nine turnovers to Cairns' three, which allowed the Taipans to maintain control throughout the contest.

The victory demonstrated Cairns' ability to execute efficiently on both ends of the court, shooting 42.1% from the field while limiting the JackJumpers to just 37.8%. The Taipans' disciplined approach and superior three-point shooting ultimately proved decisive in securing an important road win.