Mitch McCarron lifts Melbourne to win over Cairns

Melbourne United returned to the winners list on Monday night at John Cain Arena, storming home to claim a strong win over the Cairns Taipans.

The comeback win was inspired by Mitch McCarron, who was involved in everything as he lifted Melbourne over the line.

United struggled early as the Taipans came out with a real purpose, jumping to a quick 8-0 lead after two minutes of play.

McCarron and Jock Landale eventually got the scoreboard ticking over for Melbourne and it was Landale’s long-range shooting that kept United within reach through the early parts of the contest.

With Kouat Noi, Scott Machado and Cam Oliver all scoring seven points each in the first term, Cairns took an eight-point lead, 25-17, into the first break, while Landale’s three triples had him leading the way for Melbourne.

Noi continued his hot shooting night in the second quarter, but David Barlow replied with a three of his own, before Yudai Baba produced an and-1 off a baseline cut to trim the deficit to just three points with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.

It was a sluggish first half for United, forcing Coach Dean Vickerman to search for players and line-ups that would inject some energy into his team. One of those players was Mason Peatling, who played key minutes for Melbourne in the second quarter and made the most of his opportunity.

He fought hard on both ends of the court and was on a mission, draining a triple and playing strong defence. With Peatling helping to inject some energy, Melbourne was able to stem the tide late in the second quarter, heading into half time trailing by seven points, 42-35.

Landale (11 points and 4 rebounds) was vital for United, while Noi (17 points) was electric for the Taipans.

The second half didn’t start how Vickerman would’ve liked, with the Taipans holding United scoreless for the opening three-and-a-half minutes, but McCarron helped turn things around.

A United 11-2 run, which included a pair of McCarron triples, had Melbourne quickly back in the game, trailing by just two points, 54-52, with three minutes left in the term.

The final three minutes saw both teams make key buckets and at the final change Cairns led by four points, 62-58.

United kept chipping away and when Hopson rebounded his own free throw miss and scored, Melbourne boasted their first lead of the game, 66-64, with just over six minutes to play.

With the game on the line, McCarron lifted to another gear. His final term was exceptional as he took over down the stretch, doing whatever his team needed.

He scored at will, played stifling defence and set his teammates up perfectly what slick passes. When McCarron assisted on a Baba lay-up with 3:46 on the clock, Melbourne led by seven points and forced a Cairns time-out.

To the Taipans’ credit, they didn’t go away and when Machado drained a triple with just over two minutes to play, United’s lead was cut to three points.

Melbourne responded.

Baba scored two more key buckets down the stretch, while McCarron picked Machado’s pocket which led to a Jack White bucket on the other end to help put the game away for United.

Melbourne ran out 88-81 winners, with McCarron (17 points, 8 assists, 5 steals and 3 rebounds) putting on a masterclass.

Landale (18 points and 11 rebounds) finished with yet another double-double, while Baba (career-high 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and White (9 points and 8 rebounds) played key roles on both ends of the court.

Cairns was led by Noi (27 points and 5 rebounds), Oliver (18 points and 6 rebounds) and Machado (14 points and 9 assists).

The win sees United’s record stand at 7-1 and their next match-up is against Adelaide on Thursday night at John Cain Arena. Tip-off is at 7:30pm.