Bruton pleased with fightback in Wildcats clash

Adelaide 36ers coach CJ Bruton was pleased with his side’s fight back in its pre-season loss to the Perth Wildcats on Sunday.

The 36ers were down and out, down by 18 at half-time before clawing their way back into the contest but falling just short.

“We got off to a slow start, but I take away our fighting spirit that you need to compete at this level and to win games, we’ve got that,” he said.

“We need to keep harnessing that, there were some good signs from both sides.”

Craig Randall II showed what he can do with a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds, which Bruton was pleased with.

“He’s a young player, he knows who he is and easing him into it,” he said.

“I think it was a good test to play against Bryce Cotton, a former MVP and All-NBL member.

“It was good to see our group play last game, and this game it was good to make adjustments and he was better all the way round, offensively and defensively.

“In that second half, he was a part of the kick start to come back.”

The 36ers will travel to Darwin for the NBL Blitz competition before travelling to the United States for the NBL x NBA game, which Bruton said will be valuable in building together.

“It’s always important, we’re on the road a lot coming up in the next three to four weeks,” he said.

“Our time together is precious and needed, it’ll fast track our ability to grow as a group.”

Adelaide will hopefully have recruits Robert Franks and Anthony Drmic in the coming weeks, which Bruton is excited to see.

“Any time you have your full squad, it’s exciting,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing where they’re at and getting on the floor before we get to Darwin.”