Gleeson impressed with defensive intent in Taipans win

Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Trevor Gleeson applauded his side’s defensive intent in the win over Cairns on Sunday evening.

A14-0 run in the first quarter helped the Sixers take control and they never surrendered that advantage, leading by as many as 21 points before sealing the 83-69 win in their home opener.

After a gritty win in Melbourne and a disappointing last second loss in Perth during the week, the Sixers coach was pleased with his side’s ability to grind out a comfortable, if at times scrappy win in their home season opener.

“I was happy with our defensive intent,” Gleeson said after the result.

“Then we pressed, we forced some turnovers, we rotated pretty well.

“I was happy about that and yeah, (we) weather(ed) the storm a couple of times in a fight back and then you come down and Bryce (Cotton) makes a good three, then it's goes from 12 back out to 15.

“We're developing, we're growing, so it was a step forward for us today.”  

Following trips to Victoria and Western Australia in the last week, Adelaide could have been forgiven for being flat to start with, but with a 42nd straight sell-out crowd behind them, the home side was cooking early.

Nick Rakocevic had 10 first quarter points and was heavily involved in bringing both Bryce Cotton and John Jenkins into the contest as the Sixers raced to a 15-point advantage at quarter time.

Gleeson admitted to making an error in not allowing Cotton to rest in Thursday night’s loss to Perth but he was able to sit him down for more than two and a half minutes in the first period.

Keanu Rasmussen was making a good case to be included in the starting lineup again after some impressive second period moments, helping Rakocevic to the basket and adding points himself.

The Taipans tried to fight back but the home side seemed to have all the answers, taking an 18-point lead into the half time break.

It was still 16 points the difference by the final change, as the game descended into a low-scoring affair. The Sixers were kept to just 13 points for the quarter while Cairns hit 17 as sloppy ball handling and poor shooting impacted both teams.

While most of the sting went out of the game it didn’t stop Cotton scoring and despite a chant coming up from the crowd “We want RJ” in reference to 15-year-old Raheim Brown Junior who signed as a Development Player mid-week, the Sixers saw out the game without the teenager hitting the court.

Six-time MVP Cotton finished with 25 points and Rakocevic impressed again with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The 83-69 result was the Sixers seventh straight win over Cairns, or eighth if you count the victory in the pre-season Blitz tournament.

“It was good,” Gleeson said of his first experience as the home coach at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

“I was really proud of the guys coming out, you know, I didn't think we played well in Perth. But we put a stamp on the game nice and early, and we were able to maintain that all the way through. So, you know, coming out of the block's pretty strong. So yeah, no, it was good.”

The Sixers next head to New South Wales to face Illawarra on Friday night before a quick turnaround to face New Zealand Breakers back in Adelaide on Sunday.

Limited tickets are still available for the Breakers game, which tips off at 4:30pm ACDT.

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