Match report: Sixers continue pre-season with South East win

The Adelaide 36ers have continued their NBL26 pre-season with a 17-point win over an NBL1 South Select side in Mount Gambier on Thursday night.

Isaac White was a constant threat all night with 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists, while DJ Vasiljevic also chipped in with 18 points, as the 36ers won 99-82.

Bryce Cotton, Montrezl Harrell and Isaac Humphries did not suit up but the game gave Sixers coach Mike Wells the chance to give Matt Kenyon his first minutes of the pre-season after missing the NBL Blitz through injury.

Flynn Cameron was on fire early with 10 of the side’s first 12 points including two scores from outside the arc but he would fade as his minutes were limited after that.

White continued on his strong Blitz form which saw him finish runner up in the Ray Borner Medal voting and was central to nearly everything good for the Sixers in the first quarter while Blake Jones – seeing good minutes in the absence of Humphries and the injured Ben Griscti – racked up four points and four rebounds as the visitors took a six point lead into the first break.

While the margin was stretched to nine points early in the second term, Wells rang the changes and there were some scrappy moments as the scoring slowed, allowing the Select side to charge back and draw level inspired by some long-range shooting by the experienced Lachlan Barker and the athletic Casey Cavaliers forward Preston Bungei.

Not to be outdone, and after a quiet opening, Vasiljevic found his range to nail back-to-back three-pointers to ensure the 36ers would take a five-point advantage into half time.

The margin was soon out to 20 points as White, Cheatham and Michael Harris – back in the town in which he was born and raised – started to stretch the hosts.

Jones (12 points, eight rebounds) continued to impress at both ends of the court and Harris showed plenty of desperation as the Select side was restricted to just nine points in the third period.

As the margin extended to a game-high 27-points, Wells put his experienced players on ice and played the kids with development players Magok Manyang, Deng Manyang and Che Brogan along with train-on players Josh Clayton and James Mackenzie each getting minutes as the time ticked away.

It allowed the Select side to chip away at the margin with Lachlan Barker a stand-out, showing the experience he gained with South East Melbourne, Melbourne United and Tasmania in the NBL. He put up 25 points and had three rebounds to be by far his side’s best.

The Sixers will complete their pre-season with a huge clash against European champions Panathinaikos of Greece on Sunday week.

ADELAIDE 36ERS 99 (White 18, Vasiljevic 18, Cameron 17) def NBL1 SOUTH SELECT 82 (Barker 25, Lawton 13, Bungei 12) at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.
BOX SCORE

**All images supplied by Dan Cowley**