Starling’s spark in third quarter avalanche

Adelaide 36ers power forward Alex Starling came out after half time during Wednesday afternoon’s 98-91 over New Zealand Breakers at the NBL Blitz looking to make an impact.

Starling did just that, connecting on a wide open three-pointer, then stole the ball to find import point guard Kendric Davis for a layup as Adelaide erased a seven-point deficit within the first minute.

The 199cm power forward said he was thrilled at how the side responded after the main break, the Breakers reversing a six-point quarter time deficit into a 51-44 lead at half time.

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“We had a lack of energy there in that second quarter and it’s a little harder to play defence off of missed shots,” Starling said.

“Me being who I am, anything to give us a spark and energy to get us going.

“I got a wide open shot of a get pass from DJ (Vasiljevic), then defensively I got the steal and got Kendric a layup.

“Momentum is a big thing and we had to play catch up there, but we came out and was able to execute.”

Starling came into the starting line-up for the clash against the Breakers, and the opening line-up had great effect, Adelaide leading 20-8 early with Isaac Humphries prominent.

“Mike told me yesterday (Tuesday) and let me know, so I had time to prepare,” Starling said.

“We really started well and we really had the emphasis of getting the ball through Isaac’s hands.

“Although we had a good win against Tassie, Isaac didn’t get the ball as much as he should.”

Adelaide will be back in action on Friday afternoon when the 36ers battle South East Melbourne Phoenix from 4.30pm. You can watch all the action live and exclusive on Kayo Freebies.