Adelaide 36ers win NBL’s pre-season Blitz with clean sweep
ADELAIDE has put the NBL on notice ahead of the start of the season by clean sweeping the Blitz with wins over three title contenders in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth on the weekend.
ADELAIDE has put the NBL on notice ahead of the start of the season by clean sweeping the Blitz with wins over three title contenders in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth on the weekend.
The Sixers claimed the Loggins-Bruton Cup with an 18-point win over Perth in Ballarat yesterday without star guard Nathan Sobey who was rested after a big fortnight which also included two Boomers games.
While Adelaide’s team collectively put the competition on notice three weeks from the start of the regular season, import guard Adris De Leon also made everyone sit up with 23-points as the 36ers won 108-90.
Going head to head with Perth’s Bryce Cotton, the veteran lived up to his nickname of “Too Hard to Guard” and showed that at 34 he still has a lot to offer in his return to the league this season.
Having overcome an ankle strain which kept him out of game one of the Blitz, Anthony Drmic had a team-high 28 points and five rebounds to suggest he’s in for a big season on the back of his Boomers call-up.
“It’s good for us to start off this way and we’ve just got to keep it rolling and see how we go,” Drmic said post-game.
“Adris (De Leon) is bringing it, he brings something different to us with his ball handling and the way he shoots the ball so we’re super excited to have him.”
Adelaide led by four at quarter-time before De Leon and Drmic got going in the second and a long-range bomb from Drmic at 3/4 court stretched the Sixers’ lead to seven at halftime.
De Leon did as he pleased in the third quarter and back-to-back floaters kept Adelaide in control as Harry Froling, Jack McVeigh and Brendan Teys also played important roles.
The 36ers now return to Adelaide for their season launch on Tuesday night which includes a game against Cairns from 6.30pm before they turn their attention towards the NBA and playing the Utah Jazz in the US on October 5.
reece.homfray@news.com.au