36ers strike back against Wildcats in NBL

Mitch Creek has guided the Sixers to a comprehensive 12-point win over the Wildcats, reversing the Perth's big win on Friday night.

Mitch Creek of the Adelaide 36ers in action.

Adelaide's Mitch Creek has helped guide the Sixers to a 12-point NBL win over the Perth Wildcats. (AAP)

Adelaide has leapfrogged Perth into third on the NBL ladder and exacted savage revenge for Friday night's lopsided shocker by belting the Wildcats 94-82.

A dominant 31-17 opening term on Sunday laid the foundation for the Sixers to produce a stunning 33-point turnaround following a hot-tempered, 21-point belting at Perth Arena two days earlier.

One of 10 players reported in the fourth quarter on Friday, Mitch Creek was outstanding at Titanium Security Arena, with 21 points and 10 rebounds, spearheading the 36ers' assault early with 15 first-quarter points at 100 per cent.

Daniel Johnson (18 points) and Nathan Sobey (17) also played pivotal roles, while Bryce Cotton led Perth's scorers with 14 points.

However, his tally came at just 27 per cent as the Sixers' scheming defence strangled the Wildcats into shooting just 33 per cent from the floor.

With Creek and Josh Childress at the forefront, Adelaide finish the opening term with a 14-2 flurry to motor ahead by 14 points at the first break.

Tempers threatened to boil over late in the quarter but the Sixers were unruffled, extending their advantage to 55-33 at halftime on Sobey's acrobatic slam.

Below his best on Friday, Daniel Johnson proved a match-up nightmare with 13 third-quarter points as the 36ers' buffer at one stage blew out to 65-37.

Still going strong and up 79-56 at three-quarter time, Adelaide took their foot right off the gas in the fourth to coast home, avoiding a third successive defeat and keeping their top-two aspirations alive.

Adelaide coach Joey Wright was rapt with his side's smart response to Friday's defeat.

"We stood up and played basketball without being silly," he said.

"It was a great defensive effort by us."

Perth coach Trevor Gleeson acknowledged the Sixers had worked harder from the outset.

"It was disappointing that we didn't work as hard as they did and they got the results on the board," he said.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world