Alex Starling impressed again despite the loss. Picture: Adelaide 36ers
Scott Roth’s feisty Tasmanian unit hold off a final quarter surge from a DJ Vasiljevic led 36ers team on Saturday Night in Adelaide.
An eager sell-out crowd filled the Adelaide Entertainment Centre as the tone of the game was immediately set by a loose-ball dive from Dejan Vasiljevic.
With Trey Kell III announced as a late out, first quarter minutes from Next Star Trentyn Flowers proved valuable as he bodied his way for a contested layup to end the first.
Jordon Crawford and Jack McVeigh traded buckets as the Jackies extended their half time lead to eight.
Shooting a dismal 11 per cent from deep at half time, Sixers coach CJ Bruton blamed “just missing shots,” for the lackluster performance.
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A classic case of Déjà Vu struck the Sixers as a flurry of easy opportunities were unable to be capitalised upon.
Meanwhile, Milton Doyle’s behind the back dimes and cold blooded triples from McVeigh, the ‘smiling assassin’, stretched the lead out to sixteen.
The injection of youngster Nick Marshall fluctuated the momentum, as a sideline lob alley-oop gave the home team a glimmer of hope.
Recognising that the game needed a hero, Vasiljevic buried a variety of what Bruton dubbed “Steph Curry shots,” bringing his fourth quarter points tally to twelve.
With the game all but over, McVeigh pounced upon a loose ball, an act which in Roth’s perspective is unnegotiable as “the people of Tasmania expect it to be that way,” an example of tenacity required to avoid “sitting next to me”.
A triumphant evening for the visitors was highlighted by McVeigh’s 14 points, only topped by Crawford’s 17 and six assists.
Meanwhile, Vasiljevic scored a team-high 16, with Mitch McCarron (eight) and Isaac Humphries (seven) having admirable rebounding outings.
NBL veteran Clint Steindl celebrated game 300 in style as the JackJumpers ten-point victory places them third on the ladder heading into Thursday’s clash with the Breakers.
Falling to three and seven on the season, Jason Cadee claimed that ‘tail chasing’ is the reason Adelaide have some adjustments to make before taking on the Phoenix at home on Friday.
Both post-match pressers saw players asked about the significance of playing on Remembrance Day. Anthony Drmic praised the pregame ceremonies.
Fresh off of attaining Australian citizenship, Alex Starling was proud of celebrating his first Remembrance Day although “it would have been a little bit sweeter to get a win.”
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