36ers back court shine in Mt Gambier

Lachlan Barker did his hopes of another NBL opportunity no harm but Isaac White, DJ Vasiljevic and Flynn Cameron all had their moments as the Adelaide 36ers got ready for NBL26 beating the NBL1 South Select Team 99-82 in Mount Gambier.

Following the NBL Blitz in Canberra last week and ahead of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament next week, the Sixers fine tuned their preparations with their annual pre-season hit out at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.

The 36ers were still without superstar pair Bryce Cotton and Montrezl Harrell along with experienced centre Isaac Humphries, but again back court trio Cameron, Vasiljevic and White were especially impressive.

Cameron was on fire early as he prepares for a first season in Adelaide having crossed from Melbourne United in the off-season.

He made all five of his shots in the first quarter including hitting twice from downtown for 12 points with the 36ers leading 24-18 after one thanks to shooting 11/14 as a team to 6/19 from the NBL1 South team.

Vasiljevic had a quiet start to the game, but hit a couple of quick threes in the second quarter on his way to 11 first half points with Adelaide leading 51-46 at the half on 58 per cent field goal shooting to 43.

The Sixers shot out of the blocks with a 10-2 run to start the second half and that set up a 25 points to nine third quarter and the lead got out to as much as 27 before they settled on the 17-point win over the NBL1 South team.

What was most encouraging for Adelaide was the back court performance especially when you consider they will still add five-time MVP Bryce Cotton into that for NBL26.

Captain DJ Vasiljevic warmed into the game nicely for 18 points with 4/9 from three-point range while NBL1 West MVP Isaac White also provided 18 points and six rebounds on 8/12 field goal shooting.

Flynn Cameron was barely sighted after half-time but still had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

New import forward Zylan Cheatham was in foul trouble and only played 18 minutes, but looked good out on the floor with 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 5/9 shooting.

Nominated Replacement Player Blake Jones also had 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks as well with Michael Harris scoring eight points to go with seven boards, three assists and three steals.

Lachlan Barker was the standout in the NBL1 South Select Team as he looks to earn another NBL opportunity. He finished with 25 points and three rebounds on 5/9 three-point shooting.

Jonathan Lawton also had 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Preston Bungei 12 points and five boards, and Christian D'Angelo eight points and two rebounds.

The 36ers now head to Sydney next before their NBL26 gets underway when they take on Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos BC next Sunday.

From there, the Sixers begin their NBL season on Sunday September 28 at home to the Brisbane Bullets at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL PRE-SEASON 2025/26

ADELAIDE 36ERS 99 (White 18, Vasiljevic 18, Cameron 17)

NBL1 SOUTH SELECT TEAM 82 (Barker 25, Lawton 13, Bungei 12)

BOX SCORE

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