Phoenix Overcome 36ers in OT Classic

The South East Melbourne Phoenix might need to start including heart medication with their membership packages after yet another nail-biting thriller, this time overpowering the Adelaide 36ers 103-98 in overtime.

Both teams played on Friday night with the Phoenix winning a third straight in Perth since having a full squad available while the 36ers were spanked at home by 29 by the New Zealand Breakers heading into the clash on Sunday at John Cain Arena.

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Adelaide came back from as many as 16 points in the hole and the absence of key import Craig Randall II with a chest injury for large parts of the first half to force overtime with the final play of the match.

Randall himself slashed through traffic to level the scores when it mattered.

The Phoenix relied on shorter rotations after the Perth thriller and all five of Simon Mitchell's starters hit double figures including Ryan Broekhoff (17 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals), Mitch Creek (16 points, nine rebounds), Gary Browne (14 points, six rebounds, seven assists) and Alan Williams (18 points, five rebounds, three assists).

None were more influential than Trey Kell III who exploded in the final term with 10 crucial points on his way to a personal haul of 24 points, five rebounds and four assists.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">RYAN BROEKHOFF 3?? ?<br><br>Watch live &amp; free ? 10 Peach &amp; 10play | Live on ESPN2 via Kayo &amp; Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/WimtV0qNpH">pic.twitter.com/WimtV0qNpH</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1586611935130181633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That included a five-point run in the middle of overtime to push his side out to a lead and another booming triple that helped put the result beyond doubt.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said the new-look side was starting to gel which was showing on the court with their results.

"We knew we had a lot of weapons, it is just about getting that familiarity on the floor. We have been a little bit lucky with some close wins but at the same time you build your own luck," Mitchell said.

"Our history has not been graced with a lot of composure in close wins, we cough those ones up. So it was nice to secure those ones and get three in a row."

Mitchell also said they would look at the tape to discover ways to get Kell involved earlier.

"In overtime, he was exceptional," he said.

"I can't wait for the video. He must be frustrated, I am frustrated, the ball is just stuck on the other side. His teammates will have a lot of trust in getting the ball to his side."

Randall (28 points, three rebounds, three assists) did all he could to shake off difficulty breathing from a hit to the sternum to rattle up the points while Anthony Drmic (13 points), Robert Franks (11 points, nine rebounds, three assists) and Daniel Johnson (16 points, eight rebounds) provided able assistance.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">DON&#39;T JUMP WITH RANDALL ?<br><br>Watch live &amp; free ? 10 Peach &amp; 10play | Live on ESPN2 via Kayo &amp; Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/3ZJiYkKbkJ">pic.twitter.com/3ZJiYkKbkJ</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1586609825428885506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Despite the loss, 36ers coach CJ Bruton saw the positives after being hammered by 29 points at home by New Zealand on Friday.

"It was better," he said when asked about his team's response.

"You can only go off what you did last time, it was a quick turnaround and I thought the guys responded from the butt kicking at home by playing this all the way to the end in overtime.

"We had every chance to win tonight, so I thought it was a great response from us."

But the ability to close out tight games allowed the Phoenix to claim a fourth consecutive win and surge up the NBL ladder.

Broekhoff was integral in the Phoenix's thrilling win against Perth this week and he carried that hot form into this match, scoring 11 rapid-fire points in the first quarter to propel his side out to a five-point lead.

Zhou Qi is warming himself into the season and showed he was heading back to his best with a bruising hack to the rim in traffic - a play that Broekhoff loved.

As the lead blew out to double digits, things got worse for Adelaide as Randall checked out of the game and went to the changerooms for treatment on a chest injury. The intensity was there for Adelaide, but the Phoenix execution meant it was the home side in front 35-25 at the first break.

A chat with coach CJ Bruton saw Adelaide come out energised, although Randall was still missing with breathing difficulties. South East Melbourne was moving the ball around more efficiently, though, with Gary Browne cashing in.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A quick burst of energy from Gary Browne ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <br><br>Watch live &amp; free ? 10 Peach &amp; 10play | Live on ESPN2 via Kayo &amp; Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/jAftdoXCZG">pic.twitter.com/jAftdoXCZG</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1586594451891228678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adelaide did claw their way back, though to go into the half-time mark trailing 51-44.

A better defensive attitude was required and that is what the 36ers delivered after the main break, surging out to drain 27 points while restricting the Phoenix to just 16 points.

Central to that run was the efforts of Randall, who returned from his injury to put the Phoenix to the sword.

The final quarter was an out-an-out war and by the last whistle, nothing could separate the sides and five more minutes was required.

Kel became the hero for the Phoenix as the 36ers strategy to get the ball to Randall failed on them, the import coming up with an important five-point outburst in overtime that helped seal the result.

The Phoenix now don't play again until next Sunday's Throwdown with Melbourne United while the Sixers have a short turnaround to Thursday night in Wollongong against the Illawarra Hawks.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 5

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 103 (Kell 24, Williams 18, Broekhoff 17)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 98 (Randall 28, Johnson 16, Drmic 13) 

BOX SCORE