Sixers excite on first night at Blitz

Superstars Bryce Cotton and Montrezl Harrell might not have been there, but Flynn Cameron and Isaac White shone for the Adelaide 36ers as they beat the Illawarra Hawks 104-83 at the CODE Sports NBL Blitz in Canberra.

There's great hype surrounding this Sixers team for NBL26 not only with the addition of five-time MVP Cotton, but with the return of former NBA Best Sixth Man Harrell and addition of excitement machine Zylan Cheatham.

Only Cheatham was out there on Wednesday to close the opening night of the Blitz at the AIS Arena with Isaac Humphries and Matt Kenyon also not playing, but there was plenty to like from Adelaide.

The Sixers opened up a 23-17 lead by quarter-time and were still leading by six at half-time before putting up 31 points in the third period to stretch their advantage to 14 by three quarter-time.

That lead got out to as much as 26 before they scored the 21-point win with new back court pair Isaac White and Flynn Cameron tremendous.

There's a lot of talk, and understandably so, about Cotton joining DJ Vasiljevic in that Adelaide back court, but Cameron and White will be more than handy too.

White is fresh off winning an NBL1 West MVP with the Rockingham Flames and he put up 20 points and six assists with 5/8 three-point shooting.

Cameron has made the move from Melbourne United and had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists with captain Vasiljevic also having 17 points and three assists.

Tom Kubank also had 14 points and two steals for the 36ers, Zylan Cheatham 10 points and six rebounds, Ben Griscti 13 points, four boards and two assists, and Keanu Rasmussen eight points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Hawks are defending their championship from last season and there is still three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee along with Mason Peatling to come into the line-up from the first Blitz hit out.

Davo Hickey once again impressed for Illawarra just as he did in their championship triumph. He finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Dan Grida added 12 points and 10 rebounds with Wani Swaka Lo Buluk producing 11 points, Todd Blanchfield 11 points and three rebounds with 3/6 from downtown, and Tyler Harvey seven points.

Potential new import Jaquori McLaughlin is on a trial run at the Blitz. The former NBA guard had seven points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal where he pinched it off Vasiljevic in the first half.

The Hawks will be next in action at the Blitz on Friday night against the Perth Wildcats while the 36ers will finish up on Saturday night against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

CODE SPORTS NBL BLITZ 2025/26

ADELAIDE 36ERS 104 (White 20, Vasiljevic 17, Cameron 16)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 83 (Hickey 14, Grida 12, Blanchfield 11, Swaka Lo Buluk 11)

BOX SCORE

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