Adelaide 36ers vs. Illawarra Hawks
When: 7:30pm (AEDT), Friday 20 December
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Broadcast: NBL TV, SBS On Demand/Viceland, Twitch TV
Last times they’ve met:
Rd 3 2019/2020: Illawarra Hawks 92 (Brooks 31, Ball 15, S Froling 12) defeated by Adelaide 36ers 98 (D Johnson 21, Moore 16, Randle, H Froling 15, McVeigh 14) at WIN Entertainment Centre (The New Sand Pit)
SIXERS SHOT BACK INTO HISTORY
ROUND 21 1995: KISS FROM A ROSE FORCES HAWKS TO FACE MAGIC
This week we head back to the final regular round of the 1995 season where the 36ers had sealed their position in the finals bracket in 5th were looking to take some momentum into the finals series. Wollongong had come flying through from the bottom of the ladder but a win for them would draw them against a much less fancied finals opponent than the South East Melbourne Magic, so there was still plenty on the line. The opening half was a tight affair as the 36ers led by their guard Brett Maher and “chairman of the boards” Mark Davis took the lead, but champion Hawks centre Chuck Harmison and regular 36ers trouble-man power forward Melvin Thomas had the 36ers only up by two points at the half, 42-40.
In the third quarter the 36ers made their move, in his sadly last season with the club, import Robert Rose came to life to score the majority of his 21 points in the second half as the 36ers took the ascendancy in the match. A 28-18 third quarter saw the 36ers take a 12-point lead into the final change with the Hawks un-able to break anymore than two points into the margin in the final stanza. The 36ers would then move onto to face the tricky Newcastle Falcons while the Hawks would find themselves in a match up against the Magic and after taking game one would bow out of the finals series the first week.
Adelaide 36ers 84 (Maher 22, Rose 21, Davis 17, Ninnis 11) defeated Wollongong Hawks 74 (M Thomas 23, Harmison 18, Lafleur 13) at the Clipsal Powerhouse
Key Match-Ups
Jerome Randle vs. Sunday Dech
When your import point guard has two outstanding performances and still isn’t happy with his game, you know he means business. Randle traditionally has struggled against the Hawks and averages a career 18 ppg against them but in eight of those matches he scored less than 15 points. His kryptonite has been Kevin White who now sits on the Sixers bench as the co-captain but even still against the Hawks earlier this year he dropped only 15 points in their only game against them. With a home crowd and some momentum behind him, Randle knows its time to really dominate an inexperienced back court and end this stranglehold Steel City has over him.
If anybody can do the damage defensively for the Hawks its the rise of rookie Sunday Dech. Dech has held in the Hawks wins his direct opponents to 14, 12 and 22 (In Taipans Scott Machado) so he’ll need to do a job on Randle if the Hawks are any chance of taking this one.
Daniel Johnson vs Billy Preston
Okay its time DJ to rock after some quiet in-consistent performances in recent weeks and for the Hawks he is a huge challenge to guard. The Hawks settled bigs in Ogilvy and Boone will struggle with his pick and roll and perimeter game as evident when they played them in Round 3 when he dropped 21 points.
Preston is an unknown quantity and looks to have the ability to go with DJ and as the key import power forward will have his hands full with the experienced Sixer big man. Preston is a former McDonald’s All-American and was recently cited in the G-League with the Texas Legends. Helping cover Harry’s younger brother Sam as an injury replacement, the big man really needs to make a splash this week in the NBL if the Hawks are to stop DJ from spinning his tune.
Jack McVeigh vs. Tim Coenraad
After a blistering start to the season, McVeigh has been a little quiet since start of November averaging 2.6 ppg in 12.6 minutes per game but still shooting at a high clip of 42 percent per game. This game against the Hawks produces the perfect opportunity for McVeigh to get some quality minutes and confidence again to produce the big minutes at both ends of the floor for future games.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again, if you are a Sixers defender this Friday night and you see a number 22 on the floor in a red (or white jersey) then you better get your skates on and close out that three ball. Coenraad if you look at previous matches is in my top five deadliest corner three-point specialists of all time against the Sixers, he is money consistently from that corner. I’d consider him to more of a threat than Blanchfield although careful attention should also be paid to the microwave man beyond the arc as well.
The Last Play
One team resembles a kitchen draw with some sharp tools but unsorted utensils that are mixed together while the other seems to know exactly which draw they are in and where they fit. The Hawks on the road have been inconsistent this season and with two basically brand new players working into rotations they may jump out of the blocks. Like a set of a parents getting that last minute Christmas shopping done however I expect the Sixers to run in and get the job done as quickly, efficiently as possible and have the presents wrapped in time for delivery under the NBL wins Christmas tree.
And with a predicted temperature of over 40 degrees outside, the Sixers may also be having some Hawk for pre-christmas dinner this Friday night.
36ers by 14pts
*This article is a duplicate of an article written for publishing for And The Foul.net and may appear before or after publishing
CROSS OVER DRIBBLE 