Kai Sotto, 36ers fall again as Wildcats cruise to 15-point drubbing

MANILA, Philippines – The losses continued to pile up for the Adelaide 36ers as they absorbed another double-digit loss, this time against the Perth Wildcats, 112-97, in the National Basketball League in Australia on Saturday, January 14.

In his ninth straight start for Adelaide, the 7-foot-3 Filipino center Kai Sotto produced just 4 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in nearly 11 minutes of play.

Brady Manek led Perth in the wire-to-wire win with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Bryce Cotton also registered 23 markers, together with 5 boards and 4 assists.

The Wildcats came out firing from tip-off, quickly building a 32-17 edge over the 36ers at the end of the opening frame.

Perth never looked back, even pushing its lead to a whopping 32 points, 89-57, off a jumper by Corey Webster late in the 3rd quarter.

Webster and Tashawn Thomas had 17 points each for the Wildcats, while Tai Webster scored 10 points and dished out a team-best 7 assists.

On the other side, Robert Franks dropped a game-high 25 points, while Antonius Cleveland contributed 23 markers for the 36ers, who suffered their third straight defeat and fell to an 11-12 record.

Adelaide hopes to return to the win column when it battles the Brisbane Bullets on Thursday, January 19 at 4:30 pm (Manila time).

The Scores

Perth 112 – Manek 23, Cotton 23, Webster C. 17, Thomas 17, Webster T. 10, Travers 7, Harris 5, Hayes-Brown 4, Blanchfield 3, Wagstaff 3, Norton 0, Zunic 0, Majok 0.

Adelaide 97 – Franks 25, Cleveland 23, Mccarron 14, Clark 10, Johnson 10, Harris 5, Drmic 4, Sotto 4, Dech 2, Acuoth 0, Galloway 0.

Quarters: 32-17, 67-46, 92-63, 112-97.

– Rappler.com