ALTHOUGH their leading scorer was sidelined, the SEM Phoenix were still able to deliver a gutsy win over the ladder-leading Adelaide 36ers to close out the National Basketball League (NBL) HoopsFest in style on Sunday afternoon.

In the final game of a round held entirely in Perth, the Phoenix were dealt a blow before the game with superstar guard Nathan Sobey ruled out of the contest due to illness, leaving a massive hole in the Phoenix’s offence, which has become reliant on the veteran at times.

However, despite coming up against the top team in the NBL after 17 rounds, the Phoenix were able to overcome Sobey’s absence and still find enough scoring power to defeat the Sixers by 19 points at RAC Arena on Sunday.

Adelaide 36ers (89) def. by SEM Phoenix (108)

It proved to be a game of runs for the Phoenix, who were able to break the game open on two separate occasions and prove too much for an Adelaide side that found itself on offensive droughts at various stages throughout the match.

The first burst came in the opening frame, when the Phoenix overcame a slow start to score 15 unanswered points and take control of the match, showing that they can still score despite the absence of their most productive player. At the end of the first term, South East Melbourne held an eight-point buffer and had stunned the Sixers.

The Sixers were able to stop the bleeding in the second and third quarters, with Bryce Cotton putting in another strong shift on his old home court. The five-time MVP had 16 points to his name at the half, but was not getting enough help from teammates as South East Melbourne maintained a scoreboard advantage.

However, the final blow was delivered in the fourth quarter, when the Phoenix slammed the door shut on any sort of a comeback with another 16-0 run to finish off the match strongly and send a statement to the top-of-the-table Sixers as finals approach.

The Phoenix were always going to need someone to step up in the absence of Sobey, and the man to answer the call was Ian Clark. The recently signed import was immense in the win over Adelaide, dropping 27 points on 11/18 shooting from the field and 5/9 shooting from behind the arc in a terrific scoring performance, and a necessary one at that.

All five starters finished with double-digits in the points column, and big man Jordan Hunter was again among the heavy hitters with 20 points of his own, while Owen Foxwell (15 points, 12 assists), John Brown III (14 points) and Wes Iwundu (13 points) all had excellent performances.

Cotton was almost a lone hand for the Sixers in their loss, producing a game-high 30 points on 10/20 shooting from the field and 9/10 shooting from the free throw line as he tried to spark something for Adelaide against the grain.

The Phoenix will look to keep their momentum rolling on Wednesday night when they take on a New Zealand Breakers side that is fighting to keep their season alive and are extremely dangerous, while the Sixers will also next suit up against the Breakers on Friday night as they look to bounce back from a pair of disappointing losses of late.