Sexton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1984, 1985).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Peter Sexton made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers on 26/4/1986. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Coming off a Grand Final loss to Brisbane, Adelaide rebounded with what is considered the greatest season in NBL history. The team’s 24-2 win-loss record—a 92.3 percent success rate—has never been matched or bettered. Of their 27 total victories that year, 17 were by at least 20 points, and the 36ers’ only two losses in 1986 were to West Sydney (87-89) and Coburg (114-116) on long bomb buzzer-beaters. Effectively, they were about six seconds short of a perfect 26-0 regular season. Adelaide averaged 117.3 points a game in their winning spree, conceding just 96.0, a winning buffer of 21.3 points. In claiming the regular season championship, they finished five wins clear of the 19-7 second-placed Canberra Cannons.

Mark Davis (25.3 points, 16.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) led the league in rebounding and was selected to the All-NBL First Team. Alongside Davis, Al Green (19.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), Darryl Pearce (19.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists), Bill Jones (19.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks), and Mike McKay (13.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) rounded out the starting line-up. Peter Sexton (0.6 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists) played a limited role as a reserve player but contributed to Adelaide’s depth during their historic season.

As a rookie, Sexton would play a role in Adelaide finishing the season in top spot. This year, Adelaide was unbeatable at home, winning all 13 games at a sold-out Apollo Stadium. This was extended to 14-0 after Darryl Pearce (28 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Al Green (27 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the 36ers over Illawarra (116-92) in the semi-final. Including their home games from 1985, Adelaide’s streak extended to 20-0. This set up a Grand Final rematch against the Brisbane Bullets, who had finished third, to decide the 1986 NBL Championship.

The league extended the deciding series from a single-game playoff to a three-game series this season. Adelaide won the opening match (122-119), with Mark Davis (38 points, 23 rebounds, and 5 assists) leading the way. Bill Jones (30 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Darryl Pearce (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) were also instrumental in the win. Sexton played limited minutes in the series, appearing in Game 1 but failing to score a point.

As the series moved to Brisbane, the 36ers were handed a 21-point loss (104-84), but they regrouped for Game 3 at Apollo Stadium, defeating Brisbane (113-91) to bring South Australia its second NBL Championship in five years. Although Sexton didn’t feature heavily in the postseason, his contributions helped the 36ers during their incredible regular season run.

1987
The Adelaide 36ers entered the 1987 season with most of their key players returning, including Mark Davis (26.1 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals), Al Green (23.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), Darryl Pearce (20.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists), Bill Jones (14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks), and Mike McKay (14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists). Peter Sexton (1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists) provided additional depth for the team, coming off the bench under new head coach Gary Fox.

Adelaide opened the season with a strong win over Westside Melbourne (131-105). However, they faced a challenging stretch early in the season, suffering a three-game losing streak that began with a loss to North Melbourne (103-106) and ended with a defeat to Perth (104-106). The 36ers rebounded quickly, going on a five-game winning streak, starting with a victory over Brisbane (127-111) and finishing with a win against Eastside (98-87).

Sexton played a limited role throughout the season, providing backup minutes when needed. Adelaide then went on an eight-game winning streak, beginning with a close win over Canberra (118-115) and concluding with a victory over Sydney (108-103), before their run was stopped by Hobart (108-112).

The 36ers recorded their biggest win of the season against West Sydney (147-99) on July 17, while their most disappointing loss came against Illawarra (108-90) on June 25. Sexton’s role, while small statistically, contributed to the team’s overall depth as Adelaide finished the regular season with the league’s best record at 21-5, ending the season with a win over Geelong (128-97).

In the playoffs, Adelaide earned a first-round bye and faced Perth in the semi-finals. Sexton provided support off the bench as the 36ers narrowly won Game 1 (99-98). Despite their efforts, Adelaide lost Game 2 (99-101) and the deciding Game 3 (103-93), bringing their season to a close as they lost the series 2-1.

Although Peter Sexton had limited playing time, his contributions off the bench helped Adelaide maintain their strength in depth, allowing them to finish with the best record in the league and a solid regular season campaign.

Peter Sexton played three seasons the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 28 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.