Walton Jr’s Fond Memories of a Phoenix Blockbuster

On opposite sides that December 2022 night in Traralgon, Mitchell Creek led the South East Melbourne Phoenix to a 113-112 double-overtime victory with an astonishing 46 points.

Not often does a performance in a season match up to that type of herculean effort, let alone the same game, but Sydney’s Derrick Walton Jr fired his best shot with 45 points to wow the Gippsland crowd and the league over.

In one night, the two joined Chris Goulding, Kirk Penney and Bryce Cotton as the only players to have scored more than 45 points in the 40-minute era.

15 seasons, 1,854 games – and only five players have achieved the feat.

Post-game Creek shouted out Walton Jr’s efforts and said he was ‘proud’ to be a part of such an intense clash with one of the game’s greats.

That small touch may have been a reason why Walton Jr reached out to Creek and the Phoenix to be a part of the Heartland two years later.

Walton Jr remembers the night fondly and regards it as one the best games he’s played in his eight-year pro-career.

“Top five for sure, it was a chaotic environment, the ball was flowing, and I was being aggressive,” Walton Jr told Phoenix Media.

The former NBA guard also paid special tribute to Owen Foxwell, who had a breakout game at the tender age of 19 tasked with guarding Walton Jr.

“I remember thinking, who is this dude that won’t leave me alone.”

“He’s someone you want to be on the same side as, he was very, very persistent on making it tough for me. Then on offence he was making plays.

“He’s a fearless young guy and it’s good to have young talent – he’s definitely one of them.”

𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 = 𝑭𝒐𝒙𝒚 🦊 @Owenfoxwell

🎟 Very limited tickets remain for our SBC games in Jan: https://t.co/Kgq4FOkax5 pic.twitter.com/sS1HMQKC61

— South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) December 19, 2022

The pairing of Creek and Walton Jr means two of the league’s greatest scorers are now on the same roster.

Opposition teams will be scratching their heads as to how to stop the league’s most-potent one-two punch come the regular season.

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