Central ABL Round 6 - Mavericks down Rockets to break the drought
South Adelaide Panthers v Norwood Panthers
Women’s: South Adelaide Panthers 49 – 79 Norwood Flames
The Norwood juggernaut rolled through again in Round 6, dismantling the plucky Panthers.
The Flames success came about by keeping league leading scorer Janae Howard (9 points and 10 rebounds) very quiet and inefficient on the night, with Howard going 3/17 from the field. South found success through the hands of Teresa Kinross (16 points and 8 rebounds), however Jess Mahony was swamped on the defensive end, giving up the ball eight times.
Jess Foley (21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 steals) was crucial to Norwood executing their game plan, with a solid contribution from Amy Lewis (17 points and 8 rebounds).
The win leaves the Flames a game ahead for first place, with now only the Sabres looking to pose a threat for the minor premiership clean sweep. South are still in the five, two games ahead of the sixth placed Warriors.
Men’s: South Adelaide Panthers 65 – 69 Norwood Flames
The Panther men’s dream run has come to an abrupt end, at the hands of the ever-dangerous Flames outfit. The Panthers worked their way ahead by 4 at the final break, but a final surge from the experienced Flames side proved too much.
Norwood saw increased production from Matthew Lycett (18 points and 17 rebounds), and gun guard Andrew Webber (18 points and 6 rebounds). The Flames shooting woes continue, going only 35% from the field, and 43% from the stripe. Certainly some important areas they will need to work on to be considered a threat.
The Panthers again saw significant performances from Shane Boal (16 points and 6 rebounds) as well as versatile swingman Jordan Robertson (18 points and 10 rebounds). Dominant centre Bradley Reid had a very quiet night, held to only 3 points in a foul interrupted 12 minutes of play.
South could have moved a game clear into the five with a win, but the loss slides them to 7th place on percentage. The Flames have leap frogged the Panthers for 5th place.
West Adelaide Bearcats v Central District Lions
Women’s: West Adelaide Bearcats 75 – 51 Central District Lions
The Bearcats took the game away from Centrals in the first half, and using the third period to drive a nail in the coffin of the Lions.
Aimee Herriman was the Lions best on the night, posting 19 points and 5 rebounds in a stand alone effort. West again played a team game, spreading the points across 5 players in double figures.
Kate Sheirlaw took home top scoring honours with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals and whilst going 57% from the field. West dominated every key statistic, most notably a +16 count on the boards.
The win takes them to 7th on the ladder, whilst the Lions remain winless for what is looking like a long season for them.
Credit: Photo Credit: Tanya Fielding Photography
Men’s: West Adelaide Bearcats 78 – 90 Central District Lions
West have fallen victims to the Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde like Lions squad, by 12 points at home. The Lions punched a 12-point third quarter margin, and held off one of this years final’s favourites in a game that is sure to kickstart their season.
Centrals look to have finally found their long lost mojo, with import guard scoring machine Kyle Miller finding the bottom of the net for 19 points and 10 rebounds, whilst the reliable Chris Clausen took home 18 points and 8 rebounds. Veteran Matt Atkins turned back the clock, for 14 points and 8 rebounds with 5 assists. The Lions took 30 shots from deep, and converted as 47% to stretch the Bearcats defense.
West were heavily reliant on big man and league leading rebounder Blake Truslove, who had 19 points and 15 rebounds, whilst import point and league leading scorer Jason Dawson had 24 points and 5 assists. But that is where it stopped. The rest of the team went 12/45 on the night, in a performance that made the Bearcats look very much beatable.
West are in second place on the ladder, tied with three other sides on wins for first place. The Lions, who don’t forget, last week lost their first half to the last placed Mavericks, now move to 6th place, and surprisingly only 1-game out of the five.
Woodville Warriors v Sturt Sabres
Women’s: Woodville Warriors 62 – 86 Sturt Sabres
The Sabres have continued to consolidate their spot as the only real threat to the Flames this year, with a classy effort against a valiant but predictable Warriors unit. Sturt were up by only 3 at the half, before kicking it up a notch and winning the second half by 21 points.
The Warriors shot the ball well for the first 20 minutes, however went cold after the break once the intensity stepped up. Carmen Reynolds (21 points and 10 rebounds) proved her worth yet again, whilst Katherine Perkas (18 points and 9 rebounds) was threatening.
The Sabres have seen a serious improvement from the first few rounds this year, with the inclusion of star recruit Natalie Novosel. Novosel (17 points) was quieter than we had become accustom to, however the tireless effort of Lucy Spalding (15 points and 13 rebounds) and Hannah Richards (18 points and 9 rebounds), kept the Warriors spread defensively.
Sturt are now on a three game streak, in 4th place on percentage, and likely to improve. The Warriors are 2 games out of the five, in 6th place on percentage.
Men’s: Woodville Warriors 101 – 76 Sturt Sabres
The Warriors poured on 54 second half points, to put away contender Sturt by 25-points, in an important win for Woodville.
The Doctor, Darren Ng, was back to his masterful best for the Warriors, with 31 points at 61%, whilst import Alex Starling (23 points and 12 rebounds) finding some post-injury form. Bench spark plug Luke Stanbridge (16 points and 9 rebounds), continues with his impressive form, surely to be seeing more minutes in the very near future.
Tim Klaosen (22 points and 13 rebounds) was again the Sabres best player by far, with last week’s saviour Dexter Moore shooting 7/21 for 21 points. Sturts defense let them down the most, allowing fluent ball movement and leaving shooters open, with the Warriors shooting 55% from the field and 47% from 3.
Woodville stay in top spot on percentage, whilst the Sabres, whom could have been a game clear on top, move to 4th place tied with Woodville on wins, but down on percentage.
Forestville Eagles v Southern Tigers
Women’s: Forestville Eagles 82 – 69 Southern Tigers
The Eagles have again done enough to secure win number 4 this season, downing the Tigers by 13 points at home. The first quarter hurt the slow starting Tigers, giving up a 12 point lead after only 10 minutes of play. The second extended that margin, with the Eagles out by 16 at the half. A spirited second half saw Southern compete, however they struggled to eat into the game winning margin.
For the Eagles, Jade Johnson (31 points and 8 rebounds), was lethal from range, shooting 7/10 three balls. Danielle Angley (13 points and 4 assists) provided a spark of the bench, in what was a poor shooting performance for the Eagles, going only 33% for the evening.
The Tigers fought hard in the second half, bolstered by the play of Kelsie Rutland (20 points) and Shayde Quintrell (8 points and 16 rebounds), but a poor first half clip of 10/39 secured their fate.
Forestville take 3rd place on percentage, whilst Southern, now on a three game slide, move to 8th place.
Men’s: Forestville Eagles 72 – 73 Southern Tigers
The inconsistent Eagles have gifted the depleted Tigers side, a 1-point victory, in a game that should have been pencilled in for a win.
Southern were without their two best players in Sam Johns and Sam McDaniel, who are both injured and out indefinitely. Codey Ellison showed a performance that he is capable of every week, with 18 points and 9 rebounds at 67% from the field. Tim Smyth performed well against his old side, going home with 12 points and 5 rebounds at 56%. The Tigers shot the ball at 47% from the field, and outrebounded the Eagles by 8.
The Eagles offense was again run through the hands of Jake Rios (21 points), however his inefficient 8/22 from the field, including 3/11 from deep hurt his side. Brad Gerlach (11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals) was simply awesome for the home side, but the Eagles needed more offensive firepower with previous league leading scorer Trent Fildes having a quiet night by his standards.
The Eagles are in unfamiliar territory, down in 8th place and on a three game losing streak. The Tigers have bounced back to third place on percentage, and will look to consolidate, however the loss of key personnel may hurt them.
North Adelaide Rockets v Eastern Mavericks
Women’s: North Adelaide Rockets 91 – 63 Eastern Mavericks
The Rockets have put away the Mavericks by 28 points, in a game that was never really in doubt. North pushed to a 20-point half time lead, before a third period smashing, putting the result out of question.
North’s starters all saw 20-odd minutes, and managed to all score double figures for the night. Jess Smart (24 points) top scored on the night, in a offensive display that she is known for. Jo Hill (12 points and 13 rebounds) and Jamie-Lee Peris (15 points and 14 rebounds) were their usual dominant selves.
For the Mavericks Georgia Green (14 points and 10 rebounds) was superb, Shannon Tarran (13 points) and Samantha Lubcke (13 points) helped to shoulder some of the scoring load, however they lacked any real support from the rest of the team. League leading rebounder and key player Emma Hooley played limited minutes, and had no impact on the game.
North are a game ahead in second place, whilst the Mavericks stay a game ahead of the last placed Lions.
Men’s: North Adelaide Rockets 74 – 83 Eastern Mavericks
The Eastern Mavericks have registered win number 1 for season 2014, against the unlikely victims, the Rockets. North have had a horror season so far, and perhaps this was the loss they needed to regroup. The Mavericks were up by 3 at the half, and 1 at three quarter time, but a final quarter run, saw them run away with the game.
North had good contribution from Pero Vasiljevic (18 points and 6 rebounds), Daniel Goodluck (16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assist), however both fouled out, with Pero only seeing 17 minutes of game time. Luke Mapunda (20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists) was the Rockets best player on the night.
For Eastern, Curtis Scipio was again the leader on the floor, with 20 points and 4 assists, whilst coach captain Will Smith (17 points) was inspirational in the fight. The Mavericks only racked up 17 fouls on the night, to North’s 30, which saw Eastern go to the line 37 times, compared with only 11 for the Rockets.
The shock win for the Mavericks still sees them in 10th place on the ladder, and North slump to 9th, and only 1 game ahead.
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