ROUND 11 of the National Basketball League (NBL1) saw plenty of excitement and big wins as the top of the table Sturt Sabres dominated in their clash against Central District Lions in the women’s while in the men’s it was a much closer round.

Men’s:

Forestville Eagles (89) defeated Norwood Flames (84)

The Eagles just snuck over the line against Norwood by a mere five points to notch up their eighth win of the season. Forestville opened up the lead at quarter time and they steadily grew that margin as the game went on. By half-time the home side was up by six points and kept the foot on the pedal in the third with a 21 to 18 point term. But Norwood rallied in the final term but left their run too late. Brandon Brine had a hot hand for the victors producing 33 points and 11 rebounds while Gregory Mays also chimed in with a handy 20 points and 11 rebounds of his own. Michael Harris also got busy with his 18 points while Jake Rios added 10 points to the winning total. Moses Nuangki was the topscorer for Norwood draining 23 points while CJ Turnage also found his groove with a triple-double thanks to his 19 points, 11 rebounds and 12 rebounds.

Women’s:

Forestville Eagles (56) defeated by Norwood Flames (64)

Norwood Flames overpowered Forestville Eagles in the second term setting them up for their fifth win of the season. it was a hard fought battle between the two sides as they went in hard for everything but in the end it was the Flames that found a winning formula. Brooke Basham was a lady on a mission thanks to her 27 points and six rebounds while Cara Annetts also impressed with her strength off the boards with 10 rebounds. Samantha Simons also got busy with her 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Alex Wilson inspired her side to victory thanks to her 26 points and 15 rebounds as Genna Anderson drained 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

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Men’s:

South Adelaide Panthers (109) defeated Eastern Mavericks (84)

South Adelaide claimed the win over the last placed Eastern Mavericks to improve their standings on the ladder. The Panthers had a commanding lead by the halftime swung around largely in part because of their 24 point to 15 point second term. But it did not stop there as they lifted another level in the third to pile on a whopping 34 points and although the Mavericks mounted a comeback in the final quarter, the game was all but over. Todd Davies had the ball on a string sinking 27 points at 59 per cent from the field while also picking up seven rebounds and four assists. Alex Mudronja made a lasting imprint with his 23 points in 31 minutes as Jarryd Hoppo also came to life with 21 points. Adam Brown was the only other player to reach double digits producing 19 points and six rebounds. William Wise was key for the Mavericks with is 23 points while Tom Cromarty also got involved thanks to his 19 points and eight rebounds.

Women’s:

South Adelaide Panthers (79) defeated Eastern Mavericks (66)

The Panthers collected a 13-point win over the Mavericks leading from start to finish. South Adelaide controlled proceedings and did not let the Mavericks gain any momentum despite going into halftime tied at 40 points apiece. The points were shared around for the Panthers with five players reaching double digits but it was Ashley Spencer that led the charge with 19 in her 36 minutes out on court. Jordan Hunter and Teresa McGreehan managed 13 points apiece in the win while Olivia Thompson registered a double-double with her 11 points and 17 rebounds. Mollie McKendrick was the topscorer for the Mavericks with her 20 points and 11 rebounds while Rachel Hines and Taylor Moffat found their groove with 17 points each.

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Men’s:

West Adelaide Bearcats (61) defeated by Southern Tigers (69)

It was a tight tussle between the Bearcats and Tigers with the latter just getting over the line in what was a seesawing affair. Both sides started the game off evenly before West Adelaide created some much needed scoreboard separation to forge ahead. But a huge final term of action from the Southern Tigers stunned the Bearcats as they were kept to a mere five points as the Tigers poured on 24 of their own to steal the win. Earnest Ross impressed with his 16 points and 12 rebounds as Bryan Michaels chimed in with a handy 15 points. Fabian Johnson and Lachie Hunter had no issues off the boards with 12 and 10 rebounds respectively in the loss. Cameron Coleman was amongst the thick of things with his 21 points, six rebounds and four steals while both Koop McCalop and Nick Wurm managed 15 points apiece in the win. Machar Machar hit the scoreboard with eight points but did some of his best work off the boards with 11 rebounds.

Women’s:

West Adelaide Bearcats (64) defeated Southern Tigers (79)

Despite an even first half of basketball the Southern Tigers put the footdown in the second half to seal the deal. West Adelaide held the lead at halftime albeit by two points but that was quickly turned around as the Tigers upped the ante to shift the momentum and steal the game. Jennie Rintala was a real livewire with her 19 points and seven rebounds for the Bearcats while teammate Jasmin Fejo wasted no time slotting 17 points in her 27 minutes to keep her side within striking distance. Teige Morrell continued to be a thorn in the side of the opposition sinking 28 points and eight rebounds as Morgan Yaeger chimed in on the action with 18 points at 43 per cent from the field. Jemma Thacker was the only other player to leave single digits thanks to her 13 points.

Men’s:

Sturt Sabres (96) defeated Central District Lions (89)

Top of the table Sturt Sabres powered past Central District Lions surviving a final quarter fightback. The Lions got the jump start in the first term before the Sabres controlled the second and third quarters with a 27 point to 11 stanza all but setting up the win. Sam Daly and Joel Spear got the ball rolling for Sturt with 25 and 23 points apiece with the latter also dominating off the boards with a huge 16 rebounds. Keanu Rasmussen also imposed himself with his 14 points and five rebounds to get his side over the line. Lual Diing was one of the best on the court for Central Districts with his 18 points at 40 per cent from the field while Shaquille Maharaj was hot on his heels with 17 points and three assists. Brodie Nathan worked in overdrive to keep his side in it with 13 points but it was not enough.

Women’s:

Sturt Sabres (105) defeated Central District Lions (35)

It was a complete demolition job by the Sabres as they walked over the top of Central District Lions by 70 points. The Lions only managed to reach double digits in a quarter once credit to the immense defensive pressure from the Sabres. Central Districts only recorded 16 points in the second half compared to Sturt who poured on 53. Every single player on the Sturt roster hit the scoreboard with Jade Johnson the most prolific of the lot with 30 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. Jasmine Rigoni and Kayla Matthews were the next best with 16 points each while Soriah Moon imposed herself off the boards with a whopping 17 rebounds, 12 of which were offensive. April Rummery-Lamb was the main target for the Lions with her 13 points at 83 per cent from the field while Jessica Puvogel slotted 10 points.

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Men’s:

Woodville Warriors (96) defeated North Adelaide Rockets (103)

The final game of the round saw North Adelaide Rockets prevail over Woodville Warriors in a close encounter. It was a high scoring affair as a dominant second quarter of action gifted North Adelaide the win. Unable to be separated for majority of the match, the Rockets rallied to grind out the game and keep the Warriors at bay. Julian Jacobs played a full 40 minutes and made his presence felt with his 26 points and 11 rebounds. Joe Jackson nailed 20 points and 11 rebounds as James Boonstoppel also kept the scoreboard ticking over with his 18 points. Jack McVeigh ran riot with his 33 points as Sunday Dech showed his class producing 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

Women’s:

Woodville Warriors (70) defeated North Adelaide Rockets (96)

There was plenty to like about the contest between Woodville Warriors and North Adelaide Rockets with the latter pulling away in the second and third term to secure the ascendancy. Although the Warriors showed glimpses of fight they simply could not maintain that level of intensity throughout the match. Emily Winter was dynamic and influential with her 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Serena Waters also chipped in with 13 points. Sam Defrancesco was imperative for the Rockets draining 25 points as Jess Good plied her trade with 17 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists to fall just short of a triple-double.

Photo credit: Kelly Barnes/Allstar photos