IT was another action packed round in the National Basketball League (NBL1) Central as the Forestville Eagles claimed a big win in the men’s, while in the women’s it was the Sturt Sabres that walked away with a resounding victory.

Men’s:

Woodville Warriors (77) defeated by Sturt Sabres (99)

Stuart Sabres claimed a 22-point win over Woodville warriors leading from the opening minutes of the game. The Sabres came out with a point to prove in the first quarter piling on 26 points to 24 to take a handy two point buffer into the quarter time break. That momentum continued in the second as they forged ahead ever so slightly. But the nail in the coffin came in the third term where the Sabres added 25 points to 10 to really assert their dominance and then eventually take out the match.

Luke Stanbridge was amongst the action for the Warriors draining 17 points at 40 per cent from the field as he also accumulated four rebounds in the loss. Riley Meldrum was the other main contributor for Woodville as he produced 13 points and collected five rebounds and five assists. Hayden Meakes was arguably best afield for the Sabres sinking 20 points and four rebounds as teammate Keanu Rasmussen got busy with his 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Joel Spear, Sam Daly and Tom Goodall played instrumental roles in the win nailing 14,12 and 10 points respectively.

Women’s:

Woodville Warriors (43) defeated by Sturt Sabres (126)

It was a complete and utter demolition job by Sturt Sabres claiming a 83-point win over Woodville Warriors. The Sabres came out with a point to prove in the opening term adding 28 points to their opponents 15. But that was only a sign of what was to come as Sturt kept the Warriors to a combined 16 points in the second and third term to really claim the ascendancy. They did not take the foot off the pedal in the final quarter piling on 37 points to 12 to run home with a comfortable win.

Serena Waters was the only player to hit double-digits for the Warriors contributing 11 points to her sides total but she did also managed two rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks. Emily Winter tried hard for her nine points and three rebounds as Katherine Perkas drained six points and five rebounds. It was a different story in the Sabres camp as six players made it out of single digits on the scoring front. Kylee Smith was electric with 21 points in 16 minutes as she also collected seven rebounds. Jade Johnson was commanding producing 15 points and four assists as Tayla Brazel, Zoe Walker-Roberts and Soriah Moon finished with 14 points to their name with the latter also reeling in 10 rebounds.

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Men’s:

South Adelaide Panthers (68) defeated by Norwood Flames (73)

It was a tight tussle between South Adelaide Panthers an Norwood flames with the latter just sneaking over the line by a mere five points. The flames got on top nice and early and then really put the foot down in their second term creating a handy 10 point lead at half-time. It turned into somewhat of a shootout in the third term with both sides putting up 22 points but it was not until the final quarter that the Panthers got their rhythm up and running to eat back into the margin in give Norwood a scare, but it was too little too late.

Alex Mudronja was once again a force to be reckoned with topscoring for the Panthers with his 24 points and just fell short of a double-double thanks to his nine rebounds. Todd Davies chimed in with a handy 15 points and eight rebounds as Codey Ellison worked in overdrive for his seven points and impressive 12 rebounds. Matt Lycett was up and about for the Flames recording a team high 21 points at 44 per cent from the field. It did not stop there as Lycett managed nine rebounds and two assists in the win. CJ Turnage was relatively quiet by his lofty standards producing 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Daniel Webber proved to be solid thanks to his 11 points.

Women’s:

South Adelaide Panthers (97) defeated Norwood Flames (83)

South Adelaide strung together their third consecutive win after defeating Norwood Flames by 14 points. It was a tight opening first term but South Adelaide managed to get the upper hand albeit by a narrow two points. They continued to work in overdrive in the second term to create a handy buffer and then kept that momentum going in the third quarter where they added 29 points to 18. The Flames hit back in the final term with 24 points to 19 but simply left their run too late.

Olivia Thompson was at her devastating best for the Panthers recording 25 points and a whopping 16 rebounds to accompany her four assists and two steals in what was an all-round stellar performance. Hannah Stewart also stamped her authority on the match topscoring with 34 points at 60 per cent from the field. Jordan Hunter also made sure her presence was felt nailing 14 points and dishing off a staggering 14 dimes in the win. For Norwood it was the ever-reliable Alex Wilson that was running the show with her 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Genna Anderson chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds. The efforts of Tara Girardi and Sophie Kerridge did not go unnoticed sinking 13 and 12 points respectively but it was not enough to get their side over the line.

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Men’s:

Southern Tigers (84) defeated Eastern Mavericks (70)

Southern Tigers continued their winning streak to make it four on the trot while the Mavericks continued their struggles. The Tigers established an early two-point lead and proceeded to add to it in the second term with a 25 points to 13 quarter to really tighten the screws. It was closer in the third and the Mavericks managed to outscore their opponents in the final but the damage was already done.

The Tigers had no shortage of scoring options with five players reaching double-digits highlighting just how versatile the squad is. Christian Artacho led the troops with his 17 points, seven rebounds and one assist. He was ably assisted by Nick Wurm who in fine form thanks to his 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one steal. Machar Machar also managed 15 points at 47 per cent from the field as Koop McCalop put in the hard yards with his double-double consisting of 13 points and 17 rebounds. Cameron Coleman was the other to feature highly for the Tigers credit to his 11 points and four assists. William Wise was by far the best contributor for the Mavericks posting 28 points in his 40 minutes out on court. He also recorded 11 rebounds in the loss. Teammates Owen Raneberg and Diing Lual both managed 10 points apiece while Tom Cromarty proved to be a force to be reckoned with off the boards thanks to his 12 rebounds.

Women’s:

Southern Tigers (60) defeated Eastern Mavericks (54)

The Southern Tigers survived an overtime scare from the Eastern Maverick to clinch a six point win in what was an incredibly tight contest. The Tigers burst out of the gates in the opening quarter nailing 12 points and keeping the Mavericks to a mere one point. But he Mavericks were not about to lie down hitting back in the second term to add a little bit more respectability to the margin. The momentum swung back and forth with the Mavericks throwing everything they had at the Tigers in the final term to pile on 23 points to six and send the game into extra time. But in the end it was the Tigers that found another gear to kick into running rampant with 11 points to five to steal the win.

Teige Morrell was once again a driving force for the Tigers draining 21 points and a ridiculous 26 rebounds, of which 18 were defensive. She also accumulated four assists and three steals to guide her side to victory. Jemma Thacker was solid with her 16 points, six rebounds and four assists as Isabella Stratford chimed in with 12 points at 50 per cent from the field. Mollie McKendrick led the charge for the Mavericks finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds. The scoring dropped off after her as Taylor Moffat was the next closest with eight points and Rachel Hines with six.

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Men’s:

Central District Lions (90) defeated by Forestville Eagles (111)

Forestville Eagles got the job done by 21 points against Central District Lions in the final game of the round. It was an incredibly high scoring opening first term from the Eagles as they piled on a whopping 37 points and opened up a handy nine-point lead at quarter time. That momentum trickled into the second term as they continued to increase their lead. The third term followed a similar trajectory as Forestville piled on 33 points to the Central District’s 24 holding all this way at three quarter time. Although the Lions managed to peg back the margin in the fourth term it was too little too late as the Eagles ran out victors.

Shaquille Maharaj was the topscorer for the Lions producing 20 points at 41 per cent from the field along with five rebounds and two assists. Magok Manyang chimed in with a handy 17 points in his 30 minutes of court time as Lual Diing also got busy credit to his 16 points and eight rebounds. David Humphries made his presence felt nailing 12 points at 50 per cent from the field. The Eagles were littered with top contributors as Michael Harris and Malith Machar both reached 30 points. Harris walked away with 34 points, four rebounds and seven assists to his name as Malith went one better registering a double-double with his 33 points and `14 rebound haul. Gregory Mays imposed himself with his 19 points and 10 rebounds as did Jake Rios who slotted 10 points and seven assists in the win.

Women’s:

Central District Lions (49) defeated by Forestville Eagles (88)

It was a one-sided affair as the Eagles right over the top of the lions by 39 points. Forestville did all the running in the first quarter and did not stop, more than doubling the score of the Lions in the second term to boast a commanding lead at half time. Forestville simply could not be denied piling on 24 points while keeping the Lions to just 10 in the third highlighting their all-round defensive pressure. Although the scoring dried up a little bit in the final quarter of action the Eagles had done enough to claim the win.

No one managed to record double-digits for the Lions with the highest individual total eight points as held by Erin Boyd, Madelyn Curry and Meaza Otto with the trio also lending a hand off the boards. Rebecca Wells and Samantha Kennett both finished with seven points to their name with the latter also registering four rebounds. However, the Eagles had no trouble scoring as Samantha Simons registered a handy 21 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals in the win. Amy Cotton had an impact with her 14 points as Zali Grosser managed a double-double credit to her 10 points and 13 rebounds.

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Results:

Men’s: West Adelaide Bearcats (65) defeated by North Adelaide Rockets (83)
Women’s: West Adelaide Bearcats (85) defeated North Adelaide Rockets (84)

Photo credit: @photographyby.af