THE North Adelaide Rockets ensured the Eastern Mavericks’ search for a maiden win for the 2023 NBL1 Central Women season continued, thanks to an important performance from Brooke Basham.

The Rockets have started the fixture in reasonable form, but could not generate a winning streak, and came into the match against an Eastern side that was winless after seven games, and eager to cause an upset at The Lights Community and Sports Centre on Saturday night.

However, North Adelaide showcased its potential as a winning side from the first quarter, where it outscored the Mavericks 31-19. The Rockets were simply too dynamic on the offensive end, and proved too much of a handful in the first half, before taking an 18-point lead into the main change. Although the Mavericks delivered a much more equalising performance in the third, the Rockets put the game to bed in the final term, and finished the game with a 23-point triumph.

The performance of Basham was one of the defining factors of the game for North Adelaide, with the guard trying her hand at everything and successfully getting her team to a fourth victory on the season.

North Adelaide Rockets (100) def. Eastern Mavericks (77)

Brooke Basham – 26 points, six rebounds, 10 assists

Although she has delivered purely scoring performances in the past, Basham impacted the game in a number of areas as her side moved into fourth spot in the standings.

In a game where a lot of North Adelaide players chimed in on the offensive end, Basham was the standout from a scoring perspective. Her 26 points were the most of anyone on the court, and reached the total on some impressive accuracy from the field.

The guard nailed 10 of her 16 shots, showing patience with ball in hand and waiting for the right scoring opportunity. She was at her best when firing off attempts from behind the arc, draining six three-pointers from just 10 attempts. It has been a strength of her game for a while, and was at the forefront against Eastern.

Basham was also a capable rebounder, crashing the glass with intent and embracing contact in order to secure the possession for North Adelaide. She pulled down an impressive six boards – all of them defensive – despite being outsized a lot of the time by the taller frontcourt players from either side.

It was also the 25-year-old’s best passing performance of the season to date, ensuring her teammates had the best possible chance to get a look at the hoop. She had a higher usage than some previous performances, and made sure to get her fellow Rockets involved on her way to a game-high 10 assists.

It was Basham best showing of an already strong 2023 campaign, and was a crucial factor in North Adelaide’s fourth win of the season.