DESPITE her Eastern Mavericks falling to the South Adelaide Panthers in the National Basketball League (NBL)1 Central Women’s, talented young tall Emmy Roach was a huge positive.

Roach has announced herself as a young talent to watch throughout the 2024 season, especially after playing an integral role for South Australia at the Under-20’s National Championships earlier this year, and had a big part to play for the Mavericks.

Eastern faced off against South Adelaide at Mitchell Park Sports and Community Centre on Saturday evening, with both sides looking to build momentum. The Mavericks were looking to roll into a three-game winning streak, while the Panthers had a solid win last round and were looking to back that up with a home win.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the Mavericks lost every quarter, and were simply outworked by the hosts across all four periods. In the end, South Adelaide cruised home to a 14-point win, and an important result for its season.

Regardless of the result, Roach was fantastic for Eastern, posting some eye-catching numbers to signal more growth in her game.

South Adelaide Panthers (62) def. Eastern Mavericks (48)

Emmy Roach – 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals

Roach was a standout for Eastern in a low-scoring defeat, playing a key role in the paint and doing a lot of the dirty work to try and conjure some sort of a comeback.

Although she only had 10 points, it was on limited shots, making four baskets on six attempts, all coming close to the basket as she used strength and footwork to get into scoring positions. Her big frame in the post also resulted in some trips to the free throw line, although she only made two of her four attempts from the charity stripe.

On the glass, Roach combined with Penzy Hocking to control the skies for Easter, although the pair had a tough task on their hands containing Brittany Hodges (14 rebounds) for the Panthers. Roach’s 10 boards were made up of seven defensive rebounds and three offensive rebounds, getting it done on both ends to make an impact in that aspect of the game.

Roach’s performance was a big tick for the Mavericks in a tough day at the office, and she should get the opportunity to grow from this performance moving forward.