ON a weekend where basketball was a scarce commodity, one competition produced some ripping action. The National Basketball League (NBL)1 Central action continued on a limited scale over the Easter weekend, with most basketball organisations taking time off. However, there was still two games to take place in the Central division, in a Good Friday double-header.

The West Adelaide Bearcats hosted the Southern Tigers in both the men’s and women’s competition on Friday evening. Despite the women’s being a bit of a blowout, the men’s game was a ripping contest. It was a display of two sides desperate for a win. Only the Bearcats came into the game with a victory next to their name, so the Tigers were eager to get on the board for season 2022. In a tense contest, the visitors managed to get the job done thanks to a powerful final term, where they stormed away to claim a 10-point triumph on the road.

West Adelaide Bearcats (66) def. by Southern Tigers (76)

First Half

The match started in scrappy fashion, with neither side able to put up a strong enough score to break away. There was just a combined 23 points for the term, as both squads focussed on the defensive end of the court. The Tigers led by five points at the first break, after a quiet finish to the period from both sides. Quarter number two saw the Tigers extend their lead by three, although it looked as if it was going to be worse for the Bearcats for a while there. A free throw to Riccardo Martin Jr. got the margin up to eight points to conclude the first half of play, with plenty for the Bearcats to do.

Second Half

The Bearcats lifted to start the second half, chipping away at the deficit in the third term to make it game on. Nate Sheppard got going from behind the arc, with a couple of big buckets as his side erased the margin over the course of the third quarter. The home side trailed by just two points heading into the final term, setting up a thrilling last 10 minutes of play. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, their opponents well and truly owned the final period, moving the ball inside and scoring in the paint far too many times than West Adelaide would have liked. The burst of scoring saw the match move out of reach for the hosts, as the Tigers walked away 10-point victors.

Standout Performers

For the visitors, there were a number of strong performers, with five players registering in double-digits in the points column. Martin Jr. led the way with 15 points, while Vionte Daniels was not far behind on 13 points himself. The sheer volume of contributors proved too much for West Adelaide. Sheppard scored a game-high 17 points and teammate Nikolas DeSantis contributed 16 of his own, but unfortunately, the pair’s efforts was not quite enough to get the Bearcats over the line.

In the women’s game of the same matchup, the Bearcats claimed a convincing win over the Tigers to the tune of 16 points at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre on Friday afternoon. It was a win that was set up by a big performance in the second and third quarters, as the victors cruised home to victory.