Central District Lions v Sturt Sabres, Sat, May 8th, 8.15pm at Starplex
The Lions men, who currently sit at the foot of the table, face a challenging assignment hosting the Sturt Sabres who at the top of the table and one game clear of the chasing pack. Centrals coach Scott Whitmore has had two weeks to prepare his team for this game and will be looking to break a 3 game losing streak. With Zane Reeves (15.4ppg), import Wade Pidock (13.3ppg) and Matt Atkins, he has players capable of posting a big score. Standing in his way will be Sturt’s Tom Daly (19ppg) who has played all the matches this season and Adelaide 36ers Jacob Holmes (20.5ppg) and Darren Ng (15ppg). The battle of the boards should be a highlight and don’t expect the Sabres to have it all their own way.

Eastern Mavericks v Norwood Flames, Sat, May 8th, 8.15pm at Adelaide Hills
Eastern grabbed a victory against South when Cameron Myles, with a season high 19 points and 6 assists, scored on the buzzer. Under new Coach Steve Breheny the team is developing its game and Jordan Dodman (15ppg) has given it more flexibility. Shane Breheny and Brad Hill consistently produce good numbers. For the Flames, David Cooper has strengthened their line-up - first game back he finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. In the battle of the boards, Norwood’s Todd Matthews, Keith Krause and Cooper are not expected to be as dominant as they were against the Tigers when the team clearly won the rebound count 55 - 29. With both teams winning recent games, the favourite is not clear cut.

Southern Tigers v Woodville Warriors, Sat, May 8th, 8.15pm at Morphett Vale
With both opponents sitting towards the foot of the premiership table, this clash is vitally important. Last round the Tigers had a poor third quarter and were beaten in the rebound count. For the visitors it was almost a club double celebration but a pair of foul shots by Tom Rowe with 15 seconds remaining spoiled the party. The Tigers’ Tristan Braithwaite has been posting big numbers and Scott O’Connor had a season high 13 points against Norwood. The outcome of the duel between guards Joel Goodenough (Tigers) and Cameron Wilson (Warriors) will be important in deciding the outcome. Will the home court advantage be enough for a much needed win or will Brady Brink fire up for the Warriors to claim victory?

Forestville Eagles v South Adelaide Panthers, Sat, May 8th, 8.15pm at Wayville
Forestville has relied heavily on Riley Luettgerodt (26.7 ppg) in offence this season, and while 12 points per game from Nick Blair have been a handy addition, the Eagles’ offence has not yet reached the potency of previous seasons. South has had a frustrating season, and their improvement is not yet reflected on the premiership table. Last week’s 2 point loss to Eastern was heartbreaking, and none of the margins in their other 4 losses have been greater than 10 points. Sammy Gazzo (21.1 ppg) will be a handful for Forestville, as will Luettgerodt for South.

North Adelaide Rockets v West Adelaide, Sat, May 8th, 6.15pm at Hillcrest
With both clubs in a four way tie for second position, this match shapes as the match of the round. For the Rockets, Tom Rowe (the match winner last week), Michael Zorich and Rhys Elliott have been their main avenues to post a winning score. The Bearcats have Brad Davidson who compiled a season high 25 points in the loss to Sturt, Kurtis Phillips and Josh Bond as their main scorers. Nick Hambour (North) would have been in for a torrid night matched against Blake Truslove and Chris Molitor (West) but Pero Vasiljevic who has recently been playing in France is expected to play his first game for the Rockets. His inclusion could be enough to swing the result in favour of the home team.