The Norwood Flames have been victorious for the sixth time in as many matches, after defeating Forestville 68-51 at Mars on Saturday.

Jess Foley had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, as the home side confined the Eagles to a third straight defeat.

Foley shot 9-17 from the field, on a night when the two teams combined shot just 42-126.

2010 Championship winner Kelsey Ireland had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals against her former club.

No other Flame finished in double-figures, but with Forestville connecting on just 19 field goals at 31 per cent, as well as committing 23 turnovers, it did not matter.

Georgia Minear again top scored for the Eagles with 14 points, while also posting 7 boards and 3 steals.

Alex Duncan had 13 points, while Jess Fergus played her heart out as always, finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Norwood built its victory with a 16-7 opening period.

The Flames regained the lead with seven minutes left in the first quarter and never relinquished it.

The first five minutes were ultra-defensive, before Ireland broke the game open with back-to-back treys, igniting a 10-0 run.

Unable to gain any offensive momentum in the first, the Eagles needed to find it sharp-shooter in the second, but it never happened.

Norwood continued its dominance, with Foley’s hot shooting giving Forestville further problems.

Rachel Herrick chipped in with a couple of baskets, as the Flames won the second quarter 21-13, giving them a 37-20 half-time advantage.

The third quarter had been pivotal in a number of the Eagles’ matches this season.

Forestville had won just one third period for the season, which was against Sturt in Round 4, which got them back into that particular game after looking gone at half-time.

In its most recent encounter at West, things went from bad to worse for the Eagles during the third quarter.

On this night, it would do neither.

The Eagles came out a better side after half-time, with Fergus leading the way. Their defence was much better, forcing their opponents into tough shots and matching them on the boards. However, their offensive struggles continued.

The Flames had the game right where they wanted it, answering every challenge. When Forestville did finally find the bottom of the net, it was done with tremendous difficulty.

And every time the Eagles scored, the Flames put another nail in the coffin with an easy basket at the other end.

Forestville ended up winning the quarter 19-17, trailing 54-39 at the end of three.

The final quarter saw much of the same; the Flames always leading by at least 13 points, en route to a 17 point win.

 

Defining moment: The start was tight and cagey as one would expect when Norwood and Forestville face off. However, two straight three point field goals from Ireland gave the Flames the ascendancy. These six points in two possessions resulted in a handy seven point buffer for Norwood, and from there, it was all doom and gloom for the Eagles.

Norwood verdict: Another quality performance from this improved Norwood side sees them remain alongside West as the league’s two undefeated sides. The return of Foley to the line-up after missing most of the second half of last season has been pivotal in the Flames’ resurgence. Ireland has also been a very important player, taking over the mantle as the side’s starting Point Guard. Centre Herrick is down on numbers from last season, but remains a constant threat, giving the team a powerful tri-factor. Norwood started in similar fashion last season, so it will be interesting to see if it can continue this form for 18 rounds. Next up is Woodville at St Clair on Saturday week.

Forestville verdict: Things do not seem to get any better for the reigning champions. Much like the last game against the Bearcats, Forestville was never in the game after halfway through the opening period. What is most concerning is the teams’ lack of aggression towards the ball (with the exception of Fergus), which was such a trademark for the team last season. Now sitting seventh with a 2-4 record, they should break their three game drought against the Mavs next round, but will need to improve dramatically on their last month if they are to get back up into the top five.

By James Woite