South Adelaide Panthers (4-4, 6th) v North Adelaide Rockets (5-2, 3rd)
Saturday June 2, 8.15pm at Marion

The South Adelaide Panthers will be hoping familiarity does not breed contempt on Saturday when they take on the North Adelaide Rockets.

The Panthers will be at home for the first time since April 29 when they knocked off the Forestville Eagles, the team with the league’s highest percentage. They have struggled away from home in recent weeks with a hard-fought three point win over the lowly Mavs backed up by losses to Centrals and Sturt.

Damian Scanlon, the Panthers’ leading scorer with 20.1 ppg, has been down the last couple of weeks, averaging just 14.5 ppg in his past two outings. Patrick Mattson has also dropped off after a big four weeks, but 19 and 20 point games from Jordan Robertson suggest he is up and about.

The Rockets got up by only seven against Centrals last week, although they were in control all night. They got the job done without the services of import Edward Millard (18.3 ppg).

Pero Vasilijevic, a consistent performer throughout the season, had season-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds in Millard’s absence. Brandon Brine (15.4 ppg, 55% FG, 7.7 rpg) is having a good season, while Luke Mapunda also had a season-high 22 points against the Lions.

The Panthers and Lions split their head-to-head series last season, with the home team winning both times. Sitting sixth on the ladder with a 4-4 record, the Panthers need a win to keep pace with the top five. The Rockets could regain top spot with a W, but a loss would have them at the edge of the five at the half-way mark.

A tight game that could go either way, the Panthers are always a chance at home, but the Rockets have no reason to fear the road and when at full-strength are very difficult to beat.

West Adelaide Bearcats (6-2, 2nd) v Eastern Mavericks (0-8, 10th)
Saturday June 2, 8.15pm at Port Adelaide

Fresh off a difficult trip to Mars, the West Adelaide Bearcats will be back home and hoping to improve to 7-2 when they tackle the Eastern Mavericks.

The Bearcats are second on the ladder, although if the season were to end today they would be allocated the top seed, as they currently have the series split over Sturt. They continue to hurt themselves at the foul-line, but with the debut of Daniel Johnson sure to happen at some point, the Bearcats are in a great position.

Blake Truslove is leading the league in rebounding, and is not afraid to fill it up in the points and blocks categories either. Truslove was the Man of the Match with an 18-18-4 in a win over the Flames.

Howard Salters Jr is yet to have a single digit scoring game, but it is at the defensive end where the Bearcats are getting the most out of their line-up. Only twice have the Bearcats given up more than 80 points (against South and North).

The Mavericks have shown in their home games they can give an opponent a run for their money, but they will have to improve their road form if they are to give a decent showing in this one. The Mavs’ are away for just the third time this season, yet are already -45 on their travels.

When Mark Hautop (12 points) scored with 3.12 remaining against the Warriors in Round 8, the Mavs were within four points and a real chance of their first victory. However, that was as close as they got and are still yet to get over the line. Lukass Blicavs (24 points) had a career night for the second straight week, while the Breheny brothers are always a threat.

The Bearcats found the Mavs a competitive opponent last season, despite taking the series 2-0. Their wins were by one point and in over-time. In previous years, this fixture has been much more lop-sided – the Mavs have not beaten the Bearcats since July 6, 2008.

Expect this to be another difficult night for the Mavs.

Woodville Warriors (5-2, 4th) v Sturt Sabres (6-2, 1st)
Saturday June 2, 8.15pm at St Clair

The Woodville Warriors will be trying to end a long drought against the Sturt Sabres when the two sides meet at St Clair on Saturday.

The Warriors have not beaten the Sabres since April 12, 2008. Their seven game losing streak includes a three point loss at St Clair last season.

Both teams have shown over the first couple of months they are a force to be reckoned with. The Sabres are 6-2, and barring a massacre at Port Adelaide between the Bearcats and Mavs, will be sitting top at the half-way mark if they can get the W here.

The Warriors are 5-2 and in fourth position. If not for a tough defeat against up-and-down Norwood, the Warriors would be the ones sitting atop the ladder. Instead, they need a win here to give themselves some breathing space over the teams in the bottom half.

If the Warriors are to be triumphant on Saturday, they will need to find a way to constrict the impact of Tom Daly. Daly is the only player in the competition averaging at least 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and is top three in the league in all of these categories. He is coming off a 28-10-6 night against South Adelaide.

The Sabres’ second highest scorer, Darren Ng, has played just four times this season, averaging 13.3 ppg.

For the Warriors, Zane Reeves has been a consistent scoring threat, registering at least 13 points in six of his seven games. Mitch Creek has played just twice this season, but big men Adam Blight (11 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Steve Pilkington (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) are both a presence inside. The Warriors enter this game following another unconvincing performance, pulling away down the stretch against the Mavs for an 83-72 win.

The Sabres have had the better recent form so should start favourites, but they have got to lose sometime, and the Warriors are a dangerous opponent when at their best.

Central District Lions (2-6, 8th) v Southern Tigers (2-6, 9th)
Saturday June 2, 8.15pm at Starplex

The prize on offer at Starplex this Saturday is being the Number 8 side in the competition at the half-way point.

The Central District Lions and Southern Tigers are each 2-6, but it is the Lions who have been in the better recent form. Last round, they fell by just seven points to one of the league’s best units in North Adelaide, just a week after knocking off the higher ranked Panthers.

Kyle Miller (21.3 ppg) is still the league’s leading scorer, however, the new Lion King has had his four lowest scores in the last month. Fortunately, his supporting cast, led by Luke Frost and Matthew Clarke, has picked up the last couple of games as the Lions look to fight their way back into the finals race.

Like last season, the Tigers put in a decent first month. Like last season, they have fallen away ever since.

The Tigers have lost their last four games by an average of 24 points, including a 73-103 nightmare against Forestville in Round 8. Tyler Tanis had his best scoring output since his outrageous 47 point performance against South, finishing with 21 points.
However, he is getting inconsistent offensive production from his teammates. In addition, the Tigers are not getting the job done defensively.

The Lions swept the battle of the jungle in 2011, which the Tigers did in 2010.

The Tigers have a point to prove, but the Lions should be too strong at home.

Forestville Eagles (5-3, 5th) v Norwood Flames (4-4, 7th)
Saturday June 2, 8.15pm at Wayville

In the Match of the Round, Odd-Round-Kings the Norwood Flames will be hoping it is Dr Jekyll’s turn to show when they visit the rampaging Forestville Eagles in the Grand Final rematch.

The Flames are the only unbeaten team in the odd rounds this season, but have failed to win on an even week. That includes a 63-67 defeat at the hands of West Adelaide in Round 8.

The Flames were heavily reliant on Keith Krause (18.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Todd Matthews (13.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.6 apg) for offensive production in the first six matches. However, Matthew Lycett (11.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) has added something to the team, while import Brian Moultrie could hit the floor for the first time this week.

The Eagles went through a difficult patch during rounds 3-5, but have had a dominant three weeks since. They have averaged 101 ppg over the last three matches, while giving up just 74 ppg.

Trent Fildes is having a career year, averaging 18.3 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He had 23 points on 10/13 shooting and 9 rebounds against the Tigers. Brad Haydon (15.9 ppg) is the competition’s leader in three point percentage, while Brad Sullivan (16.3 ppg) is another who can light it up.

2011 Grand Final MVP Rashad Tucker has had reduced minutes in recent matches, but is still a major threat. Majok Deng has not looked back since making a name for himself in that Grand Final, doubling his scoring and rebounding tallies thus far.

The Flames badly need a win if they are to continue their history of post-season appearances, while the Eagles can climb up the ladder if results go their way. The Flames eliminated the Eagles in three straight seasons prior to the Eagles finally getting one on their rivals last year, beating them 82-68 in the Grand Final.

The Eagles’ domination of late means a Flames win would be against all the odds. However, backing against the Odd-Round-Kings seems a bit odd, especially as the Flames’ unbeaten record south of Mars improves their odds. The teams’ recent head-to-head record suggests the odds are even.

By James Woite