West Adelaide Bearcats (7-2, 2nd) v Sturt Sabres (7-2, 1st)
Saturday June 16, 6.30pm at Port Adelaide

In the Match of the Season thus far at the special time of 6.30pm, the West Adelaide Bearcats and Sturt Sabres will be playing for top spot when they go head-to-head at Port Adelaide.

The Sabres have won their last seven, while the Bearcats are unbeaten at home, so expect a cracker of a duel.

The Bearcats knocked the Sabres out of the finals race last season, and also got one over them in Round 1. The Bearcats came back from 25 points down in the third period to steal a 73-70 victory. Tom Daly (19.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 7.3 apg) had an unstoppable first half, but after the Bearcats changed to a Box-and-1 defence, they were able to quell his influence.

The Bearcats have been at their best when defending this season, although they did put up a season-high 100 points in their last match against Eastern. Howard Salters Jr had a career high 30 points, and is getting better as the season is progressing. In fact, it was a night of career highs, with Caelum Cousins posting a best ever 15 points in just 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Blake Truslove is statistically having his best season for a number of years, and is a player the Sabres need to stop. He had 19 points and 13 rebounds in Round 1.

Although Daly has put the Sabres on his back for much of the season, the Sabres still have plenty of potency offensively. Darren Ng had a season high 19 in the win over the Warriors in Round 9, while Tim Klaosen and Stefan Wright have also shown they can put the ball in the basket.

Good luck to tipsters – this is a real toughie!

North Adelaide Rockets (6-2, 3rd) v Southern Tigers (2-7, 9th)
Saturday June 16, 8.15pm at Hillcrest

The Southern Tigers will be hoping to end a five game losing streak when they travel north to face the North Adelaide Rockets.

The Tigers fell just short of a victory over the Lions in Round 9, going down 72-75. Samuel Johns had a career best 18 points in just his fourth CABL game, while Reece Turner scored 14.

Dynamic import Tyler Tanis was held to just 4 points, so will be hoping to bounce back in this one. The Rockets did a good job of containing him in Round 1, where he scored just 10 points in an 86-67 victory.

The Rockets’ Round 1 victory over the Tigers was achieved without Ed Millard. Millard, who averaged 18.3 ppg in four appearances, also missed the Rockets’ latest victory, an 83-67 triumph over the South Adelaide Panthers. In breaking news, Millard will play the remainder of the season with Eastern, possibly suiting as soon as this weekend. ,

The Rockets were actually 4-0 without Millard, with Pero Vasilijevic (17 ppg, 8.8 rpg) one of four other Rockets averaging in double figures. The Rockets have a chance to set up their season and jump into the top two with a victory.

The Tigers’ last date at Hillcrest was not a pretty one going down 58-93, and there is a solid chance of a similar scoreline based on each side’s form.

South Adelaide Panthers (4-5, 7th) v Woodville Warriors (5-3, 4th)
Saturday June 16, 8.15pm at Marion

The South Adelaide Panthers and Woodville Warriors will meet for the second time this season this Saturday, in what could be a season-defining match for both teams.

The Panthers, who have dropped their last three, are only a game outside the top five, while the Warriors need a victory to hold on to fourth spot and keep pace with the top three. A win will be massive for both teams’ pursuit of finals action, but a loss could be lethal.

Back in Round 1, the Warriors overcame a horror night at the foul-line to win 73-72. They also prevailed in overtime during their last trip to Marion.

The Warriors struggled in their last match with Sturt, with only Puff Summers truly holding his own. Zane Reeves is their top scorer this season with 14.4 ppg, and is a consistent offensive threat, with eight of his nine games ranging from 10-20 points. The Warriors also have a number of role players who can pop up at any time.

For the Panthers, Damian Scanlon has been well held in recent times, so is due for a big one. Jordan Robertson, Patrick Mattson and Thomas McKenzie are other offensive threats.

Both teams are capable of a W here, although the Warriors have only lost once on their travels.

Central District Lions (3-6, 8th) v Norwood Flames (5-4, 5th)
Saturday June 16, 8.15pm at Starplex

The Norwood Flames will be trying to finally put together two consecutive victories when they visit the Central District Lions.

The Flames have been the Odd-Round-Kings, winning in rounds 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. However, they have been anything but the kings of the even rounds, losing in rounds 2, 4, 6 and 8. However, with Brian Moultrie and Matthew Lycett now firmly in the line-up, this could be the week the Flames end their hoodoo.

Moultrie could have not put in a more impressive debut effort than the one he gave in the Flames’ 82-77 victory over Forestville in Round 9. Moultrie had 24 points, including 8/12 from the foul-line, to go with 11 rebounds, and provided a crucial block shot on a three point attempt from his opponent Majok Deng that would have tied the game.

Lycett has started well with his new club since returning to the country from the United States, averaging 11.3 ppg and 8 rpg in three matches. Collectively, Moultrie and Lycett have eased the burden on Todd Matthews (13.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.4 apg) and Keith Krause (16.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg).

The Lions have put together some good form in recent weeks, taking two of the last three. They rode the hot hand of Kyle Miller in their most recent scalp against the Tigers. Miller had career highs of 40 points and 6 steals, and is capable of anything on his night.

There was not much between the teams in Round 1, with the Flames taking the chocolates 71-64. They have had the wood on the Lions in recent years.

The Flames’ amazing form could suggest a loss is on the cards, though they are one-for-one with Moultrie in the line-up.

Forestville Eagles (5-4, 5th) v Eastern Mavericks (0-9, 10th)
Saturday June 16, 8.15pm at Wayville

The Forestville Eagles will be hoping to sweep the Eastern Mavericks aside for a sixth straight season when they welcome them to Wayville on Saturday.

The Eagles blew them away 103-64 in Round 1. The Mavs have not beaten the Eagles since July 29, 2006, and have copped a few other nasty floggings in the meantime.

As good as the Eagles have been against the Mavs, they have not been able to put it all together week-in, week-out this season. They have already lost four of their nine games, although three of them have been by five points or less. Their Round 9 clash ended in defeat, after three previously dominant weeks.

After a dominant season last year, Rashad Tucker is only the fifth highest-scoring Eagle in 2012. His minutes and numbers have been down since an early season injury, however, Trent Fildes, Brad Sullivan, Brad Haydon and Majok Deng have all been scoring a lot in his place. In saying that, Sullivan’s scoring is down from 18.4 ppg last season to 15.0 ppg this year, while Deng and Haydon were given less opportunity against the Flames due to the return of Neil Mottram to the starting line-up.

Still, the Mavs would love to have the strength in depth the Eagles have. The Mavs do not have a single double-digit scorer, something the Eagles have six of. Shane Breheny (9.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) has their best numbers, while Lukass Blicavs, who has scored 55 points the last three weeks, has recently establish himself as someone the Mavs can rely on for offensive production.

Ed Millard is likely to play his first game as a Maverick this weekend, having transferred from North Adelaide.

The Mavs’ last outing ended in a 49 point loss to West, and the club would hope Millard’s inclusion will help turn around their fortunes quickly.

By James Woite