Sturt Sabres (9-3, 2nd) v North Adelaide Rockets (9-2, 1st)
Saturday June 30, 6.30pm at Pasadena

In the Match of the Round at the special time of 6.30pm, the North Adelaide Rockets will be trying to maintain top spot on the CABL ladder when they visit the Sturt Sabres on Saturday.

The Rockets won both games last weekend, knocking off Norwood 56-53 at Mars, and then beating Eastern 99-88 at Hillcrest. Pero Vasilijevic led the way against the Flames with 13 points, while Luke Mapunda and Leif Burdon chipped in with 12. Vasilijevic then backed up with a huge triple-double against the Mavs.

The Sabres were the top-seeded team until last weekend, where they won only one of their two games. They lost to Forestville for the second time this year, 55-72, despite the best efforts of Tim Klaosen (14 points), Tom Daly (13 points) and Darren Ng (11 points). Their repeated efforts continued the next day against Centrals, where they once again fought back from a large deficit to win, this time with a score of 94-89 (Ng 27 points, Daly 18, Klaosen 16).

The last time they met, the Sabres burst out of the blocks and thrashed the Rockets 89-76. Daly had 21 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds in that match.

Expect a much closer game this time that could go either way.

West Adelaide Bearcats (9-3, 3rd) v Forestville Eagles (8-4, 4th)
Saturday June 30, 6.30pm at Port Adelaide

The Forestville Eagles will be attempting a fourth successive victory when they take on the West Adelaide Bearcats at Port Adelaide.

The Eagles started the weekend with a big win over Sturt, who had previously won a league-best eight straight. Against the Sabres, Neil Mottram had 17 points, the most he has scored in the CABL. Brad Sullivan had 13 and Adam Doyle 11. The next day, the Eagles made amends for their Round 3 loss to the Warriors with an 86-67 triumph. Rashad Tucker had a double-double despite only scoring 6 points, while Doyle top-scored with 17. The Eagles are now fourth on the ladder, two games ahead of sixth-placed Norwood.

The Bearcats were also triumphant on both occasions over the weekend. They likewise smashed the Warriors, 82-56, behind 26 points from Howard Salters Jr and 13 from Blake Truslove. They then held off a fast-finishing South Adelaide to win 81-73. This time, Salters and Truslove combined for 41 points.

Last time they met, the Bearcats defeated a Tucker-less and Deng-less Eagles by one point in a thrilling contest. Salters hit a couple of massive shots down the stretch and then saved the game with a block on Doyle. Blake Truslove had 24 points and 19 rebounds for the Bearcats, while Trent Fildes had 22 and 14 for the Eagles.

The last two seasons have seen this regular season series finish 1-1, with close games a regularity.

South Adelaide Panthers (4-8, 8th) v Norwood Flames (6-6, 6th)
Saturday June 30, 8.15pm at Marion

The South Adelaide Panthers will be hoping to end a six game losing streak and keep their fading finals hopes alive when they host the Norwood Flames.

The Panthers began last weekend by coming up short in rivalry round for the second time this season, and once again struggling to defend Southern Tigers import Tyler Tanis (27 points). Despite a 30-16 fourth quarter, the Panthers fell five points short, with Damian Scanlon scoring a team-high 21 points. The Panthers’ effort against West Adelaide showed they failed to learn from their mistakes against Southern, again failing to offer any resistance until the fourth quarter. Scanlon and Patrick Mattson each scored 19 in that one.

The Flames went 1-1 over the weekend, though broke their ritual of winning on an odd round and losing on an even one by doing the complete opposite. They were 42 points better than the previous time they played North, but that was only good enough to result in a three point loss, despite a 20-20 from Brian Moultrie. They got the job done against Southern the next day, winning 78-69, with Moultrie scoring 30 and Matthew Lycett 15.

Back in Round 4, the Panthers beat the Flames 85-81. Although the Panthers desperately need a win, this is one the Flames can ill-afford to drop if they are to knock one of their rivals out of the top five.

The Flames should show their odd-round expertise, reverse their Round 4 result and achieve back-to-back wins for the first time in 2012.

Southern Tigers (3-9, 9th) v Eastern Mavericks (0-12, 10th)
Saturday June 30, 8.15pm at Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers will look to brush aside an opponent for the second time this season when they take on the Eastern Mavericks.

The Tigers ended their losing run at six games by defeating South Adelaide for the second time in 2012 during Round 11. Tyler Tanis had 27 points and Daniel Peacock 20. They then fell just short against Norwood, with Tanis scoring 23. A win would have given them a very distant chance of making the finals, but now they can confine themselves to an early finish once again.

With the addition of Ed Millard, the Mavs are proving to be a more competitive outfit, suggesting a first win could be just around the corner. They had close losses against Centrals and North in Rounds 11 and 12. Millard had 31 in both matches, with the Brehenys a distant second and third top-scorers.

In the previous meeting between these teams, the Tigers got home 87-77, despite Tanis leaving the game early.

With Millard and Tanis on show, this week should be a much higher quality game, with the Mavs a solid chance of an upset.

Woodville Warriors (6-5, 5th) v Central District Lions (5-7, 7th)
Saturday June 30, 8.15pm at St Clair

The fading Woodville Warriors will be keen to end their mid-season slide when they face the surging Central District Lions at St Clair on Saturday.

The Warriors were blown away by both the Bearcats and the Eagles in Rounds 11 and 12, after good performances against those teams earlier in the season. Puff Summers had a team-high 13 points against West, while Zane Reeves scored 14 against Forestville. The Warriors have dropped to 6-5, and are now only half a game above Norwood and 1.5 games better off than the Lions.

The Lions won for the fourth time in five matches, and the first time away from Starplex, when they beat the Eastern Mavericks in their first game of a back-to-back. Kyle Miller had 22 points and Daniel Carlin 18. They then blew a big lead against Sturt, not for the first time in 2012, with Miller and Carlin combining for 47 points.

The last time they met, the Warriors rode a fast start and a number of hot hands to a 101-89 victory. Miller had 37 for the Lions, but he was outdone by six Warriors scoring in double figures.

On form, the Lions should get their first win over the Warriors since 2009.

By James Woite