Woodville Warriors (3-9, 7th) v North Adelaide Rockets (9-3, 2nd)
Friday July 6, 6.30pm at St Clair
Saturday July 7, 8.15pm at Hillcrest

The North Adelaide Rockets have a great chance to give themselves some breathing space in second position with a double-header against the seventh-placed Woodville Warriors.

The Rockets will be at St Clair on Friday before returning home on Saturday. They beat the Warriors on both courts last season.

Last weekend, the Rockets comfortably defeated the improving Sturt Sabres 71-54 at Pasadena. Jo Hill scored 19 points while Jamie-Lee Peris registered 18. The Rockets won all four quarters, including holding the Sabres to a measly 8 points in the second period.

The Warriors have now lost three in a row and are only 1.5 games above bottom-placed South in the battle for the wooden spoon. They were well-beaten 51-84 by Centrals last week, with Ingrid Richards (11 points) and Shay Bayly (10 points) the high-point women.

The Rockets, who have won nine of their last 10, have been playing great basketball and should win both games comfortably.

 Norwood Flames (12-1, 1st) v Eastern Mavericks (6-7, 6th)
Saturday July 7, 6.30pm at Mars

In the Match of the Round, the Eastern Mavericks can put real pressure on the top five if they can produce an upset road win over the Norwood Flames.

The Mavs kept their season alive last weekend with a road win over the higher-ranked Southern Tigers. It was the second time the Mavs have beaten the Tigers this season, and their 2-0 split could be crucial at the end of the season. The win broke a three-game losing streak, and was achieved despite star player Tess Madgen playing only 12 minutes.

Madgen still managed 11 points in that time, but it was Shannon Tarran with a career-high 18 points who stole the show. Jaimi Rock added 13 points and Jemma Thacker 12. The Mavs are just two games behind the Tigers with five games to go.

The Flames were made to work for their Round 13 victory against the bottom-placed Panthers. They won all four quarters, but could only extend a six point quarter-time advantage to 12 by the final siren. Jess Foley had a team-high 18 points, while Amy Lewis scored 17 and Jordan Walker-Roberts 14.

Back in Round 5, the Flames had a comfortable 81-67 win over the Mavericks. Lewis scored 27 for the Flames, while Madgen had 32 for the Mavs.

The Flames’ record indicates they are the team to beat, but the Mavs need the win more and anything can happen.

Southern Tigers (8-5, 5th) v Sturt Sabres (3-10, 9th)
Saturday July 7, 6.30pm at Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers-Sturt Sabres clash at Morphett Vale is a must-win match for the home side.

The Tigers blew an opportunity to go four games clear of the sixth-placed Eastern Mavericks with a home loss in Round 13, despite 29 points from Alexandra Ciabattoni. With their final two games against Forestville and Centrals, the Tigers need to make the most of their next three weeks, with all matches against bottom four sides, starting with the Sabres this week.

Like the Tigers, the Sabres lost in Round 13, going down to the second-ranked Rockets. However, it was another competitive performance in what has been an improved five weeks. Natalie Chaloner had a game-high 19 points while Caroline Burgess scored 12. The Sabres can still finish last, but are only half a game behind the seventh-placed Warriors.

Last time they met, the Tigers had a huge 75-50 victory. Ciabattoni scored 31 for the Tigers, with Simone Nelson adding 10 points and 19 rebounds. Jess Mcphail (11 points) was the top scorer for the Sabres, who did not have Burgess in the line-up at that stage.

This is a danger game for the Tigers, albeit they should get an important W.

Central District Lions (9-4, 3rd) v West Adelaide Bearcats (3-10, 8th)
Saturday July 7, 6.30pm at Starplex

The Central District Lions will be hoping to cement their position in the top three with a win over the West Adelaide Bearcats.

At one stage, the Lions were in the midst of a three-game losing streak, however, they have made the most of a softer part of their schedule with a three-game winning streak. Last week, they thrashed the Warriors for the second time this season, with Jess Mahony (21 points), Elizabeth Keane (19 points) and Kimberley Porplycia (a career-high 15 points) the high scorers.
 
The Bearcats have had a disappointing season thus far, but are starting to show some promising signs. They led the fourth-placed Eagles by 13 at half-time last week, only to suffer a heart-breaking over-time loss. Trudy Holland, making just her seventh appearance of the year, had a season-high 16 points to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Ashlea Vordermaier added another 16 while Meg McLeod scored 14.

In Round 5, the Bearcats could only manage 33 points and lost by 27. Keane was the star of that game with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lions should make it four straight, although the Bearcats’ recent form suggests it will be a better spectacle than last time.

Forestville Eagles (9-4, 4th) v South Adelaide Panthers (2-11, 10th)
Saturday July 7, 6.30pm at Wayville

The Forestville Eagles have struggled against the bottom sides in recent weeks, and they have another this round in the South Adelaide Panthers.

The Eagles’ last three games have included a blowout loss to the 3-10 Sabres and a fortunate come-from-behind overtime win over the 3-10 Bearcats. Tara Robinson and Olivia Thompson each had double-doubles against the Bearcats, while Jess Fergus scored 16. The Eagles are percentage behind Centrals for third position, however, they have some work to do over the final five rounds in order to move up the ladder.

The Panthers are stuck at the foot of the ladder, but are only 1.5 games behind the seventh-placed Warriors. They challenged the Flames in Round 13, but fell 12 points short. Jess Hansberry had a team-high 19 while Lauren Gibbons scored 14.

Last time they met, the Eagles romped to an 80-54 victory. Thompson had 35 points and 21 rebounds that day. The Panthers have not beaten the Eagles since March 24, 2007.

It should be of case of “how many” rather than “who”, but the Eagles have been shaky of late, say you never know.