South Adelaide Panthers (0-4, 9th) v Eastern Mavericks (0-4, 10th) 
Saturday April 27, 8.15pm at Marion

Following this weekend there will be only one team without a win after five games, with the South Adelaide Panthers and Eastern Mavericks trying to draw first blood when they face each other at Marion.

The Panthers’ losing streak is now at 16 matches. The Panthers have not won since their road win at the home of their upcoming opponents, with the Mavericks reversing the result in the teams’ second meeting at Marion.

Last week was the Panthers’ best result of the season. They were within just six points of the Tigers at three quarter time, but failed to make a serious run in the fourth quarter. Thomas McKenzie (19 points, 9 rebounds), Shane Boal (18 points, 5 rebounds) and Jordan Robertson (15 points, 4 rebounds) led from the front in the 65-75 defeat.

It was a similar story with the Mavericks in Round 4. Like the Panthers, they made a big third quarter run to get back into the game. However, they slipped up in the fourth where they were outscored 13-25. Daniel Lean (23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) was prominent, while Curtis Scipio (22 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds) appears to have found a home in the south-east.

If draws were an option then I would not bet against it for this game. As they are not, I will go with the home side.

 

Sturt Sabres (1-3, 8th) v Southern Tigers (2-2, 7th)
Saturday April 27, 8.15pm at Pasadena

The Southern Tigers will need a win to keep pace with the ladder leaders when they visit the Sturt Sabres.

The Tigers are in seventh position, but are only a game behind third-placed Woodville and 1.5 back from Centrals in second. They can take plenty of confidence into this game thanks to a home win over South, their third straight against their closest rival.

Michael Florance had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals against the Panthers in what was his best performance of the year. Codey Ellison, Samuel McDaniel and Samuel Johns added 13 points apiece. It was at the defensive end where the Tigers were most impressive – the Panthers did not score more than 18 points in a quarter and scored just 14 in the vital fourth.

The Sabres were comprehensively beaten by Forestville, where they shot just 29 per cent from the field. Following back-to-back 20+ point games, Matthew Dougherty was held to just 16 points on 5/17 shooting, although he did post his best rebounding total with 11. Sam Daly (13 points) and John Marriott (10 points) also reached double figures.

The Tigers have not beaten Sturt since the start of the 2010 season. However, they have won two of their last four at Pasadena.

On form, the Tigers should get their third win of the season.

 

West Adelaide Bearcats (4-0, 1st) v Norwood Flames (2-2, 4th)
Saturday April 27, 8.15pm at Port Adelaide

At Port Adelaide, the West Adelaide Bearcats will be looking to exact some revenge for last year’s Elimination Final loss to the Norwood Flames.

Despite sweeping the Flames in their regular season series, the Bearcats were no match for the navy and red when it mattered most, scoring just 47 points and failing to recover from a 9-21 first quarter.

So far, the Bearcats are not looking like a side that will have to feature in another Elimination Final, and are top of the ladder with four straight wins.

Without playing overly well, they beat the Woodville Warriors 77-69 last week. Zane Reeves had a nice game with 14 points on 6/10 shooting, but Daniel Johnson (22 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jason Cadee (12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) made just 9/31 shots between them.

The Flames have had a reasonable start to the season with a 2-2 record. Their long winning streaks over Southern and Woodville have now beaten broken, but they could have won either of those games.

Including their loss to Woodville and win over North last weekend, the Flames have led at three quarter time in each game so far this season. Ed Millard starred with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists against North, a night after posting 16 points and 7 rebounds against Woodville.

The Flames had four double digit scorers in both games, with veterans Andrew Webber and Keith Krause hitting the 10 point mark in each outing.

Expect a hard fought game. Bearcats to take it and go 5-0.

 

North Adelaide Rockets (2-2, 5th) v Forestville Eagles (2-2, 6th)
Saturday April 27, 8.15pm at Hillcrest

The North Adelaide Rockets will be hoping to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season when they host the Forestville Eagles, who will play their second game in three days on Saturday.

The Rockets have lost at home to Woodville and away to Norwood either side of a home win against Sturt. In last week’s loss to the Flames, who were playing for the second time in two nights, the Rockets were blown away 3-32 in the second period. They were also outscored 12-39 from beyond the arc.

Pero Vasilijevic had another strong offensive game with 26 points, while Joseph Campbell had 17 points and joined Vasilijevic with 8 rebounds. On the season, Vasilijevic and Campbell have formed a dynamic partnership, averaging a combined 39.5 ppg at 56 per cent from the field.

The Eagles have reason to feel optimistic heading into this game, thanks to a 3-0 series triumph over the Rockets last season. That included a 105-77 triumph in the Qualifying Final, where Adam Doyle (19 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds), Brad Haydon (20 points, 4/6 3FG) and Brad Gerlach (18 points, 6 rebounds) all shone in their team’s fast-paced attack.

This will be the Eagles’ second game in three days, after being stunned 84-89 by Centrals on Anzac Day. Doyle was the Eagles’ best with 21 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds.

The Eagles appear to have more depth and are well-equipped to achieve a positive result.

Central District Lions (4-0, 2nd) v Woodville Warriors (3-1, 3rd)
Saturday April 27, 8.15pm at Starplex

In the Match of the Round, in an extremely rare (if ever) turn of events, the Central District Lions and Woodville Warriors will be battling for a top two position when they meet at Starplex.

The Lions and Warriors are well on their way to changing that dreaded statistic of one finals series between them in the past eight seasons.

The Lions have already proven that history no longer fazes them, not once, but twice. Their defeat of Sturt in Round 1 ended a drought that extends beyond the 2005 season.

They then proved that lightning can strike twice by defeating Forestville, on Anzac Day, for the first time in nine years. Chris Clausen had 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Paul Joyce (13 points, 8 rebounds), Joel Goodenough (13 points, 4/4 3FG) and Matt Atkins (12 points, 4/6 3FG) all helped to account for a down game by star Kyle Miller (9 points, 3/13 FG).

Last weekend, the 3-1 Warriors ended a 12 game losing sequence against Norwood with a 90-74 win over the men from Mars.

The Warriors were almost, but not quite, able to back up against their drought-breaking triumph over the Flames with another rare win over West. However, after outscoring the Bearcats 26-7 in the third period, the Warriors let the game slip by scoring just 11 points to 24 in the fourth.

Aaron Wyatt backed up his 33 point effort against the Flames with 20 versus the Bearcats, while Darren Ng scored 19 (12 in the third quarter) on Saturday following an uncharacteristic 3/15 shooting display on Friday. Cameron Wilson registered 19 points at Mars, while Luke Stanbridge popped up with 15 points and 9 rebounds at St Clair.

The Warriors have won their last six matches in this series, so this may just be a case of third time unlucky for the tide-turning Lions.