North Adelaide Rockets (2-4, 8th) v Southern Tigers (3-3, 6th)
Saturday May 18, 8.15 pm at Hillcrest

The North Adelaide Rockets will be playing for a 14th straight win over the Southern Tigers when the two sides clash at Hillcrest.

The Tigers have not beaten the Rockets since June 4, 2008. However, this is just the second time since that date that the Tigers have been higher than the Rockets at this stage of the season.

Up until now, the Rockets have looked anything but the side that went 13-5 in 2012. A defeat here would equal their loss total of last year. Even with Anthony Petrie having a peach of a debut (30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists), the Rockets failed to challenge West Adelaide in a 71-91 defeat last week.

Pero Vasilijevic had season-lows of 13 points and 6 rebounds, while the remainder of the Rockets combined for just 28 points.

The Tigers very nearly made it a triple-scalp in Round 6. Having secured rare wins over Norwood and Sturt, the Tigers came within four points of defeating Forestville for the first time in nine years.

Samuel McDaniel (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Samuel Johns (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) were amongst five double-figure scorers.

The Rockets should be too strong with Petrie and Vasilijevic up front, but the Tigers have shown they will always provide a contest.

South Adelaide Panthers (1-5, 9th) v Norwood Flames (3-3, 5th)
Saturday May 18, 8.15pm at Marion

South Adelaide will be attempting to defeat Norwood at Marion for the first time since April 22, 2005 in their upcoming Round 7 fixture.

The Panthers have at least tasted victory over the Flames in recent times – they beat them in Round 4 last season at Mars. However, they have had just one win in total in 2013.

Last week, the Panthers failed to light up St Clair, going down 71-95 in (scoreboard-wise) the most lop-sided contest of the round. Shane Boal (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Thomas McKenzie (11 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles, while Jordan Robertson added 17 points.

Meanwhile, the Flames claimed a vital win over Centrals. Edward Millard (21 points, 7 rebounds) was pivotal, while Matthew Long and Keith Krause scored 10 apiece.

The Flames got home despite shooting just 53 per cent from the foul-line. Their +5 advantage in second chance points was the same as the game’s final margin. They also had six extra points in the paint.

The Flames should continue their Marion dominance here.

Sturt Sabres (2-4, 7th) v Woodville Warriors (5-1, 2nd)
Saturday May 18, 8.15pm at St Clair

Like the Tigers, Panthers and Mavericks, Round 7 provides an opportunity for the Woodville Warriors to break a draught against a rival club.

This week’s opponent, the Sturt Sabres, have not lost to the Warriors since April 12, 2008. Included is a three point overtime win in the final round of the 2012 season.

That being said, the Sabres and Warriors are much more accustomed to being in each other’s current position. Since the Warriors beat the Sabres in the 2005 Preliminary Final - and won the premiership the following week - it has been the Sabres who have dominated men’s basketball. Elsewhere, the Warriors have continued to fall short of a finals berth.

Yet this season, the Warriors are up and about and looking like premiership contenders, while the Sabres are struggling to keep pace with the top five.

On Mother’s Day, the Warriors improved to 5-1 with a big victory over South. The game was effectively over by half-time thanks to a 64-40 scoreline. Aaron Wyatt once again showed why he is a possible MVP threat by posting 27 points.

Luke Stanbridge (20 points) cracked double figures for the third consecutive week, while Steve Pilkington (16 points, 11 rebounds) and former Sabre Darren Ng (14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) also had good games.

The Sabres broke a three game losing streak with a victory at Eastern. Sam Daly (22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and John Marriott (19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) put up big numbers, while Matthew Dougherty had a career-high 26 points.

The Warriors should continue to spread the load and record a comfortable win.

Central District Lions (4-2, 3rd) v West Adelaide Bearcats (6-0, 1st)
Saturday May 18, 8.15pm at Starplex

In the Match of the Round, the ailing Central District Lions will have their claws full when they host the West Adelaide Bearcats.

Like the Bearcats, the Lions began the season with four straight wins. In contrast, they have lost their last two.

In what was a close game throughout, the Lions were unable to overcome Norwood at Mars in Round 6, losing 64-69. Kyle Miller (17 points, 7 assists), Matthew Atkins (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Christopher Clausen (12 points, 8 rebounds) all played a part in the Lions’ challenge.

The Lions shot under 30 per cent in the second half, while being out-rebounded 40-50 over the entirety of the match.

On the other claw, the Bearcats tortured the Rockets in their win last Saturday. They out-scored their opponents 32-14 and won the first three quarters 82-50.

Jason Cadee (23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) and Daniel Johnson (21 points, 12 rebounds) outscored fellow 36ers Pero Vasilijevic and Anthony Petrie by one point. A fine effort from Tristan Braithwaite (13 points on 5/9 shooting) and a first double-double in 2013 from Blake Truslove (11 points, 10 rebounds) helped the Bearcats’ supporting cast drub their opposite numbers.

Last season, the Bearcats took both games from the Lions, although the Bearcats lost at Starplex in 2011.

The two-men games of Miller/Clausen and Cadee/Johnson should be exciting to watch, but the Bearcats’ extra depth will likely prove vital.

Forestville Eagles (4-2, 4th) v Eastern Mavericks (0-6, 10th)
Saturday May 18, 8.15pm at Wayville

The Forestville Eagles will be aiming to extend their 15 match unbeaten run against Eastern when the two sides face off at Wayville.

The Mavericks’ last win over the Eagles was July 29, 2006. They will have an uphill task ahead of them this week, given they are still without a win in 2013, while their opponents have started to find some form.

The Eagles enter this match on the back of an 86-82 win at Southern. Adam Doyle (27 points, 13/14 FT) closed the game out by going 6/6 from the charity stripe inside the final 18 seconds.

Until then, it was Jake Rios doing the damage, hitting five treys on his way to 26 points. Bradley Haydon added 20 points, while Brad Gerlach (13 rebounds, 11 points, 9 assists) fell an assist off a triple-double.

It was an 81-95 home loss to Sturt for the Mavericks in Round 6. They led 28-23 at quarter-time, but the scoreline got bleaker as the game went on. Shane Breheny had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Haydn Barns, Stuart Breheny and Curtis Scipio combined for 41 points.

The Mavericks must fix their leaky defence instantly if they are any chance of causing an upset.