South Adelaide Panthers (0-9, 9th) v Central District Lions (0-9, 10th)
Saturday June 1, 6.30 pm at Marion
Officials: N Frost & N Scriven

South Adelaide and Centrals will participate in a would-be wooden spoon decider when they go head-to-head at Marion.

Both teams are yet to win a game, though each side has shown some good signs of late. The Panthers were within four points of West with a quarter to play last week, before falling away in the fourth. The Lions trailed the same opponent by six at the same stage the previous round, before being blown out in the fourth to lose by 20.

The Lions’ smallest loss is 16 points to Sturt in Round 1, while the Panthers went down by just six to Woodville in Round 6. Tamika Dukes is the player the Panthers need to stop. She is averaging 19.9 ppg and 10.3 rpg. Brianna Wedding (9 ppg, 9.6 rpg) is the only other Lion above 4.8 ppg.

The player the Lions need to shut down is Teresa Kinross, who is averaging 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. The Panthers have five other players scoring at least 4.9 points a week on average.

The Lions swept last season’s series 2-0. A toss of the coin really – 2/3 heads suggests South.

Southern Tigers (2-6, 8th) v Woodville Warriors (2-6, 7th)
Saturday June 1, 6.30pm at Morphett Vale
Officials: B Foster & J Brown

The Tigers and Warriors will each be playing for win number three in their Round 9 encounter.
The Tigers have struggled to compete against the top sides, including last week when they were toppled 47-96. They have at least done well against Centrals and South.

The Warriors have likewise beaten the bottom two sides. However, slow starts and poor shooting have been a regular feature for the pre-season runners-up.

With extra responsibility and playing time, former Rocket Stana Zecevic has been a revelation for the yellow and black. She is averaging 11.9 ppg and 8.9 rpg. Denelle Fawcett (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has also shown some positive signs.

The player they will need to stop is Katherine Perkas. Perkas is shooting 48.6 per cent from the field, well above the next best Warrior regular Ashleigh White (35.4 per cent). With 10.1 ppg, it goes without saying that Perkas needs to get more shots. Jasmin Howe had 11 points last week, her second best figure in her short career.

Another tough match to call, though the Warriors have been a little stronger so far, and thus should start favourites.

Sturt Sabres (6-2, 5th) v West Adelaide Bearcats (4-4, 6th)
Saturday June 1, 6.30pm at Pasadena
Officials: R Rochford & D Rault

The West Adelaide Bearcats have a season-defining clash this week when they hit the road to visit Sturt.

A win for the Bearcats would put them within one game of the fifth-placed Sabres, but a loss would see them fall three games behind and with a mountain to climb to get back into the finals race.

The visitors go into the game on the back of two wins, so there is momentum there. Ashlea Vordermaier (13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5 apg and 4.5 spg) and Alana Nairn (16 ppg on 68 per cent shooting with 9.5 rebounds) have really stood up these past two games.

Amy Porter has 38 points over the past three weeks, after scoring only 18 in her first five games.

The Sabres have dropped off after a 5-0 start, declining to 6-2. They were comprehensively beaten 63-97 by Norwood last week.

Hannah Bowley has been consistent all season, scoring between 11 and 21 points in her eight matches. Molly Lewis has six straight double-digit matches, including 17 last week.

On the other hand, Amy Shaw (10.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) was sorely missed last week, while Aneeka Smith has averaged just 6 ppg this last three rounds, after scoring 57 points the first five weeks.

Despite being lower on the ladder than their opponents, the Bearcats have only lost to Norwood and Eastern by nine points each. The Sabres’ average losing margin is 25 points against those teams.

The Bearcats have the potential to push the Sabres, but the double blues should continue their Pasadena dominance.

Forestville Eagles (6-2, 2nd) v Norwood Flames (8-0, 1st)
Saturday June 1, 6.30pm at Wayville
Officials: V Devlin & B Johns

Having already dismantled the Mavericks, Rockets and Sabres, the Flames will try to do likewise against Forestville - the last of their premiership threats.

The Flames have cruised through Season 2013 with eight wins and a percentage of 172.95. They have seven players averaging at least 8 ppg, led by Jess Foley (18.9 ppg, 54% FG, 9.1 rpg, 4.1 apg) and Amy Lewis (18 ppg, 74% FG, 5 rpg, 4.3 apg).

Elizabeth Keane is not one of the seven leading scorers, but is fourth in rebounding and has a career 13 ppg scoring average. She would probably be a go-to player on a number of teams.

Despite the Flames’ dominance in recent seasons, they have always struggled against the Eagles. The Eagles stole the premiership off the Flames in 2011 – the Flames’ only two losses that year were to the Eagles.

The Eagles then accounted for half of the Flames’ four total defeats last season. Fortunately for the Flames, they were able to pip the Eagles by a point in the Preliminary Final, a game that will rest firmly in the Eagles’ minds.

The Eagles have some good form behind them, having won three straight. Olivia Thompson made up for Mia Newley’s absence by scoring 30 in a win over Woodville. Jess Fergus added 19 in what was a good all round game for the captain.

The Flames should be in for their toughest encounter of the year, though their depth should see them home.

North Adelaide Rockets (6-2, 4th) v Eastern Mavericks (6-2, 3rd)
Saturday June 1, 8.15pm at Hillcrest
Officials: I Domeika & A Gillings

In the Match of the Round, the North Adelaide Rockets and Eastern Mavericks will be playing for a top three spot when they meet at the special time of 8.15pm at Hillcrest.

The Mavericks have been stellar all season long, while the Rockets have been on top of their game the last month. Both teams sit 6-2 following big wins in Round 8.

Maverick Tess Madgen cracked the 40 point mark for the third time already in a 96-47 win over Southern, while Shannon Tarran (23 points, 5 rebounds) set a new career high score for the third time this season.

Coach Nathon Jones will be pleased to see Amanda McDermott register season highs of 8 assists and 4 steals (along with her 12 points and 6 boards), a great sign heading into her 250th game.

The Rockets’ long trip to Gawler paid dividends for their percentage, with a 96-48 win over Centrals their reward. Star Jo Hill’s numbers took a hit due to just 18 minutes of playing time, but she still put in a good all round shift (including a season best 5 steals).

Coach Barry Mansfield got the chance to play some of his lesser lights, with Tahnee Mansfield (13 points) and Genna Anderson (11 points) making the most of their opportunities by setting season highs.

The Mavericks last beat the Rockets back on March 20, 2010.

With home court advantage and two double-double machines in Hill and Jamie-Lee Peris, the Rockets should prevail in a tight one.