Eastern Mavericks (0-9, 10th) v Woodville Warriors (7-2, 2nd)
Saturday June 15, 8.15pm at Adelaide Hills

The Woodville Warriors men can equal their 2012 win tally if they can pick up a Round 10 road victory over the Eastern Mavericks.

The Warriors’ only away loss thus far came against Sturt in Round 7. In contrast, the Mavericks are yet to win a home or away game.

With Forestville and Centrals facing tough games against West and Sturt, the Warriors could create a two game buffer between second and third, should they win for the fourth time in five attempts at Adelaide Hills. Keep in mind the Warriors currently have comfortable head-to-head advantages over both the Eagles and Lions.

In Round 1, the Warriors overcame a two point half-time deficit to defeat the Mavericks 79-68. Aaron Wyatt had 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. Adam Miller registered a season-high 14 points, while Darren Ng scored 13.

Shane Breheny (18 points, 6 rebounds), Stuart Breheny (17 points, 15 rebounds) and Curtis Scipio (16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 9 turnovers) had big numbers for the Mavericks.

Last season the Warriors were 6-3 after their first nine games, before crashing to seven losses from their last nine. A must-win and a should-win, expect this to be a will-win too.

North Adelaide Rockets (5-4, 5th) v South Adelaide Panthers (1-8, 9th)
Saturday June 15, 8.15pm at Hillcrest

The North Adelaide Rockets will be playing for a fourth straight win when they take on the South Adelaide Panthers.

Heading into the long weekend, the Rockets had the longest active winning streak in the CABL, so they will be hoping the bye has not disrupted their momentum. The Rockets have jumped up to fifth spot as a result of their good form.

The Panthers looked like they could still be alive in the battle for a finals spot when they led Centrals by seven with a quarter to play in Round 9. However, an 8-30 last quarter collapse means only a miracle could see them finish the season in the top five. Still, after a weekend off, they can have a fresh outlook as they build for the future.

Last time these teams met, 28 points and 5 rebounds from Thomas McKenzie was not enough to get the Panthers home. The Rockets won 100-76 at Marion, with Ryan Franceschinis (22 points, 6 rebounds), Pero Vasilijevic (19 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists) and Thomas Rowe (17 points, 6 assists) starring.

The Rockets should win reasonably comfortably and stay within reach of the top three.

 
Southern Tigers (4-5, 7th) v Norwood Flames (4-5, 8th)
Saturday June 15, 8.15pm at Morphett Vale

Southern and Norwood will put their seasons on the line on Saturday as they try to keep in touch with the top five.

The June Long weekend could not have been better timed for these two clubs. The Flames were fifth after Round 7, but have been uncharacteristically thumped by Sturt and Forestville in their past two games.

The Flames have had a couple of great wins over top-five sides North and Centrals so can, without doubt, compete with the best on their day.

The Tigers can be satisfied by their competitiveness thus far but close home losses to the competition’s top three clubs indicate they need to work on getting the scores and stops when it matters most.

The Tigers have beaten the other bottom five clubs, but are 0-5 against the top-five. With the extra rest, they can learn from their mistakes in their close losses and refuel their energy for a big finish.

Last time they met, the Tigers overcame a one point ¾ time deficit to win 79-77. It was the Tigers’ first win over Norwood since 2008. Samuel Johns (17 points) and Todd Davies (12 points) led the well-balanced Tigers, while Edward Millard (27 points, 8 rebounds) was the Flames’ standout offensive performer.

The Tigers deserve some reward for effort, but whether they will get it largely depends on which Flames team shows up.

Central District Lions (6-3, 4th) v Sturt Sabres (4-5, 6th)
Saturday June 15, 8.15pm at Starplex

Knocked down but up again, the Sturt Sabres will be hoping to continue their good form from the past month when they fight with Centrals in the Match of the Round.

In their last four games, the Sabres have beaten Eastern, second-placed Woodville and Norwood, while losing by just six points to ladder-leaders West after being in front for most of the game.

Other than Centrals, who did not have to face Daniel Johnson, the Sabres have provided the toughest challenge to the premiership favourites, while the Bearcats are the only other side to beat Woodville.

The Lions started 2013 in supreme fashion, winning their first four games. However, they have stuttered of late. A huge 30-8 last quarter got them home against South, who played just six men and were missing Shane Boal and Jordan Robertson.

The previous week, they threw away a double digit lead and lost to North, while they lost to Woodville and Norwood prior to beating the Johnson-less Bearcats.

Back in Round 1, the Lions nailed an incredibly rare 70-60 win over Sturt. Barometer man Kyle Miller had 27 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in one of his most efficient displays this season, while Christopher Clausen and Paul Joyce scored 11 each.

The Lions did a good job of containing Matthew Dougherty, who scored just 9 points on 3/19 shooting. John Marriott was held to 10 points and 8 rebounds, while rising star Sam Daly did not play.

Since that game, Dougherty is averaging 19.3 ppg at 40 per cent. Over the last month, John Marriott has had four double-doubles, while Daly is averaging 19.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 6 apg the last month.

It would take a reversal of trends for the Lions to repeat their Round 1 success.

Forestville Eagles (6-3, 3rd) v West Adelaide Bearcats (8-1, 1st)
Saturday June 15, 8.15pm at Wayville

The Bearcats will need to keep a close eye on Jake Rios when they visit the Forestville Eagles in a battle of 3v1.

After injury cut short his night at St Clair, Rios was keen to get back to shooting threes the following week. He attempted 20 of them, made eight and scored a 2013 league best 40 points as Forestville eclipsed Norwood 101-62. Following another weekend off, the Mexican will surely be eager to set off the fireworks again.

That being said, Rios scored just 13 points on 4/15 FG when the Eagles were pummelled 61-85 in Round 1.  Adam Doyle, who has averaged 28.3 ppg the last month, was likewise well held, scoring just 9 points on 3/11 FG. If the Eagles are to avenge their season opening defeat, they will need huge production out of their dynamic backcourt duo.

One man who was on fire in Round 1 was Daniel Johnson, who will join fellow 36er Jason Cadee in the Boomers squad. Do not expect another Bearcat to stat up 32 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists with ridiculous ease.

Josh Knight had 12 points and 8 rebounds in 13 sneaky minutes against the Eagles in Round 1. Veteran big man Blake Truslove was also used sparingly in that match, but has been efficient the last month (13.2 ppg, 61% FG, 11.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg).

The Eagles have lost just one of their four home games, while the Bearcats’ 3-1 away record is misleading. Road wins over Southern, Woodville and Sturt were all games that could have gone the other way.

The Bearcats’ ability to get the job done no matter what the circumstances suggests another triumph could be on the cards.