Women’s Qualifying Final
Sturt Sabres (13-5, 2nd) v North Adelaide Rockets (13-5, 3rd)
Saturday August 10, 6.30pm at Pasadena
Officials: M Dyson & R Rochford

After a sole campaign without finals, the Sturt Sabres will face a Qualifying Final for the fourth time in five years when they battle the North Adelaide Rockets.

Only last year, the Rockets went from the Qualifying Final to the Grand Final. This is in stark contrast to the Sabres, who have been unable to turn a double chance into a Grand Final since 2009.

A run of just seven wins in 12 matches from Rounds 6-17 suggests the Sabres were lucky to hold on to second spot, although they set themselves up for a big year with a 5-0 start.

The Rockets were slow off the mark in 2013 and sat fifth for a lot of the year, but thanks to five straight wins and a little luck with other results going their own way, the Rockets were able to eclipse Forestville and Eastern for a top three finish.

Besides undefeated Norwood, the one club the Rockets have failed to beat this year is Sturt. The Sabres got home 65-61 in Round 3, thanks to a clutch basket from Aneeka Smith. They did things a little more comfortably in Round 12, winning 62-50.

Hannah Bowley has been the one consistent offensive threat for the Sabres against the Rockets this year, scoring 12 points in Round 3 and 11 in Round 12. Smith, Molly Lewis and Hannah Richards had double figure scoring games in Round 3, while Amy Shaw and Isabelle Daniel did likewise in Round 12.

The Sabres’ ability to shut teams down at the defensive end, coupled with their array of offensive options, has been crucial to their success.

In contrast, the Rockets get a lot of their offence through Jo Hill and Jamie-Lee Peris, although they were held to 8 and 9 points respectively in Round 12. Peris was also restricted in Round 3, but Hill starred with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

The Sabres may have held sway in the regular season, but keeping Hill and Peris down again will be no easy task.

 
Women’s Elimination Final
Forestville Eagles (12-6, 4th) v Eastern Mavericks (11-7, 5th)
Saturday August 10, 6.30pm at Wayville
Officials: N Wieland & J Clover

The Forestville Eagles will be trying to win the premiership from fourth for the second time in three years, but first they must get past Tess Madgen and the Eastern Mavericks.
Madgen played in the Mavericks’ first nine games, but has featured just twice since. She scored 12 points in 19 minutes last week, before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Tenille Searl (knee), Jemma Thacker and Amanda McDermott are all in doubt for this week.
Only a month ago, the Mavericks were second with an 11-3 record. Since then, they have been unable to fill the void offensively without their star player, and will need to find their best form again quickly if they wish to avoid an earlier than anticipated end to their campaign.
The Eagles cruised through the regular season, getting good enough results to get them into fourth position. They never lost back-to-back games more than once, but have failed to beat a team above them.
The Mavericks have two wins against teams higher on the ladder, but lost both games to Forestville. In Round 7, a 23-13 third quarter catapulted the Eagles to a 62-59 victory, despite a game-high 25 points from Madgen.
In Round 16, both teams were missing star players. The Mavericks were without Madgen and the Eagles Mia Newley, who has not participated since July 14. Newley was impactful in Round 7 with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Round 16 match was tight for three quarters, but an 18-8 last quarter from the Eagles got them a 71-52 victory. Jemma Thacker had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals for the Mavericks, while Olivia Thompson dominated the paint with a 17 point, 17 rebound double-double.
Since registering just 7 points in Round 8 against the Mavericks, Thompson has posted six straight double-doubles.
Thompson’s numbers have gone up in Newley’s absence, but it took the presence of both stars to get the Eagles home in Round 8. In contrast, WNBL player Alex Wilson is set to play her fifth game of the season for the Mavericks, and her first against the Eagles since June 27, 2010.
The fitness of the Mavericks’ starters and key rotation players could have a large bearing on the outcome of this game.

 
Men’s Qualifying Final
Woodville Warriors (15-3, 2nd) v Forestville Eagles (12-6, 3rd)
Saturday August 10, 8.15pm at St Clair
Officials: N Durant & N Ireland

The Woodville Warriors and Forestville Eagles’ last finals were both Grand Final victories, but that will change when they meet in the 2013 Qualifying Final. 

Only Minor Premiers West (twice) and Sturt have beaten the Warriors in 2013. Their win over Southern last week gave them 15 victories for the year, almost twice last year’s total, and an improvement of three wins on 2005 – the last time the Warriors participated in finals.

The Eagles have won some games by huge margins against Sturt, Norwood (twice), Centrals, North and Eastern, but they have also been on the lop-sided end of a number of other contests. Their lack of consistency indicates they are not as formidable opponent as the premiership sides of 2011 and 2012.

The Warriors had the Eagles’ measure by a long way in Round 8, winning 83-67 after leading by 25 points at half-time. That game served as a turning point for Darren Ng. After averaging 14.1 ppg prior to that date, Ng exploded for 27 points and five threes, and is averaging 23.4 ppg since.

The margin was a lot closer in Round 17, with the Warriors conquering the Eagles 81-75. Kane Oakley (9 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks), Jake Rios (24 points) and Neil Mottram (12 points, 5 rebounds) all made a huge difference to the Eagles in Round 17, after only Rios - who was injured halfway through the first quarter - was in uniform for Round 8.

Ng (22.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 7 threes), Aaron Wyatt (15 ppg), Steve Pilkington (16 ppg, 11.5 rpg) and Luke Stanbridge (13 ppg, 61% FG) have been the key figures behind the Warriors’ success against the Eagles this season.

Forestville’s best player, Boomer Adam Gibson, has not played for the Eagles against the Warriors this season, which could be the ex-factor in determining the result of this game. Whether his presence alone will be enough to swing the pendulum in the Eagles’ favour remains to be seen.

 
Men’s Elimination Final
Central District Lions (11-7, 4th) v North Adelaide Rockets (10-8, 5th)
Saturday August 10, 8.15pm at Starplex
Officials: A Filmer & V Devlin

The Central District Lions will feature in the postseason for the first time in more than two decades when they face the North Adelaide Rockets in the Elimination Final.

At the beginning of the year, the Lions were on fire, winning four straight. Five losses from Rounds 5-11 saw them staring down the barrel of another campaign without finals, but only momentarily.

The Lions’ win away to Southern in Round 12 was a defining moment for the team, as it ignited a run of five wins from their last seven games to finish in fourth position, and earn them their first final since 1992.

The Rockets are in the finals for the eighth straight season, despite starting 2013 2-4. The signing of Anthony Petrie really boosted the team, with four consecutive triumphs from Rounds 7-10.

The Rockets only went 4-4 in their final eight games, but their Round 12 victory over sixth placed Sturt in Round 12 proved the most vital result in the league this year.

The Lions and Rockets traded blows when they met this season, with the away team - in addition to the team trailing at ¾ time - winning on both occasions. In Round 8, the Lions threw away a 12 point lead with a quarter to play, losing 63-65. Yet in Round 17, despite being down 52-57 with only 10 minutes remaining, the Lions got up 75-68 win.

Rocket Pero Vasilijevic is averaging 17 ppg and 7.5 rpg against the Lions this season, but Joseph Campbell, who is averaging 9.7 ppg this season, has managed just 4 and 5 points in two matches against the men from Gawler.

Petrie had 18 points and 21 rebounds in Round 17.

Defence has been the key behind the Lions’ strong performances against the Rockets this season. Most of their offence has come through Lion Kyle Miller, who is averaging 18 ppg and 32 per cent shooting against the Rockets this season. Chris Clausen is averaging 18.5 ppg and 7 rpg versus the Rockets.

The Rockets beat the Lions without Petrie, but lost to them with him, which makes it difficult to decipher a result. Although the Rockets have more finals experience, they have lost their last seven of them.

BY James Woite