ROUND 2 Preview: Men

By James Woite

Central District Lions (0-1) v Eastern Mavericks (0-1)

Saturday March 21; 7.30pm; Starplex

Having lost their Round 1 games, the Central District Lions and Eastern Mavericks will be looking to square the ledger when they meet at Starplex.

Atem Atem (12 points) and Haydn Barns (11 points) were the two double-digit scorers in the Mavericks’ 60-87 loss to North last week. The Lions had four players (Tyler Kennedy 16, Jordan Centernera 15, Matthew Atkins 13, Paul Joyce 13) reach double-figure points in the 74-87 loss to Sturt.

The Lions and Mavericks normally play off in Rivalry Round, but that is not the case this time, with only three matches to go ahead this week.

It was against the Mavericks that Lions got their campaign on-track last season. The Lions were just 1-3 going into their Round 5 matchup, and trailed at half-time, but turned on their best basketball in the second half, rallying for a 97-76 win. The Lions also won at Eastern 99-83.

The Lions’ recent success against the Mavericks gives them pre-game favouritism.

 

 

North Adelaide Rockets (1-0) v Woodville Warriors (2-0)

Saturday March 21; 8.15pm; Hillcrest

The Woodville Warriors will push for a seventh successive victory at Hillcrest when they visit the North Adelaide Rockets, in the Match of the Round.

The Rockets have not beaten the Warriors at all since 2012, but their early season form suggests they are an opponent the reigning champions cannot afford to take lightly.

Following on from their preseason tournament success, the Rockets thrashed the Mavericks 87-60 in Round 1 – a side they were swept by in 2014. Luke Mapunda (17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists), Daniel Goodluck (17 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) and Luke Pike (15 points, 7 rebounds) were just three of the players to register impressive statistics in multiple categories. The Rockets outscored the Mavericks 20-2 in the third quarter.

The Warriors are coming off a back-to-back in which they pulled out close wins both times, defeating South 75-68 and West 74-71. Ian Nixson was their top-scorer against South with 18, while Darren Ng led the way with 21 points against West. With a new number and new starting role, Luke Stanbridge finished the weekend with two double-doubles, totalling 31 points and 26 rebounds.

A victory for the Rockets would end their longest home drought against a rival club, with their last home win against the Warriors coming on April 20, 2008.

 

South Adelaide Panthers (0-2) v Forestville Eagles (1-0)

Saturday March 21; 8.15pm; Marion

The South Adelaide Panthers will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s home success against the Forestville Eagles when the two sides go head-to-head at Marion.

The Panthers beat the Eagles by 14 points at Marion last season, marking a 50 point turnaround from their defeat to the Wayville side in Round 1. With losses to Woodville (68-75) and Norwood (61-90), the Panthers need lightning to strike twice if they are to keep pace with the top five.

New recruits Daniel Sims (29 points, 6 assists) and Pero Vasilijevic (16 points, 5 rebounds) piled up stats in the Eagles’ 90-73 win over Southern. They will need to keep a close eye on Panthers’ import Jeremy Smith, who had 13 points and 9 rebounds against Woodville, followed by 29 points and 12 rebounds against Norwood.

The Panthers have shown they cannot rely on Smith’s individual brilliance to keep them in games. They need a greater spread of scorers, like they did when they fell just short of the Warriors, if they are to trouble the Eagles.




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