Eight points from Centrals' Matt Atkins in the last five minutes broke a deadlock and helped the Lions to a 13 point victory over Eastern at the Plex.

After a raucous rendition of our national anthem from the Gawler faithful, former Lions Jye Watson and Phil Modra started as the Mavericks backcourt, in the absence of the injured Stephen Williams and Brad Hill. Jarrod Graves attempted to force a turnover early with a backcourt double team, but Watson responded with a lob pass to Brad Bungey for a layup. A Mark Egel steal resulted in him finishing a 2 on 1 break with Graves, but it was Eastern who pulled away to a 7 point lead after Bungey twice fed Shane Breheny after drawing a double-team.

Chris Clausen entered the game late in the first quarter, and provided a highlight in the second with a dunk on transition. Zane Reeves, returning for his first game after a pre-season foot injury, hit a mid range jump shot, but Eastern stayed just ahead throughout the quarter, and when Ty Barton drew two defenders and dished to Bungey for a dunk, Eastern went into the half time break up by 4.

Egel started the 2^nd half with a three, contributing to a great run to give Centrals a 5 point lead, but he mood was soured when Clausen had to sit after picking up his fourth foul. Centrals kept the run going when Graves hit Jarred Hammond for a three, and triggered a "Defence" chant from their own bench. Watson responded with a 15' jump shot and a three to keep Eastern in touch, but Graves ended the quarter with a lightning fast 1 on 4 layup, then a steal for another layup, to send Centrals into the ÃfÂ,Ã,¾ time break up by 11.

Griffin export Ben Dearman made two strong drives to start the fourth, and when Modra hit a bullet three pointer that didn't get above 10 feet, the lead was 1. The teams traded baskets until 5 minutes to go, when Matt Atkins' 20' jump shot was well worth the ensuing fist pump. Graves made a three point play and two more foul shots, then Atkins sealed it with a three pointer with the shot clock running down, and a scoop layup in traffic. The game was virtually over when things became ugly - Clausen and Bungey ejected for fighting in the last two minutes. The final score was 96-83.

Chris Clausen and Justin Clayton were the best for Centrals. Clausen had 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Clayton had 13 and 12. Matt Atkins had 18 points and Jarrod Graves had 17. For Eastern, Shane Breheny continued his good form with 23 points at 69%, and Jye Watson also had 23.