By Benito Carbone

West Adelaide Bearcats 99 | Eastern Mavericks 76

The West Adelaide Bearcats took home a 23 point victory after defeating the Eastern Mavericks in a physical match last Friday night which saw three players from each side reach five personal fouls. Akol Deng was dominant for the visitors, accumulating 21 points, 11 rebounds, while Peter Crawford was imperious from the field, landing 25 points. For the hosts, Thomas Cioffi scored a game-high 27 points to go with 9 rebounds and 3 assists, while Thomas Giles shot at 83% from the field for his 10 points.

Demetrius Perkins (13 pts, 10 rebounds) started the game brightly, landing an unopposed dunk to open West Adelaide’s account. The two sides battled fiercely for supremacy early. Tristan Braithwaite and Matt Scott drained shots from the perimeter for their respective teams but the highlight of the quarter was easily Devon McGee’s huge rejection with the clock winding down. The Bearcats put the game on their terms in the second quarter, turning the lead from 6 points at quarter-time to 19 at the half through back-to-back 3’s from Crawford and some sensational plays from Perkins.

The visitors continued to increase scoreboard pressure in the third as the foul count piled up for each side. Tristan Braithwaite (12 pts, 4-4 3P’s) landed consecutive baskets from behind the arc before Cioffi took matters into his own hands for the Mavericks. Two stunning swishes from downtown, one as he fell out of play, gave the hosts a pathway back into the match but West Adelaide’s continual movement and passing in attack proved too much as the team went into the final break holding a 27-point lead.

Players continued to foul out in the last quarter as tensions rose in Mount Barker. Truslove (5 pts, 11 rebounds) continued to lead the Bearcats with strong voice in attack and defence keeping them on track. The Mavericks failed to make the most of possession when it mattered in the end, ultimately falling short in a 76-99 loss that sees them drop to a 0-2 record.

After the match, Bearcats rookie Akol Deng credited the team’s intensity and enjoyed the physical encounter.

“Our intensity on the defensive end forced them to turn the ball over and we got some easy transition layups because of it,” Deng said.

“I’m a physical player as is the rest of the team. We’re all big, solid boys, so it [the physical nature of the match] worked to our advantage.”

“Against Sturt it will be a harder game, so we’ll have to work together as a team, figure out what they like to do, watch the tape and we’ll see what happens.”

Round 3: Saturday, 2 April at 8.15pm

Eastern Mavericks VS Southern Tigers at Morphett Vale

West Adelaide VS Sturt Sabres at Port Adelaide