Rnd 20: North Women wins series with a tight victory

By Kieren Vartuli
North Adelaide 71 |Woodville: 66

For the third and final time this season, the Woodville Warriors lined up against the North Adelaide Rockets at St Clair.  With the win, the Rockets won the series 2-1.

A warm start by the Warriors gave an insight to what could have been on the way. Although this was not the case after North Adelaide opened up their tally for the evening. With both sides consistently trading baskets in their respective ways, the game looked to be a close one throughout.  The Warriors had a moment of worry after captain, Katherine Perkas went down with what appeared to be a light knee injury although she later returned. The Rockets were able to extend their lead but this was cut short after Woodville strung a couple baskets together cutting it to 3 and then 1 at the end of the first term.

The Warriors struck first blood and gained the lead after they opened with a basket. With both sides playing well and trading baskets once again for the tie and lead, one error may have been crucial down the stretch. Katherine Perkas returned into the game and made her presence known, flirting with a double-double totalling 11 points and 7 rebounds. Despite Perkas’ performance, Tavarsha Scott-Williams had a stellar night nearing a triple double with steals. She walked off the court with a game high 17 rebounds and 22 points. She also had some quick hands and gathered 6 steals giving her an efficiency rating of 31. With the Warriors leading, North Adelaide were very much still in it as the deficit totalled 4 points at halftime (36-40).

Coming out of the long break, North Adelaide cut the margin down to 2 with the opening basket. Both sides could feel the defensive presence on the floor and this was seen in a number of plays with some swinging elbows. A fantastic defensive show was seen in one play between Jo Hill and Tavarsha Scott-Williams. A turnover from Sarah Elsworthy allowed Scott-Williams to capitalise on a triple giving Woodville a 4-point lead. Both sides struggled to keep the ball safe last night as Woodville and North Adelaide totalled 23 and 18 turnovers respectively.  This did come at a cost, as North Adelaide scored 25-points off these turnovers to Woodville’s 20. The end of the 3rd term came after some great gameplay and left the margin the same as the halftime break (58-54).

Despite being the tail end of the season, both sides had much to play for in their respective ways so it was going to be an excellent finish for the women. After cutting back the lead and regaining control, the Rockets gained some breathing room after a nice 3-ball giving them a 5-point cushioning. A Jo Hill turnover in the final term could have been crucial for a Warrior comeback victory although they fell short. Fortunately for the visitors, the Warriors struggled from the floor late in the contest. This was one that got away from the Warriors as the Rockets held on for a 5-point victory.

For the North Adelaide Rockets, notable efforts were from Opal Madar (17 points 9 rebounds) and Shannon Mckay who went 50% from downtown (4-8) which helped total her 20 points.

This win has left the Rockets 3rd placewith one game remaining in the regular season against Southern Tigers at home. With another tough loss for the Warriors, this has left them in 7th with one game remaining against the Eastern Mavericks at home.

Round 21: Saturday, 13 August at 6.30pm
Southern Tigers v North Adelaide Rockets
Eastern Mavericks v Woodville Warriors




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