South Adelaide Panthers 105 | Central Districts Lions 70

 

South Adelaide were far too strong for the visiting Central Districts side, coming away with a 35 point win, 105-70.

In what started as an intensely physical contest, with both sides fighting for the ball on the ground, the packed Marion crowd knew that they were in for a good showing.

Central Districts looked lively early, moving the ball with good pace but had too many errant passes to create any fluency. At the other end of the court, new recruit Eian Davis, wowed the crowd with equal parts skill and showmanship- collecting the opening 7 points for South.

Later in the quarter, it was Shane Boal’s turn, hitting a string of 3’s on his way to 12 points for the term. Al Green was typically vocal, urging his side on in a relatively even first 10 minutes- South with a slight edge, 22-17 at the break.

In a tense start to the second, with just 6 points in 4 minutes, the Lions showed signs that they could match Souths’ energy. Ricardo Martin looked in fine touch, looming as a potential match winner on the way to 15 first half points. Nelson Larkins whilst quiet on the scoreboard tenaciously pressed the ball carrier and picked up 3 steals and 4 assists, to help the Lions to within 3 points late on in the half.

However, the Panthers were able to wrestle back the ascendency again through Davis and Boal, culminating in an alley-oop from Davis that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The import had 18 first half points and looked right at home with his new teammates, South leading 46-32 at the main break.

South continued to push Centrals’ hard, attacking the rim and picking up a number of opportunities at the line. Arguably, they should have been ahead further but only converted at 50% for the night.

Jay O’Brien had an excellent quarter and second half, on his way to a double-double (13 pts, 13 rebounds) and provided South with a focal point inside the key. Thomas Mckenzie also looked sharp for the Panthers, working in tandem with O’Brien to collect 6 rebounds and 11 points in the last half.

At the other end of the court, Larkins and Martin continued to put in, but the Lions were losing focus- questioning referees and blaming each other. Coach Bobby Cunningham was not impressed with their display, often seen with his head in his hands.

Despite not many minutes, Adam Brown showed he is more than capable at Premier League level, provide good pace as South extended their lead to 29 at the final interval. 

The last quarter was a formality for South, with the fans taking great delight as the team passed 100 points, something that has been rare in recent memory.

To the Lions credit, they never gave up- pushing hard even in the final seconds when the play was of little consequence. Keon Sapwell had a promising second half with 12 points, but the positives were few for Centrals’.

It is important to mention that the Lions had nearly as many attempts as South, but it was always going to be self-sabotaging to shoot at just 29% and only 1/25 from beyond the arc.

Boal (game-high 28 pts) and Davis (25 pts) were fantastic for South, stepping up when the game was in the balance early.

Davis’ game would have been especially pleasing for Al Green, as whilst he has the ability to do it all, he should be lauded for knowing when to give it off to his teammates and get back in defence (7 assists and 9 fouls received).     

 

 

Round 2 Saturday 8^th April, 8:15 pm:

Central Districts Lions v Eastern Mavericks @ Starplex

Southern Tigers v South Adelaide Panthers @ Morphett Vale