(Courtesy Norwood Basketball Club)

The Norwood ABA Men will look to re-start their 2008 Championship drive as they take on the Eastern Mavericks at MARS on Saturday night.

After being checked by North Adelaide last weekend, Norwood will be out to show everyone the loss was an aberration, and while respective ladders positions may predict a huge mismatch, the Mavs will see an opportunity for a big scalp if their round three clash is anything to go by.

The last time they met, Eastern jumped Norwood, and enjoyed a 19-point quarter time break. The Flames too a long time to get into gear, and only hit the front in the last quarter, before finally running over the gallant Mavericks. Phil Modra caused the early havoc, finishing with 30 points, while evergreen Shane Breheny produced a tidy 21-point, 17-rebound double. Last weekend Breheny was unstoppable again as his name narrowly lost to Centrals – amassing 17 points and a massive 24 rebounds. Rookie Matt De Cure going 11-12 for his team-high 27 points.

While the Flames will hold a measure of respect for Eastern on Saturday, the real pressure to perform has risen from within. The deep Flames have a number of capable options which has coach Rupert Sapwell issuing a warning to all his players – perform or sit. As the finals approach, Sapwell’s even spread of minutes will tighten and the players producing results will slot into the finals rotation.

The Flames expect to see a fair amount of zone defence on Saturday night against the undersized Mavericks, who will crowd David Cooper and Dan Thompson, and plug driving lanes for Todd Matthews. That will load the offensive pressure on Corey Ottey, Andrew Webber and Christian Bell to make some perimeter noise. Time will tell if they’re up to it.