The Norwood Flames finished their home double header with a comfortable 19-point win over the North Adelaide Rockets, helped by a second quarter master class from Edward Millard.

The first quarter was a tense affair as both teams started strongly and put points on the board.

North Adelaide dominated the paint with captain/coach Pero Vasiljevic making baskets and stopping them at opposite ends of the court.

The Rockets zone looked impenetrable and restricted the Flames to shooting from beyond the arc. Norwood didn’t seem troubled by this, with their threes dropping, allowing them to stay in the game.

North’s Joseph Campbell gave the fans something to cheer about as he strolled through a crowded key to put down a huge dunk over several Norwood defenders.

A strong first quarter by the Rockets gave the impression that a blow out was on its way, but the accurate three-point shooting kept Norwood alive and the game tied at 25 a piece.

The second quarter belonged to one man on the court and one man only, Norwood’s Edward Millard. Millard was an all-round performer, crashing the boards, knocking shots from all over the court and getting steals.

On the back of Millard, Norwood opened the quarter with an 11-2 run.

North Adelaide were powerless as the Flames made shots from every inch of their half including a flurry of three-pointers late in the quarter.

Norwood entered the half time break up 32 to 13.

The third quarter started much the same way as the second finished with Norwood barely missing a shot from the field.

North seemed in awe for the first few minutes but managed to regain composure and kept the game relatively tight.

Campbell and Vasiljevic combined to create some scoreboard pressure however Norwood mimicked the Rockets’ strong first quarter defensive display and made it clear the paint was a no-go zone.

North maintained hope with Daniel Goodluck getting steals and Vasiljevic blocking shots.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, Norwood’s offense was unstoppable, with the Flames’ Andrew Webber and Millard seemingly unable to miss a shot.

By the time the third quarter finished, Norwood had extended their lead to 22 points.

Exceptional ball movement and good team energy from the Flames early in the fourth summed up the game as Norwood were just too good.

Vasiljevic kept the Rockets’ determination strong as he stepped up to dominate the paint again and set up teammates from range. Millard however reminded everyone whose game this was, closing the game with 28 points.

Andrew Webber completed a three-point play late in the game and followed it up with an excellent inside pass for an easy 2 but at this stage the game was decided.

Norwood Flames 96 (Edward Millard 28, Andrew Webber 19, Daniel Webber 17)
North Adelaide 77 (Pero Vasiljevic 26, Joseph Campbell 17, Brett Collins 14)

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By James Hetherington