Prior to the opening tip where sounds of bustling fans could be heard, Hillcrest was silent and fans heard the Bugle playing before the start of the women’s ANZAC round. The North Adelaide Rockets hosted the Eastern Mavericks in their round four fixture.

The Rockets raced out of the gate in the opening term and gained an 8-2 lead. Both sides started the early moments of the quarter struggling from the field and this soon changed. With the tough gameplay from both clubs, the Rockets found themselves in the bonus with over 4.5 minutes remaining. The first quarter wasn’t all good for the Rockets players as Kirsty Williams found herself on the floor after an Alex Wilson spin. The Mavericks slow beginning added to their woes as they found themselves down 12-points at the end of the first.

North Adelaide started the second term much like the first with the opening basket. Norrisha Victrum assisted in this play with a rocket like pass to Tayla Corrigan. The Rockets could get it done on both ends of the floor as they were also forcing the Mavericks to use as much of their shot clock as possible. Despite these problems, the Mavericks stayed strong on the floor and utilised many of their possessions positively. After some rough gameplay by the Rockets which found Kedeisha Kartinyeri on the hardcourt, the Eastern Mavericks coach voiced his thoughts and received a technical foul for his efforts. Since the technical foul on their coach, the Mavericks appeared to increase their physicality.

This physicality continued into the next quarter as Wilson showed her defensive presence with back to back blocks sending one of Lauren Thornett’s shot into the stands early. With their defence, their offense also looked to be improving as they were finding the opportunity to score inside. Overall, they scored 32 points in the paint. On the other hand, the Rockets continued to fly straight and began to heat up from the field. The North Adelaide streak continued with Jo Hill beating the 3-quarter time buzzer and high-fiving kids in attendance. This basket gave the home side a strong 64-31 lead.

The scoreboard didn’t stop the Rockets as they continued their high pressure on the visitors. The Rockets pressing the Mavericks at the halfway line was causing problems for the visitors. The Rockets’ assault was not only on the defensive end as they continued to put their foot on the throttle throughout. With these efforts, the Rockets blew-out the Mavericks by 33 points.

 

Notable Players:

North Adelaide Rockets

Norrisha Victrum: 17-points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Jo Hill: 17-points 3 rebounds, 5 assists

Eastern Rockets

Alex Wilson: 14-points and 17 rebounds

Brooke Basham: 10-points