North Adelaide Rockets v Norwood Flames
Saturday, April 30, 6:30pm at Hillcrest Stadium
The Norwood Flames have been burning hot over the season’s opening four games, and they have a great opportunity to make it five from five when they take on winless North Adelaide on Saturday.

The league’s top side has so far picked up tight wins over Eastern and Sturt, whilst easily accounting for Centrals and Southern.

Andrew Webber has been in great form for Norwood, averaging 15.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg over his first four matches. Todd Matthews, David Cooper, former Rocket Nick Hambour and Corey Ottey have also provided valuable contributions.

The Flames have used their size to great advantage, averaging a massive 49.75 rebounds per contest.

After finishing fifth last year, the Rockets have struggled to find a way to win.

North went down to West 76-63 in Round 3, whilst suffering one point defeats to South and Woodville in the opening two rounds.

36er Rhys Carter has averaged 18.5 ppg in two matches, whilst Josh Bond is averaging 16 ppg over three. New import Curtis Scipio played only 16 minutes in his debut last round, scoring two points. Look for his minutes to increase in this one.

The last time the teams met, North pulled off an away victory, but expect this game to be a story.

The Flames have improved immensely since then, almost upsetting West to make the 2010 Grand Final, before their big start this season.

The Rockets, meanwhile, faded late last season, before the unsuccessful start to this campaign.

Expect pace-setters Norwood to dominate inside and improve to 5-0.

Southern Tigers v South Adelaide Panthers
Saturday, April 30, 8:15pm at Morphett Vale Stadium
The South Adelaide Panthers will be looking to continue their impressive start to the season when they take on the struggling Southern Tigers in Round 4.

The Panthers played very well in their last match against Forestville, despite losing 95-80.

This result followed consecutive victories over Centrals and North, without star centre Daniel Johnson. Johnson returned for the Eagles match, posting 24 ppg and 17 rpg.

Fellow 36er Mitch Creek has been outstanding thus far, averaging 20 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 3.7 apg. Former Tiger Shane Boal has been lethal from deep, with 42 of his 51 points coming from beyond the arc.

Isaiah Omamogho had an impressive opening two matches, before scoring just 5 points against the Eagles.

Southern scored a much-needed win in the first of their Round 3 matches, before a third-quarter fade-out highlighted their 88-78 loss to Eastern.

The Tigers have produced a mixed bag thus far, with their 14-37 third quarter against the Mavs, along with their dismal effort at home to Norwood showcasing their worse basketball. Yet, Southern were great against the undefeated Eagles, where they just went down by 8 points.

Marcus Robinson has been the Tigers’ best source of scoring, with an average of 11.3 points on 51.6 per cent shooting. Michael Florance has been a force on the boards, averaging 9.5 per game, but has shot just 10-55 from the field, and has failed to connect on a three-pointer, despite 17 attempts.

If Southern can bring their best basketball for four quarters, then they are capable of picking up the win, however, South should have too much talent on the night.

Look for the Panthers to pick up a comfortable win.

Woodville Warriors v West Adelaide Bearcats
Saturday, April 30, 8:15pm at St. Clair Recreation Centre
The Woodville Warriors will have their hands full on Saturday when they host the undefeated West Adelaide Bearcats.

The home side have dropped their last two matches against Southern and Forestville, after commencing with a thrilling one point win at North.

Josh Knight has been the Warriors’ go to player, providing 17.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg per game, although shooting just 36.5 per cent from the field and 57.1 per cent from the charity stripe.

Gary Birmingham is the only other Warrior averaging double figures (12.7 points), and is shooting at the highest percentage on the team at 42.9 per cent.

The Bearcats were at their best against North, scoring a comfortable 76-63 win.

Despite not playing their best basketball against Centrals and being smashed in the fourth quarter against Eastern, West still picked up important wins.

Ben Evans made his season debut last week, and was impressive with 20 points on 61.5 per cent shooting, adding to an already impressive line-up featuring Jeff Dowdell, David Nurse, Anthony Spadavecchia, Blake Truslove, Tristan Braithwaite and Adam Pearce.

West have a tough match the next day against Forestville, so will want to try and wrap this one up early in order to rest their key players.

The Warriors have shown sign of improvement at times, but have also failed to pull off important plays at key moments.

I think Woodville will stay reasonably close throughout, but the Bearcats will ultimately get another win here.

Central District Lions v Eastern Mavericks
Saturday, April 30, 8:15pm at Starplex
The Eastern Mavericks will be hoping to maintain their place in the top five with a win at Centrals on Saturday.

The visitors squared their ledger at 2-2 with a win over Southern in their second match of Round 4, after a pulsating 37-14 third period.

The Mavs would likely be higher if not for a nightmare schedule, where they faced last year’s top three sides in their opening three matches.

They began their campaign with a one point loss to West, before beating Sturt in another cliff-hanger by two, and then giving up a half-time lead to lose to Norwood.

Player/Coach Brad Hill has been in outstanding form, averaging 26.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4 assists. Fellow 36er Aaron Bruce has also been excellent with 20.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, and 7.3 apg.

Shane Breheny’s numbers of 14 ppg and 8.3 rpg have also been extremely valuable.

Meanwhile, Centrals are again at the foot of the table; their 0-4 record leaving them winless since Round 4 last season.

Daniel Carlin has been good to date, averaging 16 ppg and 7.8 rpg, while Josh Kollasch is averaging 10.8 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lions produced competitive performances against Sturt and West, whilst being blown away by South and Norwood.

It is hard to see Centrals putting up much of a fight against a quality Mavericks side that has shown it can compete with the best. Eastern should win by plenty.

Forestville Eagles v Sturt Sabres
Saturday, April 30, 8:15pm at Wayville Sports Centre
The epic Rivalry Round matchup will no doubt be the Forestville v Sturt clash, with the stakes high for both teams.

The unbeaten Eagles will need a victory to maintain pace with Norwood and West, while the underperforming Sabres require a win to stay in touch with the top five.

Sturt have a league-high four current 36ers players on their roster, albeit all four have only featured once together this season. That was in Round 3, where the Sabres picked up an unconvincing win over Centrals.

Darren Ng produced 27 points, including 6 three-pointers, in his first CABL match of 2011. Ng has been brought back slowly since coming off second best in a collision with San Antonio Spurs reject Kirk Penney in an NBL match back on January 8.

Tom Daly is the only 36er to feature in all three of Sturt’s matches, averaging 11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 6 apg. Jacob Holmes is sitting on 16.5 ppg, 20 ppg, and 6.5 apg, while Jan Warbout is averaging 11.5 ppg.

With all four 36ers in the line-up, one would be inclined to think the Sabres have a massive edge in talent over Forestville.

However, the Eagles have some players who will produce potential match-up nightmares.

Former Perth, Melbourne and Cairns superstar Rashad Tucker is the early MVP favourite, averaging 24.3 ppg on 60.4 per cent shooting, 16.7 rpg and 3.3 apg.

Tucker has been running the offence much of the time for Forestville, whilst also owning the paint at the defensive end.  His 6-6 frame and incredible athleticism is something no Sturt opponent possesses.

Tucker’s likely opponent will be Jacob Holmes, who will be able to match him for strength, but will be giving up speed and athleticism.

Do not be surprised if the Sabres go into a zone at some stage.

Meanwhile, Forward Brad Haydon poses another matchup problem.

Haydon has been on fire from the perimeter, and even if he is not making shots, his ability to draw opposing big men away from the paint will give the likes of Tucker plenty of opportunity to rebound.

Nic Blair has been excellent off the bench, giving the Eagles a major boost in the points, rebounds, assists and steals categories, and posing another matchup problem.

Although his shot has not been on, Trent Fildes is a valuable player at both forward positions, providing further versatility.

The Sabres may have won their last three matchups with Forestville by in excess of double figures, although the Eagles are in much better form, and on that note, my tip is the Eagles in a thriller.

South Adelaide Panthers (2-1, 4th) v Woodville Warriors (1-2, 7th)
Sunday, May 1, 3:00pm at Marion Stadium
The South Adelaide Panthers and Woodville Warriors will complete their Round 4-5 double-header when they face off at Marion on Sunday.

The home side will be backing up after a trip further south to face the Tigers at Morphett Vale, while the visitors have a tough match at home to West.

If the Warriors are to get up in this one, they will need to keep 36ers duo Mitch Creek and Daniel Johnson in check, who combined for 56 points in their only game together in Round 3.

Shane Boal and Isaiah Omamogho should also provide the Panthers with good production.

Josh Knight has been the Warriors’ go-to player, providing 17.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg per game, although shooting just 36.5 per cent from the field and 57.1 per cent from the charity stripe.

Gary Birmingham has also been good for the Warriors.

South has so far defeated Centrals and North, but dropped their match against Forestville.

The Warriors have also defeated the Rockets and lost to the Eagles, with their other match being a two point loss to Southern.

Essentially, South have an advantage in all positions other than the Power Forward spot, although Creek could defend Knight at this position.

However, Woodville appear to have an advantage in depth, which could be crucial in this back-to-back fixture.

In the end, I think the Panthers will get up in a reasonably close to game.

Sturt Sabres v North Adelaide Rockets
Sunday, May 1, 3:00pm at Pasadena Sports Centre
The Sturt Sabres will be hoping for their first home win of Season 2011 when they take on North Adelaide on Sunday.

Both teams have tough fixtures the previous night, with North at home to Norwood and Sturt away to Forestville.

There is hence a strong possibility the Sabres and Rockets could be a combined 1-7 going into the match, making it a must-win game for both teams.

In their corresponding match last season, it was North who picked up the victory, although Sturt won the match at Hillcrest.

The Rockets were the best road team in the competition in 2010, but if they are to repeat that success at Pasadena this week, they will need massive games from Rhys Carter and Josh Bond.

North is not as strong a side as it has been in recent seasons, after losing Michael Zorich, Nick Hambour and Pero Vasilijevic.

The Sabres have not been in the greatest of form themselves, but boast an NBL-calibre quartet of Darren Ng, Jacob Holmes, Tom Daly and Jan Warbout.

It is hard to see the Rockets coming close here. Look for Sturt to pick up a big win.

West Adelaide Bearcats v Forestville Eagles
Sunday, May 1, 3:00pm at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre
West Adelaide and Forestville, both undefeated after three matches, will meet on Sunday in what promises to be an intriguing clash.

The Bearcats are one of the most experienced teams in the competition, with plenty of quality veterans in Blake Truslove, Tristan Braithwaite, Anthony Spadavecchia, Ben Evans, and Adam Pearce.

They also have 36er Jeff Dowdell in their line-up, while David Nurse has been good so far in his first CABL season.

In contrast, Forestville boasts plenty of young talented players, such as Adam Doyle, Nic Blair, Trent Fildes, Brad Haydon, John Wernham and Majok Deng.

Former NBL superstar Rashad Tucker and potent shooter Brad Sullivan complete a mix of versatility and athleticism.

These teams featured in two nail-biting affairs last season. Forestville got up by a point at Port Adelaide, however, West pulled off a six point win at Wayville. Spadavecchia was the hero in the Bearcats’ win, hitting a late three-pointer to beat the shot clock with his team up three.

West use a deeper rotation than Forestville, which could be a huge factor in deciding the outcome of this game, considering both teams are playing the second match of their back-to-back.

The Eagles have Sturt at home on Saturday, in a match that will likely be ferocious and intense right up until the final siren.

On the other hand, the Bearcats will play Woodville in what will likely be a somewhat less intense affair. 

This game will likely come down to the wire again, with each team very evenly matched. Do not be surprised if this one goes into overtime. With a lighter fixture the previous night, West will likely have fresher legs down the stretch, which I feel will get them over the line.