Men's First Semi Final Preview
North Adelaide Rockets (13-5, 3rd) v Norwood Flames (11-7, 5th)
Saturday August 18, 7.00pm at Hillcrest
The North Adelaide Rockets and Norwood Flames will put it all on the line when they go head-to-head at Hillcrest in a cut-throat First Semi Final.
The prize up for grabs is an away Preliminary Final against either Sturt or Forestville. The loser will have hit the court for the final time in 2012.
The Flames are in winning form and would have every right to be full of confidence. In an outstanding defensive display, the Flames held the West Adelaide Bearcats to just 47 points at less than 30% shooting in their 14 point Elimination Final victory. Brian Moultrie was huge with 20 points, 17 rebounds and 3 steals. Matthew Lycett added 15 points and 9 rebounds.
In contrast, the Rockets were shell-shocked by Forestville last week – not the ideal preparation for such an important game. The Rockets were outscored 11-31 in the fourth quarter and lost 77-105. It was their sixth straight finals defeat.
Pero Vasilijevic did everything he could to keep his team in the contest, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 rejections. Leif Burdon and Luke Mapunda each scored 15.
Hillcrest had been a happy hunting ground for the Flames until Round 2 this season, when they were belted 60-105. Josh Bond, who did not play in the Rockets’ loss last week, scored 31, while Keith Krause was the Flames’ high point man with 14. However, neither of last week’s heroes Lycett or Moultrie was with the Flames at that point.
With Lycett and Moultrie active, the difference was narrowed to just three points when the teams last met at Mars. The Rockets got home 56-53, with Vasilijevic scoring 13. Moultrie had 21 rebounds and 20 points for the Flames.
The Rockets have the added advantage of playing in the comforts of their own home. On the other hand, the Flames have form and momentum on their side. Where the Rockets are heavily reliant on Vasilijevic and Mapunda, the Flames are quite deep with Moultrie, Lycett, Todd Matthews, Andrew Webber and Krause all capable of having a big one.
On that note, the Flames should beat the Rockets for the first time this season and advance to the Preliminary Final to face Sturt or Forestville.
By James Woite
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.