Writer Mark Halliday

 

 

Women

 

McKay, Hill lead Rockets over Eagles

The North Adelaide Rockets have solidified second place on the Premier League ladder with a convincing win over the visiting Forestville Eagles, 91-67, at Hillcrest on Saturday night. Shannon McKay and Jo Hill led the Rockets with 23 and 21 points respectively as North were able to hold off a challenge from the Eagles in the third quarter and run away with victory.

The Rockets spaced the floor well with their balanced offence. McKay had the hot hand from deep, connecting on six threes while Hill was pulling the trigger from mid-range any time she was given an inch of space. Opal Mader added 12 for the Rockets through the first three quarters.

Forestville made a run at North after half-time as the Eagles took advantage of a series of missed shots from the Rockets. Danielle Angley nailed back to back triples and a 10 point lead was cut to two with 3:23 left in the third.

North steadied themselves by drawing fouls and building their lead back up at the free throw line. The two point lead blew out to 12 as the Rockets defence stopped the Eagles from continuing their run and limiting them to only two points in the remaining three minutes.

The fourth quarter was all North as they outscored Forestville 24-12. The Eagles were able to get open looks but weren't able to knock them down and reduce the gap. Morgan Yaeger kept attacking after a strong third quarter but was unlucky not to put up more points. Carla Borrego was superb in the post and the Rockets did everything to get the ball out of her hands whenever she caught it down low. Borrego top scored with 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Yaeger added 12 while Angley finished with 10.

North will visit Norwood to take on the undefeated Flames next in what could be a preview of the Grand Final while Forestville will face off against the Central District Lions in Round 20.

 

 

Men

 

Rocket's Miller puts up 38 in win over Eagles

The North Adelaide Rockets beat the Forestville Eagles, 83-61, on the back of an incredible scoring output from Aric Miller at Hillcrest on Saturday night. Miller finished with 38 points on an efficient 67% shooting including six triples while dishing out seven assists and picking up six steals.

Miller put his mark on the game early with 14 first quarter points as both teams were locked in a tight battle throughout the first half. The Rocket's import kept the defence guessing as he often sized up his defender with series of crossovers and hesitations before attacking the rim or raising up for a three.

Forestville's Anthony Petrie was doing the bulk of the damage at the other end for the Eagles. Petrie's versatility caused problems for North as he was able to power his way to the basket for 27 points to go along with 19 rebounds.

However, the Eagles lost their edge in the second half as the Rockets took control with a quick start and never let up. Miller and John Wernham started the third with confidence and extended North's lead to 10 in little time. The Rockets took advantage of any misstep from the Eagles as they raced out in transition and seemingly scored with ease with Miller at the helm.

While the Rockets were able to get some solid contributions from a number of players, Forestville didn't have the same success. After Petrie's 27, the next best was eight from Kyle Howe-Tipene and seven from Brad Gerlach.

Wernham (14 points, 12 rebounds), Brett Collins (11 points) and Daniel Goodluck (10 points) all chipped in behind Miller 's offensive showcase. The Rocket's defence was up to the task as well and made sure Forestville had no easy looks often forcing them into difficult and contested shots throughout the second half.

North's third quarter gave them control of the game and they never gave anything away in the final 10 minutes as they secured a 22 point victory.