For the second time in three weeks, unsung Norwood guard Andrew Webber was a thorn in the side of the Rockets, helping the Flames to a 92-81 victory in an overflowing Mars cauldron.

The year's best rivalry which had produced a 5 point Norwood win in May and a 1 point North win two weeks ago continued in front of 540 screaming fans, a Central ABL record for the venue.

After an even first quarter in which neither team ever had much of an ascendancy, Norwood gained some momentum early in the second. Todd Matthews made a step through layup and Corey Ottey, playing with confidence stemming from his last game against North, hit a three pointer on a 1 on 4 transition offence. In 70 seconds, the lead had blown out to 7 and Justin Schueller was forced to call a time out.

It worked. Dusty Rychart made a no look pass to Erik Burdon for a backdoor layup, and Ryan Kersten, fresh from pre-season training with the New Zealand Breakers, hit two three pointers. The offensive firepower that both teams possess meant that mini-breaks could be quashed in seconds, and this was no exception.

Webber ignited an 8-0 run, starting with a ridiculous fadeaway three pointer on the shot clock buzzer with a hand in his face. He then ended a baseball outlet from David Cooper with a three point play and assisted Max Papendiek for a layup. Dallas Quigley broke the run with a three from the corner but Papendiek made the most of his 14 minutes with two offensive boards and a put back, to give Norwood a 5 point lead.

Dusty Rychart, the lynchpin of North's last three victories, picked up his third foul and while he rested, Norwood raced away to a 10 point lead. North had to bring him on to stop the run, but at the half time break, Norwood led by 9 and had all the momentum.

Norwood started the third quarter like the second and when David Cooper, the league's most prolific shot swatter, stopped a North fast break, the lead was 15. By half way through the quarter, North looked out of it, until a Tom Rowe put-back and fast break layup sparked an 18-4 run to help North draw within 3.

Norwood recovered, but just couldn't shake the Rockets. A Todd Matthews three pointer gave them some breathing space but North drew within 2 when Rychart rebounded his own missed shot for a tip in with 6 minutes left in the final quarter.

60 seconds later, Webber hit the most important of his three three pointers - a dagger on transition. Matthews hit a three out of a timeout, then made up for two quick turnovers with a feed to Dan Thompson who extended Norwood's lead to 11, forcing a timeout. Burdon hit a patented three from hand off, but Matthews responded with a three pointer from the corner, and when Thompson hit a jump shot a the end of the shot clock, the Flames were safe.

In contrast to the previous matchup between these two teams, there were no offensive standouts. Webber led all scorers with 20 and also had 6 assists, while Rychart had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Many of Thompson's 14 points came at critical times in the last quarter and Erik Burdon's 15 points helped to keep North in the game.

Norwood now gain direct entry into the Grand Final in two week's time and get another chance to scout North and Forestville from the intimate Hillcrest bleachers.