"Traditional Rivals" is an overused phrase but there can be few fiercer rivals in South Australian basketball than Sturt and Forestville.

Partly stemming from junior levels, but also evidencing itself at senior levels in recent years, their battles are often fiery, and the 2009 Central ABL women’s league is no exception. Forestville were one point victors in their first matchup of the season, and while the Eagles won the second game more comfortably, the game featured some physical play between both teams’ guards that indicated that more was at stake than just that game. Sturt turned the tables in the qualifying final three weeks ago on the back of their front court dominance, but neither would enter this game as clear favourite.

Angela Marino has prepared herself for the upcoming WNBL season with some consistently solid performances this year, with only injury preventing her from seriously contending for the Halls medal. She led the league in scoring with 21.3 points per game and also in three point percentage, and . She always has great battles with Forestville’s former Lightning guards Jess Mahony and Dee Ranford, and if you add Jess Fergus to the mix, Forestville’s backcourt is arguably the best in the league.

At the forward/centre positions, Sturt has the clear advantage. While Mia Newley has had a great season, the nature of Forestville’s lineup means that she is forced to play 1 or 2 positions higher than she would possibly do at WNBL level, and while she is more than capable of scoring around the basket, she will  have a tough challenge against the taller Monique Bowley. Bowley had 18 rebounds in the last game between these two teams, and is no stranger to this stage, having captained the Sabres to a Central ABL Grand Final victory over Forestville in 2006.

Perhaps the wildcard in this game is Caroline Burgess. Burgess is the league’s best defensive player and could be called upon to shut down anyone from Newley to Mahony. If she can help to contain any one of the Forestville guards, this could remove a sizeable portion of the Eagles’ score. At the other end, look for the Sabres to exploit mismatches for Monique and Brigid Bowley inside and wear down the Forestville interior defence.

With a variety of individual matchups possible, expect strategy to play a key part in the result.

Game Time: 6:15pm on Saturday September 5 at the Distinctive Homes Dome