West Adelaide Bearcats v Sturt Sabres

In the Match of the Round, at the special time of 6.30 pm Saturday, the Bearcats (11-5, 3rd) host the Sabres (10-6, 4th), with a top three finish up for grabs.

A West Adelaide win will guarantee it third place at worst, but a Sturt victory could see the Sabres overtake the Bearcats by the end of the regular season.

The ’Cats are one game ahead of Sturt on the ladder and have a +11 advantage in the head-to-head split.

After going through a rough patch, West appears to be back on track and playing some good basketball.

The Bearcats are coming off a 78-53 victory over Southern.

West trailed 8-14 at quarter-time, before a 30-11 second period saw it on its way to win number 11.

The Bearcats shot over 46% from the field, had 10 more rebounds and 10 less turnovers.

The Sabres, who were again without Darren Ng and Tom Daly, were in trouble at half-time against the Panthers, trailing 33-44.

However, led by some hot shooting from Jacob Holmes (33 points, 14 rebounds) and some pulsating defence from Mark Bauer (6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) and Sam Daly (7 points), Sturt dug itself out of a hole.

The Sabres won the third quarter 26-12 and the fourth 22-10 and wound up winning the game 81-66; a scoreline no one would have envisioned at half-time.

Holmes, who was West’s nemesis in the finals last year, missed the fixture between these teams, which the Bearcats won 83-72.

In the 2010 Grand Final, Holmes finished with a triple-double and was named the game’s MVP, while also getting into a heated battle with West Guard Anthony Spadavecchia late in the third quarter.

In the Semi Final, he scored the last nine points of the game as Sturt produced the comeback of the finals.

He, along with Jan Warbout, who had 16 points and 8 rebounds against South, are the players the Bearcats will need to stop if they are to repeat their Round 8 success.

For the Sabres, shutting down Jeff Dowdell (20 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists against the Tigers) will be a priority, as well closing out on shooters Tristan Braithwaite and David Nurse (16 points apiece last game).

I expect this to be a nail-biting contest with scores very tough to come by.

I give West my tip here.

South Adelaide Panthers v Norwood Flames

The Flames (12-3, 1st) can edge one step closer to the Minor Premiership if they can defeat South (7-9, 6th) at Marion on Saturday.

This is the first of two games for Norwood this weekend, who defeated the Warriors 78-54 last weekend.

The scores were close at half-time, before the Flames won the second half 41-22.

David Cooper was outstanding for the second consecutive game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks and 5 assists.

Robin Eley scored 18 points, including 5/7 from downtown, while Todd Matthews had 11 points and 7 assists.

The Panthers are now out of the finals race after a disappointing loss to Sturt.

South led by 11 at half-time and looked set to put some pressure on the top five, before getting smashed in the second half.

Daniel Johnson again had impressive numbers (26 points, 11 rebounds), but did not have the impact on the game these figures suggested.

The giant centre appeared lethargic in the second half, walking up and down the court, not establishing himself offensively, and choosing not to go in for rebounds at either end on most occasions.

Isaiah Omamogho was exciting in the first half, but was well-beaten by Mark Bauer and Sam Daly in the second.

Omamogho finished the game with 12 points.

Shane Boal played very well for 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

The last time they met, Norwood won 74-60.

If the Panthers put up as much a fight as they did against the Sabres, they will be in for a long night.

This is a good time to be playing South, thus the Flames should win this comfortably.

Woodville Warriors v Eastern Mavericks

The Warriors (7-9, 7th) will be looking to take advantage of a depleted Mavericks (4-12, 9th) side when the two teams meet at St Clair on Saturday.

Now out of the finals race after its loss to Norwood, Woodville can still finish the season as high as sixth, or drop to as low as eighth.

The Warriors were right in the contest at intermission against the Flames, trailing 32-37, but could not sustain the pressure in the second half.

Zane Reeves (16 points, 8 rebounds) was the only Woodville player to score in double figures, with the absence of Colin Matteson (15.7 ppg, 6 rpg) clearly affecting the team.

The Warriors shot less than 28% from the field on the night.

Eastern will be playing the remainder of the season without Brad Hill (28.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.3 apg), Ben Madgen (22.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Aaron Bruce (17.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.1 apg), as it did against Forestville in Round 16.

Astonishingly, the Mavs looked on track for a massive upset after 20 minutes, leading 37-34.

However, reality struck after half-time, with Eastern outscored 19-65.

In the end, the Mavs shot under 31% from the field and committed 29 turnovers to 14.

The shining light was Jack Madgen, whose 14 points was a career-high.

Cameron Myles added 12 points and 4 steals.

The last time they met, Woodville got home 90-84, even with Eastern’s three star players in the line-up.

The Warriors should pick up an easy win here.

Forestville Eagles v Central District Lions

The Eagles (12-4, 2nd)  can seal a top three finish if they can defeat the Lions  (5-10, 8th) at Wayville.

It is unlikely Forestville will drop any lower than second, but it could drop as low as fourth if Sturt wins both its matches and West gets up over Norwood.

Last week, the Eagles took full advantage of the absence of Eastern’s NBL trio Ben Madgen, Brad Hill and Aaron Bruce, winning 99-56, despite a three point deficit at half-time.

Forestville had a mammoth 34 assists and shot over 47% from the field.

Every player scored for the Eagles, with Majok Deng impressive for the second week in a row, producing career-highs in points (17), rebounds (7), three-pointers (1), assists (3), steals (2) and minutes (23).

Fellow rookie Tim Smyth also had his highest scoring output with 6 points on 3/3 shooting, while Rashad Tucker (22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nic Blair (21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists) were outstanding.

Centrals may have won just five games, but four of those have come in the last five weeks and the team is playing some very good basketball.

The Lions’ most recent victory was against fifth-placed North, whom they annihilated 86-51.

They shot over 48% from the field and hit 10/22 threes, four of those from Matty Atkins (14 points).

Josh Kollasch had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in another superb all-round display, while Jordan Centernera had career-highs in points (11) and rebounds (4).

The last time they met, Forestville won 103-90, in spite of 39 points from Kollasch.

This is a danger game for the Eagles, who have everything to lose, but a great experience and challenge for Centrals, who have nothing to lose.

Still, I reckon Forestville will be too strong and get the job done. 

Norwood Flames v Central District Lions

Centrals (5-10, 8th) will complete as tough a double-header as it could ask for when it visits Norwood (12-3, 1st) on Sunday.

The Lions will play the league’s top side on the road just hours after playing the second-placed Eagles in their venue.

Over the last three weeks, Centrals have been the hottest team in the league; the only team not to lose over that span.

Josh Kollasch has been starring, helping the Lions jump to eighth, after sitting bottom for most of the year.

Last week, Centrals thumped North, with six players in double-figures.

The Flames are playing some good basketball and have their best players playing well at the right time of the season.

The Lions will have a difficult time shutting down David Cooper, Todd Matthews and Andrew Webber, while there are plenty of other Norwood players who can step up and play a vital role.

The Flames ended the Warriors’ hopes in Round 16, one week after jumping back to the top of the ladder by defeating the Eagles.

Last time they met, way back in Round 3, Norwood held Centrals to just 42 points and won by 33.

I expect a closer scoreline on Sunday, but this should be the game the Flames wrap up the number one seed.

Southern Tigers v North Adelaide Rockets

Southern (2-14, 10th) will be playing for win number three for the 12th time in a row when it hosts the Rockets (9-7, 5th) on Sunday.

Last week against West, the Tigers were held under 60 points for the sixth time this season and for the third time in the last five matches.

The loss officially guarantees Southern of the Wooden Spoon.

Michael Florance (20 points) and Codey Ellison (10 points, 7 rebounds) were the best for the Tigers against the ’Cats.

After winning nine out of 11, North Adelaide had a night to forget last Saturday, copping a trouncing from Centrals.

Matthew Lycett had an equal game-high 14 points as the only Rocket in double figures.

North shot just 30% from the field and lost all four quarters.

On the bright side for the Rockets, losses to South and Woodville means they will definitely make the finals, which is an outstanding achievement for a side which lost so much experience in the offseason, went winless over its first four games, and was deprived of star player Rhys Carter midseason.

The Rockets will definitely feature in the Elimination Final, and barring any bizarre results, they will be on the road.

Last time they met, North won 93-58, after winning the last three quarters 74-27.

The Rockets will be keen to prove that their shocker against the Lions was not a sign of things to come, and this game presents a great opportunity to regather some form.

North should bounce back with a vengeance and win this comfortably.

 By James Woite