The crowd at the Port on Sunday were treated to a 47 point 13 rebound highlight reel from Tess Madgen as the Mavs consigned the Lady Bearcats to their second home loss of the season.

Coming off an encouraging win the night before against Southern, West would have been hoping for a different result.

The Lady Bearcats started with a considerable height advantage and this looked to stand them in good stead as Kate Shierlaw and Alana Nairn scored the home sides first 6 points. This combined with the scrambling defence early on had the home crowd excited and the Mavs looking to Madgen for something special. They didn’t have to wait long and by quarter time she had scored one less than her opposing team at 24-16 on the back of 3 triples.

The Lady Bearcats were becoming increasingly frustrated at not being able to contain Madgen and after battling hard to get the deficit back to a manageable 6 after 4 minutes of the second quarter those frustrations boiled over resulting in a technical foul. Amanda MacDermot was proving the perfect foil for Madgen with her court sense and shooting accuracy, the two of them easily outscoring the Lady Bearcats on their own for the quarter, 19-13. Unfortunately the minds of the Bearcats were still not on the game as another technical foul late in the quarter helped the Mavs to a 16 point half time lead.

When Madgen scored within 10 seconds of play resuming it didn’t look like the Lady Bearcats were going to find any answers to her dominance but Jess Mahony, Taya Crockford and Ashlea Vordermaier weren’t giving up without a fight. When Madgen received her first foul with 1:10 to go in the third, quickly followed by two more and the Lady Bearcats had won the quarter by 2, they had hope.

That hope saw a spirited last quarter performance with 12 points from Vordermaier as Madgen’s defence was tempered by her 4^th foul at 6:34. The Lady Bearcats threatened to storm home when the margin was cut to 5 but the experience of MacDermot and Madgen enabled them to hold on for a 83-74 win that may be important in deciding places on the ladder come final’s time.

Eastern Mavericks 83 (Tess Madgen 47, Amanda MacDermot 22)
West Adelaide Bearcats 74 (Ashlea

Norwood Flames (2-0, 1st) v Woodville Warriors (0-2, 8th)
Friday April 19, 6.30pm at Mars

The Norwood Flames will be hoping to continue their dominant start to their premiership defence when they welcome the Woodville Warriors to Mars for a Friday night date.

A week after belting Southern, the Flames put the Eastern Mavericks to the sword with a 90-54 triumph. Accounting for a team with Tess Madgen in such fashion is no mean feat - it was the Mavericks’ largest defeat with Madgen in the line-up since April 10, 2010, when they lost by 43 to Forestville.

Jessica Good (24 points, 7 rebounds) and Jess Foley (Jess Foley added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists) led from the front in the absence of 2012 Grand Final MVP Amy Lewis. After scoring no more than 11 during the 2012 season, Good looks set for a breakout year, averaging 19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3 apg over the opening two rounds.

The Warriors have started 2012 0-2, but have shown some good signs so far under new coach Christian Bell. They were within a single basket of 2012 Grand Finalists North Adelaide with a little over a minute to go, but conceded the final five points in losing 77-84. Tess Keenan (18 points, 6/10 FG), Jessica Koch (14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) and Katherine Perkas (12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists) were among the Warriors’ best.

The challenge for the Warriors gets even greater amidst this tough early schedule, meaning they will almost certainly be 0-3 heading into the following night’s home game with West Adelaide.


Eastern Mavericks (2-1, 5th) v Central District Lions (0-2, 9th)
Saturday April 20, 6.30pm at Adelaide Hills

With Tess Madgen in hot form, the Eastern Mavericks have a great chance to shore up a spot in the top five when they host the Central District Lions.

One night after being thrashed by Norwood, Madgen fell just three points short of a half century last Sunday as the Mavericks won their second straight on the road, defeating the Bearcats 83-74.

Madgen (47 points, 14/23 FG, 9/13 3FG, 10/14 FT, 13 rebounds) produced career highs in points scored and three-pointers made, while Amanda MacDermot (22 points) cracked the 20 point mark for the first time since May 9, 2010.

MacDermot’s breakout game is great news for the Mavericks. She averaged as much as 15.6 ppg in the 2005 season, so if she can score some points on a regular basis, she will take some pressure off of Madgen and give the Mavericks a chance to rise to another level.

Despite another solid outing from Tamika Dukes (18 points, 11 rebounds), the Lions suffered a bitterly disappointing 50-74 setback at the claws of the previously winless Southern Tigers. The Lions sit alongside Woodville and South as the only clubs yet to secure a victory.

This will be the first head-to-head meeting between these sides since the 2012 Elimination Final. That was one of three wins for the Lions in this series last year.

Expect the Mavericks to turn the tables on the Lions in a big way.


Norwood Flames (2-0, 1st) v North Adelaide Rockets (2-1, 4th)
Saturday April 20, 6.30pm at Mars

In a rematch of the 2012 Grand Final, it is Mars where the Norwood Flames and North Adelaide Rockets will do battle.

The last time Norwood hosted North, it was the Rockets who came away with a big win. However, Coach Simon Pritchard was back on the Norwood bench for the Grand Final as the Flames won 77-57 at Adelaide Arena.

The Flames will be hoping to enter this game at 3-0, with another home match against the Warriors on Friday. The Rockets are 2-1, having beaten South and Woodville, before dropping a home match to Sturt in what could be a crucial result come season’s end.

Leading 54-51 with a quarter to play, the Rockets managed just 7 final quarter points against the Sabres.

The Flames have seven players averaging at least 8 ppg over the first two matches, led by Jessica Good (19.5 ppg) and Jess Foley (16 ppg). This list does not even include 2012 Grand Final MVP Amy Lewis, who has missed the first two games. The Rockets have four such players, led by Jamie-Lee Peris (19 ppg) and Jo Hill (18.5 ppg).

With the incredible depth they have at their disposal, a second game in two nights should not trouble the Flames. The Rockets have an almighty task ahead of them in avenging THAT loss.


Southern Tigers (1-2, 7th) v South Adelaide Panthers (0-3, 10th)
Saturday April 20, 6.30pm at Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers will be looking to continue their trend of improving results when they take on the South Adelaide Panthers.

From leaving Mars on April 6 with a 57 point loss, to coming away from Starplex with a 24 point win only eight days later, there will be much greater optimism at Tigerland this week. Denelle Fawcett had a brilliant afternoon in the Lions’ den with a career-best 29 points (9/15 FG, 3/5 3FG, 8/11 FT), 5 rebounds and 5 steals. She was well-supported by Kelsie Rutland (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Ashley Biddell (12 points, 9 rebounds) amongst others.

The win over the Lions followed a 50-86 loss to West, despite the best efforts of Stana Zecevic (19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists).

The Panthers have failed to make any noise in 2013 so far. They have not scored more than 62 points in a game, and their smallest losing margin is 21 points.

In the weekend just gone, they lost 56-82 to Sturt and 45-69 to Forestville. Former Tiger Teresa Kinross (11 points against Sturt, 10 against Forestville) was their only double-digit scorer in both matches, following on from her 19 against North in Round 1. Lauren Gibbons had 13 points in 20 minutes against the Sabres, but then scored just 4 in 35 minutes against the Eagles.

The Tigers won both matches against the Panthers last season, and their added confidence should get them home again.


Woodville Warriors (0-2, 8th) v West Adelaide Bearcats (1-2, 6th)
Saturday April 20, 6.30pm at St Clair

After a night out to visit the Flames, the Woodville Warriors will return home on Saturday to meet the West Adelaide Bearcats.

The Bearcats will be attempting to square the ledger once more, after splitting their double against the Tigers and Mavericks last weekend. A 24-6 third quarter keyed the Bearcats’ victory at Southern; Alana Nairn leading the way with 15 points on 7/9 shooting and 7 rebounds.

Despite 23 points and 11 rebounds from Ashlea Vordermaier and 19 points and 4 assists from Jess Mahony, the Bearcats failed to beat the Mavericks at home the following day. They trailed by 16 at half-time and could get no closer than five the rest of the way.

If the Bearcats are to get a win against the Warriors, then keeping Katherine Perkas in check is a must. This season Perkas has been producing career best figures in points (12.5 ppg), rebounds (8.5 rpg), assists (1.5 apg) and field goal percentage (shooting 50 per cent from the field). Perkas had 14 points and 5 rebounds when the Warriors knocked off West last season, though missed the clash later in the season that the Bearcats won.

The Bearcats are fortunate to have the Warriors on a back end of a back-to-back and should make the most of it.   


Forestville Eagles (2-0, 2nd) v Sturt Sabres (3-0, 3rd)
Saturday April 20, 6.30pm at Wayville

In the Match of the Round, the Forestville Eagles and Sturt Sabres will be attempting to keep their unbeaten runs alive when they clash at Wayville.

Last season, the Sabres lost home games against Centrals and South and an away one to North. However, they have already set things straight this year by reversing all of those defeats, and are well on their way to making a return to the postseason.

Aneeka Smith - the hero against North with a clutch three-pointer inside the final 35 seconds that gave the Sabres a four point advantage - has not just been a one play wonder. Smith’s totals of 11 ppg and 50% FG shooting are the best of her three year career.

Hannah Bowley has made an excellent start to the season, averaging 14.7 ppg (on 57 per cent shooting) to go with 4.3 rpg. Amy Shaw (8.3 ppg) has not been shooting the ball well, but is leading the team in rebounding (9.3 rpg).

Despite the Eagles’ 2-0 record, Olivia Thompson (17.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Mia Newley (16 ppg, 10.5 rpg) have been down statistically. However, the fact the Eagles are winning easily without being at their absolute best is a scary sign for opposition clubs.

Monica Bello (4 ppg, 4 apg) is another who is likely to get better as the season progresses, after having 2012 off following an excellent 2011.

These teams split their series 1-1 in 2012, with the home team winning each time.

In what could be a thrilling contest, it is hard to go past the Eagles at home.