WOMEN by Kieren Vartuli

In a Round 18 rematch, the Mavericks and Bearcats face off once again. Last weekend, the two sides were only separated by 6-points with the Mavericks taking the win. Lead by Carmen Tyson-Thomas (34-points) and Brooke Basham (24-points), the Mavs edged out the Bearcats in their first meeting of the year. The Bearcat bench will definitely be a focus point for the Mavs this week after allowing them to drop 34-points compared to their 9. The depth that West Adelaide boasts separates them from some of the other contenders. Easterns’ ability to force turnovers and score on the break was crucial to their victory after the Mavs recorded 21-points off turnovers and 20 overall points on the break. Cutting the Mavs ability to act on the break will be a key for a potential Bearcat victory. 

Hang Time Prediction: Eastern Mavericks 

MEN by Daniel Renfrey

The Mavericks and the Bearcats will face off again this week, after the Bearcats beat Eastern 99-72 over the weekend. West Adelaide’s defence was what ultimately won them the game. The home side kept the Mavericks to just 72 points and below 50% shooting from within the three-point arc. The offence of the bearcats was also impressive, with the team racking up 30 assists and Kubank, Thomas and Jefferson combining for 64 points. The Mavericks will need to lift in all areas, especially on defence, if they want to win this week. Morris was impressive for his side, but got himself in a bit of foul trouble and lacked the support of teammates to get the job done. If the Mavericks can run a better, more team-oriented offence, they might be able to pull off an upset. It’s hard to see this happening just a week after against the same opposition though.

Hang Time prediction: West Adelaide Bearcats