WOMEN

Too Young, Too Inexperienced, Too Short, Too Good
Sturt's season so far could not have gotten off to a better start. Ruby Porter aged just 17 looks
to be an absolute star in the league already. Porter is in the top 5 points per game with 21.5 and
looks to be the star of the Sabres this year. That's not to say Sturt is a one-woman team,
Dani Angley seems to have her hands in everything leading the league in assists per game
with 5.5 per game and averages 7.5 rebounds per game.

Bearcats Bench Put The Bear Trap Down
The Bearcats bench came up big in their opening victory against the Southern Tigers. Alexis
Eckles and Jasmin Fejo put the clasps down on the Tigers and opened the lead up for the
Bearcats coming off the bench. Eckles finished with a plus/minus of +26 while J. Fejo finished
with a +29. Eckles had 9 pts, 7 asts, and 6 rebs from the bench. Starters Ashleigh Spencer and
Sky Langenbrinck also put in big performances, with Spencer having a double-double of 17 pts
and 11 rebs while Langerbrinck had 21 pts and 5 stls.

Eagles Fly Fast out the Gate
A 23 to 10 point first quarter was all that was needed for the Eagles to beat the Warriors over
the weekend. Once the Eagles took the lead over 10 points, it did not drop below that again for
the game. Forestville defence kept Warriors scoreless for four minutes in the first quarter which
led to a 15-0 run. The Eagles had five steals in that time with Vidmar leading with 2 in that run.

Norwood Turn the Heat up in the Fourth
The Flames were winless heading into this match and after a being on the wrong end of a 27 to
11 first quarter, the Flames were well on the way to being 0 and 3. At the start of the fourth,
Norwood had pulled the deficit back to 10 points, and when the going gets tough, the tough get
going. Kelsey McKay came up big as she scored three 3s early in the quarter and with the help
of Lyn'quoia North, the score was level with five minutes left, and then the defence of Norwood
took over as the Mavericks only scored 2 points to the end of the game. These are the games
that can kick start a season, and Norwood will be very happy with their comeback.

MEN

New Year Same Michael Harris

Fresh off a breakout season, Michael Harris continued his 2019 much like his 2018 – dominantly. Harris dropped 40-points off 59 percent from the floor (13-22) in his and the Eagles’ blowout victory over the Woodville Warriors. His development throughout the offseason and dominance on the floor has already earned himself Player of the Round honours, something he may not be a stranger to this season. With such a strong outfit early in the season, it is hard to argue that the Eagles are not contenders to hoist the trophy come finals.

How Do You Eliminate This Inside Threat?

Let’s start with something simple, North Adelaide offensively, had close to double the Sturt Sabres’ Points in the Paint stat in Round 2 (60-34). Breaking that down, Tobias Dowdell and Alexander Starling have come together and embarrassed the Sturt Sabres’ interior defenders after only missing two attempts inside combined. What was the result after the inside demolition aside from 60-PITP? A demoralising 38-combined points (inside) between Starling and Dowdell as well as a Dunk of the Year entry from Starling. Forcing these two to shoot from outside the paint is easier said than done but may be possible for some clubs.

Are Eastern Going to Do Some Damage This Season?

Norwood took out the W against the Mavericks Friday night in Round 2 action but not after Eastern took it to the always dangerous flames. The import duo of Morris and Cherry helped the Mavs hang with Norwood after some of their squad struggled to find their shot. Nonetheless, falling to the Flames by seven is nothing to hang their head about after forcing Norwood to play some huge minutes (four out of five starters played 36-minutes). With some fine tuning, the Mavericks may look to be an underdog winner in a few contests this season!

How Dangerous is the Bearcat Bench?

Between Johnson and Spadavecchia, the Bearcats bench dropped a combined 19-points. Despite Johnson dropping seventeen of these, Bearcats veteran Spadavecchia dished out a mere 5-assists, much smaller than his true abilities. Assuming Spadavecchia plays off the bench for the remainder of the season, his name will still appear on coaches’ whiteboards as one to watch due to his phenomenal court vision, basketball IQ and passing ability while adjusting to his role. Johnsons’ scoring ability and Spadavecchia’s passing talent are only two aspects to watch from the Bearcat pine, as Truslove’s ability to pour in consistent minutes may be another deciding factor when facing the Bearcats.

Kane De Wit Did What?

Alongside Michael Harris’ huge 40-point outing, his teammate Kane De Wit put on a passing clinic while filling former Eagle Adam Doyles’ shoes in the process. After only recording 4-points for the game, De Wit dished off an incredible 16-assists to his teammates earning a minimum of 32-points alone. If you thought that was impressive, De Wit recorded ZERO turnovers in the process showing that every team will have to cover the smallest of gaps when facing the Eagles. With a remaining starting-4 consisting of Harris, Deng, Mays and Teys, it will be no shock if he drops this many dimes again.