WOMEN by Kieren Vartuli

After being outscored heavily in the final term against the Tigers and in turn leading them to lose a crucial contest, Eastern are out for redemption against the league leading Sabres. Sturt knocked off the Bearcats by 1-point in their lone contest of Round 15 and extended their slight ladder lead out to 2-points. Kylee Smith and Kayla Matthews starred for the Sabres against West combining for 44-points while their side struggled from the floor (30% FG). The smothering Bearcat defence made it tough for the Sabres to find the bottom of the net and forced them to obtain a grind out victory. A nightmarish 24-8 final term proved costly to Eastern who were trailing by 14 at the final term. The pressure on both ends of the floor by Southern was too much for the Mavs to overcome. Basham, Kartinyeri and Tyson-Thomas all finished in double figures led by Kartinyeri’s 20-points (63%FG). Round 16 will see two of the league's best in Tyson-Thomas and Smith face-off in what has the potential to be a high octane outing. Averaging 26 and 19-points per game respectively, both have the talent and capacity to change the outcome of a contest and will be receiving extra defensive attention as the game progresses. With the Flames on their tail, Eastern will want to give themselves a little buffer room heading into the final few rounds. That being said, Sturt have been playing some fantastic basketball this season and may steal this one. 

Hang Time Prediction: Sturt Sabres

MEN by Daniel Renfrey

The Mavericks will be eager to bounce back after their 15-point loss to the Tigers in Round 15. The side didn’t execute the team-oriented basketball they would have liked to offensively, chalking up 18 turnovers on just 12 assists. Brandon Morris was a standout for the team, with 25 points and seven boards. The Mavs will have a good chance to turn their form around when they face a struggling Sabres though, who lost by seven points to the Bearcats over the weekend. The team did well on offence, creating good looks on 22 assists, but could not back this up on defence when it was needed. Mudronja had a positive game with 22 points but he will need some more support if he and his team want to beat West Adelaide. This may be a close one, but if the Mavs can execute on offence they won’t lose.

Hang Time Prediction: Eastern Mavericks