Finals week one started with a bang with the Flames roasting the Tigers for a third straight time to advance, the Eagles escaping from a stirring Sabres last term and a vintage Daniel Johnson classic reminds everyone of the most pivotal player of the finals as he evacuated his Panthers Grand Final rivals the Warriors literally out of the stadium.
Here are the results from Saturday’s games:
Womens
Qualifying Final: Southern Tigers vs Norwood Flames
Jorjah-dropping second quarter sets up Flames upset of Tigers
The Norwood Flames created their own furnace in the second quarter to setup an early upset in the finals series with a pulsating 75-83 win against the Southern Tigers at the Cage.
Morgan Yaeger for the Tigers lit up early in an even opening quarter with 14 points.
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Sharna Thompson of the Flames with 10 points (finished with 17 points) matched her as both teams had runs in the even term. It took this Ally Wilson steal and heave on the quarter time buzzer to give the Flames the edge 25-30 at the first change.
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The second quarter belonged to the WBBL’s Oakden Wolves/NBL1 West East Perth Eagles shooter in Jorjah Smith as she reeled off 20 points in 11 minutes of unbelievable shooting including six of nine triples to give the Flames the lead at the half 46-60. Yaeger after starring in the opening term was face guarded the whole term by Sophie Kerridge (10 points, six rebounds, steals and four assists) of the Flames and did not get a look in whilst also picking up three crucial fouls.
The third quarter start was a disaster for the Tigers as Yaeger picked up a fourth in the first minute but with her on the floor with four was caught in a rebounding contest trying to get her hands out but her body was collected while out of legal guarding position and a star of the game was fouled out with 17 minutes still left. Coach Matt Clarke of the Tigers turned to his true grit vet in Mollie McKendrick, and she responded to edge the Tigers back into it. Ally Wilson who’d been compiling throughout the game kept the Flames around 15 points in front to see them to three quarter time 61-75.
Both McKendrick and Brittany Hernandez started the fourth looking to push the Tigers back into the game, but Wilson and her Flames had the answers at every turn managing to hold off the Tigers by the finish. Smith finished with 22 points from the pine leading the Flames to eleven triples at 32 percent with Ally Wilson masterful on the down-hill drive with 19 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. McKendrick of the Tigers was terrific in the second half with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists narrowly missing a triple double with Brittany Hernandez chalking up a double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sturt Sabres will meet the Norwood Flames at the Cave in the Qualifying Semi-Final for a place in the Grand Final while the Southern Tigers will host the winner at the Cage of the North Adelaide Rockets and South Adelaide Panthers Sunday afternoon in the elimination Semi-Final.
Finals Week 1 – Men
Qualifying Final: Forestville Eagles vs Sturt Sabres
Eagles escape stirring Sabres final term to advance.
The Forestville Eagles have escaped the clutches and claws of the Sturt Sabres with a thrilling 90-89 win at the Nest – but not without some late tension…
The Eagles got off to a solid start with Melbourne United’s Malith Machar difficult to contain in the open court as the Eagles jumped out to a 25-17 lead before Jacob Rigoni helped the Sabres get back into the quarter to leave it 27-20 at quarter time.
Adam Doyle and Greg Mays (16 for the first half) with a couple of athletic plays pushed the ascendancy for the Eagles early in the second but also were trying to weather the Rigoni storm of outside bombs. Quiet for most of the most half import Sabre Jordan Forbes grabbed a couple of late baskets to bring it back to a tight final at half-time 48-47.
The third quarter remained tight till Machar and Mays midway through the quarter took over a four-minute patch with dunks and attacking the rim to give the Eagles a handy 70-59 lead with one to play.
Doyle ruled as he came out and dropped the first five points of the fourth to give them a game high 16-point lead but that’s when Forbes put his foot to the floor with a strong final term of 18 points including a couple of outrageously long triples to tie the score with 15 seconds left in the contest.
It came down to an inbound pass but before the ball was inbounded Tobias Dowdell of the Sabres committed a foul off the ball and therefore resulted in a single free throw for Greg Mays who iced it. Mays was the equal game scorer with 32 points, nine rebounds and two blocks with Machar monstering his way to a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Adam Doyle controlled the contest with 26 points, seven assists, three rebounds and steals. Forbes equalled Mays effort with a huge 32 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two steals while Rigoni splashed six triples in his 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dowdell dialled it back to his Rockets 2021 form with 17 points and six rebounds.
Elimination Final: South Adelaide Panthers vs Woodville Warriors
DJ starts the fire as Panthers evacuate Warriors from finals
It was a bizarre chain of events which included an evacuation for a fire alarm in an intense final term between last year’s grand finalists with the South Adelaide Panthers evacuating the Woodville Warriors out of the finals with a 92-81 win at the Jungle to advance to week two.
The Panthers came out hard with an 11-0 run led by Daniel “DJ” Johnson before Riley Meldrum’s mesmerising spin move broke the run along with Jawan Stepney who hit a triple to get on the scoreboard five minutes in. Alex Starling then got busy on the glass to give the Panthers a handy 33-20 lead at quarter time.
The Warriors needed some spark in the second so coach Scott Whitmore turned to Cooper Osborne. Osborne lifted his team with some sensational moves and play to score a quick-fire couple of baskets (11 points for the game) and along with reignited Stepney heaved the Warriors back into it 35-32. Veteran former Adelaide 36ers Sam Johns took control to give the Panthers some breathing room and a Starling dunk had them back out to a 47-38 lead. The Warriors made a couple of quick shots to draw it back to 49-45 at the main break.
Jarryd Hoppo kicked things off for the Panthers with a hook shot off the glass to open the term with neither team able to get away from the other, but DJ kept hitting the scoreboard at regular intervals as he finished with 18 points for the quarter – Osborne’s dunk off a steal off him made things interesting heading into the last 71-68 and anybody’s game.
Daniel Johnson took Woodville to school ?
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Watch the #NBL1CentralFinals via https://t.co/NEk1I7kaV8 or the NBL1 App ?&? pic.twitter.com/bGkz4UlTr6
The final term was marred with bizarreness as a fire alarm went off with 7:44 left with the contest teetering at 73-72 – on resumption with Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire” playing after a five-minute warmup it was the home side that came out smoking with a 11-0 run led by DJ and Starling. The Warriors couldn’t recover from there despite getting within a couple of baskets and the Panthers with DJ’s 42nd point sealed their spot in the semi-final.
Johnson was vintage in all aspects to finish with the tenth 40-point game of the NBL1 Central with 42 points with five triples at 56 percent with Starling notching 21 points, 17 rebounds and four steals to dominate the scoreboard. Stepney who has been epic for the Warriors the last month finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, three rebounds and steals while Joe Jackson collected 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Forestville Eagles will meet the West Adelaide Bearcats at the Bearcat Cave in the Qualifying Semi-Final for a place in the Grand Final while the Sturt Sabres will host the South Adelaide Panthers in the elimination Semi-Final at the Cave of Springbank.
