Feature images supplied via NBL1.com.au / Emma Hoppo / @snapshotphotography31
First Nations Round of the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 Central continued with big wins in the women’s moving key teams into their final positions on the table but in the men’s the lower end of the table threatened to cause a few upsets in an entertaining night from the basement dwellers.
Here are the results from Saturday's games:
Breaking Freer fires Eagles over Warriors
The Forestville Eagles have fired over the Woodville Warriors 87-55 at the Nest - thanks to a superb hand from Maddy Freer.
The Warriors went head to head with the Eagles across the first quarter but after the quarter time buzzer the Eagles went bang with a 9-0 run and the away side never really recovered from there. The 27-11 quarter was spearheaded by Freer who broke the shackles of scoring with a season high 31 points at 70 percent with five triples, seven assists and rebounds.
Jess Simons helped form a deadly one two punch with 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds with Gabi Vidmar nearly double doubling with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Eagles chalked up 30 assists for the evening. The Warriors were led by Holly Forbes with another double double of 15 points and 10 rebounds with Annaliese Watkinson coming off the pine for points with 15 of her own.
FORESTVILLE EAGLES 87 (M Freer 31, J Simons 19, Vidmar 10)
WOODVILLE WARRIORS 55 (Forbes, Watkinson 15, Andersson 11)
Lions ground Rockets to show Championship credentials again
The questions that remained in the final rounds of the season is to which of these two teams was the form team - and it was answered emphatically by the Central Districts Lions as they grounded the North Adelaide Rockets 77-58 at the Lights. Both teams were level through the opening half with Brooke Basham getting off to her usual fast start - the second half is where it all changed as the Lions found another level.
The Lions quashed the Rockets offensive capabilities with a convincing 8-19 third term and capatalised at their offensive end through Casey Samuels with 26 points with three triples, nine rebounds and four assists and centre Lily Ritz with 20 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. Tayla Levy continued to dominate the guard position with another 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Jasmin Fejo assigned to Basham shut her down in the second half keeping her to five points.
Basham although shutdown finished with 19 points, four assists, steals and rebounds and had plenty of support from Jordyn Freer with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists - but couldn’t help make Tayla Corrigan’s 150th game a memorable one.
Who’s the form team of the NBL1 Central Women’s??? Find out as the First Nations Round continues when the Eagles travel to the Den to take on the Lions 1:30pm Sunday local time on the Kayo Freebies Game of the Week via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.
NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 58 (J Freer 22, Basham 19, Corrigan 8)
CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 77 (Samuels 26, Ritz 20, Levy 15)
Winner is Sydney as Sabres see off Southern
The Sturt Sabres were the big winners again out of the Saturday night fixtures as with one game to go their win against the Southern Tigers 75-55 puts them in a strong position to finish top of the table. The Tigers gritted in early to keep scores tight 20-16 at the first break but Sydney Brown for the Sabres switched the momentum around to lead the Sabres with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sabres held the Tigers to 16 or less a quarter showing their trademark defensive nous in alarming signs for the rest of the competition. The work of regulars Zoe Walker-Roberts (13 points, six rebounds and three steals), Nicola Mathews (11 points, five rebounds and four assists) and Jasmine Simmons (double double of 10 points and 11 rebounds) on full display. The Tigers were led by Regan Schenck who looked like in the opening minutes she was done for the season with an arm injury but miraculously recovered to take court with 14 points and three assists while Mollie McKendrick battled hard in the first half to finish with 10 points and rebounds.
STURT SABRES 73 (Brown 19, Z Walker-Roberts 13, N Mathews 11)
SOUTHERN TIGERS 55 (Schenck 14, McKendrick 10, Beeche 9)
Lions eventually stop firing Rockets to secure important win
The Central Districts Lions certainly didn’t have it easy as the North Adelaide Rockets fired multiple shots in the match but eventually ran out of gas as the Lions eased to a 75-87 win at the Lights. The Lions were the leapers first as they jumped out to a lead of 12-26 after one stanza.
Getting a response from his chargers coach Ahmad Al-Ani put it on import Robert Crawford and he delivered with 13 of his teams 23-14 points to cut it back 35-40 at the half. Koen Sapwell then picked up the slack for the Lions to add more pain to the Rockets to finish with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Lions comfortably assumed control to close it out despite a late run from the Rockets in the finishing stages.
Magok Manyang was a consistent threat with 19 points and six rebounds as was Branden Jenkins with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and steals for the Lions plus this finish to the match.
Branden Jenkins with EMPHASIS ??
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The Rockets skipper Durrell McDonald with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and steals was consistent all night while Crawford finished with 19 points and five rebounds in one of his better outings. The win sees the Lions to their first finals since the mid 2010s with the split over the West Adelaide Bearcats regardless of the last two games they can’t fall out of the top five now.
The Lions have it all ahead of them now as they take on the Forestville Eagles tomorrow at the Den on the Kayo Freebies Game of the Week in First Nations Round 3:15pm Sunday local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.
NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 75 (McDonald 20, Crawford 19, Clay, McCalop 11)
CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 87 (Ko Sapwell 20, Manyang 19, Jenkins 13)
Sabres survive Southern in near upset
The Southern Tigers didn’t read the script or look at the ladder as they took it right up to the top of the table Sturt Sabres 98-89 at the Cave - but it wasn’t without some nervous moments.
The Tigers came out roaring through import Michael Diggins who dropped 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to keep the Tigers in range but the Sabres Daniel Nash (14 points) came off the bench to add some key points to bring it back to 46-41 at the half. The Sabres multiple times looked like they were about to push away from the Tigers as they did it through the collective of Jacob Rigoni, Tobias Dowdell and Jordan Forbes.
The former Sabres Harvey White injected more score into the Tigers cause to finish with 21 points with Riley Miller dropping some late three balls to have them within striking distance with minutes to play. The Sabres however closed it out late with some steals and scores with Seb Griffin sealing the game. Diggins for the Tigers was outstanding with 33 points and 15 rebounds to lead all-comers from both teams.
STURT SABRES 98 (Rigoni 17, Nash 14, Daly, Dowdell 13)
SOUTHERN TIGERS 89 (Diggins 33, White 21, Miller 11)
Panthers pushed to OT by Mavs but prevail
The South Adelaide Panthers found it hard to shake an Eastern Mavericks outfit desperate to strike off another long term streak of over 15 losses against their opponents and they almost did - but South sealed it in the overtime period 91-99 at St Francis.
The Mavs stayed level with the finals bound Panthers thanks to guard Frederick Webb who played one of his most consistent matches of the season to finish with 22 points, five assists and rebounds. The Panthers led by usual suspects Jeremy Smith and Alex Starling kept the Panthers scoreboard ticking over - but the Mavs hung around and would not go away.
Kubank’s layup with 56 seconds remaining saw the Panthers out 73-76 with coach Ryan Meakin drawing up a timeout - he got an immediate answer from Webb for the triple. Jeremy Smith drew the foul and made two of three three throws with a technical thrown in to make it 76-78. The Mavs missed the three point shot through Owen Raneburg but an offensive rebound to Brandon Edwards saw a foul drawn from the Panthers to which he converted one of two free throws to bring it back to 77-78. Smith drew another foul down the other end and made both and with no timeout the Mavs gave it one last crack to take it to overtime. Finding Raneburg in transition Edwards delivered the penultimate pass as Raneburg rained in the triple to tie the scores 80-80 with six seconds left. The Panthers got a look from Starling but his jumper rimmed out and we headed to overtime.
The Panthers ended up closing it out 11-19 in the finish with Smith accumulating 32 points, seven assists with Starling too big and strong in the final stages to amass another impressive statline of 27 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. Curtis Scott was handy all night for the Panthers with four triples in his 16 points and the Mavs Raneburg finished with 22 points with five triples to keep the hopes of the home side alive all night.
The Panthers have a short break before taking court once again today against the Norwood Flames in First Nations Round 3:15pm Sunday local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.
EASTERN MAVERICKS 91 (Raneburg, Webb 22, Edwards 13)
SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 99 (Smith 32, Starling 27, Scott 16)
And Finally
Greg Mays took off once again to launch into the stratosphere in his sides huge 99-47 win over the Woodville Warriors at the nest…
Greg Mays into the STRATOSPHERE ??
Watch NBL1 Central First Nations Round via https://t.co/NEk1I7kaV8 or the NBL1 App ? & ? pic.twitter.com/ynhrYqVYaH
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