Central Recap | Finals Week 1 Saturday

Feature images supplied via NBL1.com.au /  Dan Cowley | @imagesby_dan

The second night of the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 Central Finals was a thriller for many different reasons - a couple of individual titanic performances as one sunk a season and the two rivals once again played out another tight one that took it to overtime.   

Here are the results of Saturday’s Qualifying and Elimination finals

Sabres snare seventh against Bearcats in Overtime classic               

The First Qualifying Final between the Sturt Sabres and the West Adelaide Bearcats set the tone for the night ahead with the lead ebbing back and forward in a pulsating conclusion - eventually sent to overtime the Sturt Sabres once again prevailed late with the points 62-59 . 

Molly Coleman helped the Bearcats out to a 10-4 start as they scrapped for every loose ball they could get. It took a turn from Paige Padroth and Zoe Walker-Roberts to steal the margin back to 10-10.

Ashlee Strawbridge found her range in the first term after missing their two previous encounters to give them the lead again as did Krystal Thompson who’s vision and decision making was pin point to give them the lead 25-21 at the first interval. 

Thompson extended the lead early in the second as the Bearcats grabbed the 5-0 run out of the break - Tim Shortt burning the AAMI timeout with response coming from Padroth and Zoe Walker-Roberts again for a replicated run of their own 29-26. Thompson again though with an outstanding first half of 12 points kept the away side in front 37-30 at the main change - Olivia Levicki quelled influentially with just the single field goal at the half. 

Sabres started the stronger in the third term with the Colorado State college pair in Sydney Mech (Eight points and three rebounds) and Katia Stamatelopoulos making consecutive baskets - Stamatetopoulos engineering a 12-1 run to surge them back into the lead.

Levicki quiet in the first half started to push her case with some key makes to scratch back the lead as he grabbed a few for the quarter as did a cameo from Kelsey Brett and they held the lead again 48-45 with one to play. 

Tahlia Griffiths made the triple to open the fourth to tie it 48-48 before Katia Stamatelopoulos (11 points and four steals) hit another one herself. It was all defence for a stretch in the final term as block after block and stop after stop ensured in the struggle for the edge on the other - the crowd intensifying as the margin tightened.

Mech helped them hit the front again before Thompson (16 points and five steals) found her basket to level it again - the Mech Warrior answering again to put them up 55-53 with three minutes to go.

Thompson’s go ahead tied it again 55-55 but one last look for the Sabres saw Padroth’s attempt short and another chapter was to be written in the story of these two as they headed for overtime. 

Walker-Roberts made the opening points of the extra time period but the O of Olivia Levicki (12 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and two steals) was not going away as she made two tough jumpers to make it interesting. Enter an unprecedented but should we not expect it now - in the Nicola of time once again Nicola Mathews.

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Walker-Roberts' free throw sealed the seventh win in a row for the Sabres against the Bearcats and undefeated against them since the 2022 Grand Final.

The thrilling game was low scoring but Footlocker player of the Game was Zoe Walker-Roberts stood out with her 16 points and seven rebounds while potential Merv Harris (U23 Player of the Year award) contender Paige Padroth produced another productive game against the Bearcats for the third time this season with 12 points, seven rebounds with three assists and two steals - taking her season average to 13 points this season against them.

                                   

STURT SABRES 62 (Z Walker-Roberts 16, Padroth 12, Stamatelopoulos 11)

WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 59 (K Thompson 16, Levicki 12, Chloe Hodges, Strawbridge 8)

 

Fantastic Fejo fires off Rockets to strike down North season               

The First Elimination Final between the North Adelaide Rockets and the Woodville Warriors saw two teams that have never played each other in finals in their history - after their last encounter at the Lights earlier in the season it was the Warriors with their first finals appearance since 2015 with their first win since before that time 82-67 at The Lights.   . 

Naomi Allotey against the former side got things rocking with a triple before Brooke Basham clearly looking her best since the start of the season drained a long one herself. Mollie McKendrick impacted early to give the Rockets the 14-8 start but Jasmin Fejo already was fired up as she made some tough points at the other end.

Erin Phillips coming off the pine knows when it was a big game on the line and produced a triple then pumped faked out her opponent for a drive to snare back the lead 23-21. Laura Erikstrup, who produced 20 points in a quarter the last time they met, opened her scoring for the night before Phillips gave them the lead 30-24 after one.

Lauren Mansfield also knows when it's a big game as she produced points and deliveries to her in transition Rockets as they surged with a 7-0 start to the second term. The response from Fejo came first then Ella Batish (13 points with three rebounds) for the home side twice and Phillips as the margin evened up once again. Basham’s deep triple (17 points with five assists) opened up a mini-gap but Fejo with a couple of baskets brought it back to 47-44 at the main break. 

Erikstrup (nine points with three rebounds) must love the third term at the Lights as she lit up once again as the Warriors made their move at the start of the third. Fejo continued her ferocious run to steal the lead back 58-54 with one term to go. 

Allotey (14 points and 12 rebounds with six steals) grabbed the two early makes followed by Ambah Kowcun (Nine points) who pushed the Warriors out to a 64-54 lead with an AAMI timeout heading the way of Brenton Johnston and the North Adelaide Rockets - season on the line. Mansfield (10 points, eight rebounds and five assists) made the timely triple and McKendrick (Nine points, five assists and rebounds) bullocked her way to the basket to make a last run for the Rockets but the fuel tank seemed to be running out while the Warriors speed in intensity on the glass increased. 

The Warriors buried the game with a three to Phillips and another to Fejo and the margin stretched from there as the Woodville Warriors progressed to the semi-final and the North Adelaide Rockets up and down season came to an end.

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Footlocker Player of the Game Jasmin Fejo was fantastic through all four quarters to finish with 32 points, 14 rebounds with three assists and steals and a block to lead all by a comfortable margin while Erin Phillips put together a season high winding back the clock with an electric 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

                                          

NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 67 (Basham 17, Batish 13, Mansfield 10)

WOODVILLE WARRIORS 82 (Fejo 32, Phillips 16, Allotey 14)

The Semi-Finals are set in the Women’s with the Forestville Eagles hosting the Sturt Sabres while it will be on in the west of Adelaide as the West Adelaide Bearcats take on their neighbours in the Woodville Warriors - meeting for the first time in a final since the elimination final of 2015.  

Sapwell swings story to send Central to semis              

The First Qualifying Final between the Central Districts Lions and the Woodville Warriors also saw two teams that have never played each other in finals in their history - a week later after the Warriors stole the win with a match winning dunk it was a different story after the three quarter time buzzer as the Lions came away with an emphatic 116-82 win at The Den.

Efe Abogidi got motoring early after a quiet week for the Lions as he and Mangok Manyang gave them the start they needed 13-8. Uzo Dibaiamka grabbed a triple to cut it back to 20-14 while Jack Stanwix for the home side looked locked in and raring to go - Steve Parfitt last week’s nemesis bringing it back to 22-18 after one term.

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Stanwix with a triple, and-one and a step through make individually making life tough for the Warriors to take it to 37-26 and a AAMI timeout was needed by Scott Whitmore and the Warriors. Koen Sapwell quiet early started to get rolling for the Lions but Parfitt (15 points and 12 rebounds) and Bryce Sloan brought the margin back to keep the Warriors in the contest 53-42 at the main interval. 

Koen Sapwell peeled off three triples to open the third and looked an untouchable source of scoring for the Lions with 15 points for the stanza. The Warrior held on in the fight through Sloan and Dibiamaka (14 points with four triples, three assists and steals) again more than once. Clayton Jewell (11 points, five rebounds and three assists) made a couple of handy hooks on the rim but Sloan (23 points, four rebounds and steals) closed it again to 80-70 with one to go and still very much game on.

The Lions a large amount of the season in second on the table rose off the back of their home supporters as Magok Manyang (11 points and three rebounds) and Stanwix got them moving - the toil of last week clearly taking its toll on the Warriors as the Lions roared hard in the fourth 36-14.

Koen Sapwell couldn’t miss in his final assault for the night as the Lions passed the century and the Warriors ran out of gas for the night - as the Lions rose their way to a first semi-final appearance since 2014.

The Footlocker Player of the Game Koen Sapwell produced 37 points with five triples, 10 assists and six rebounds to ice the game for the homeside and along with Efe Abogidi (16 points and 12 rebounds) and Jack Stanwix (16 points and eight assists) were the catalysts to the win.

                                            

CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS 116 (Koen Sapwell 37, Abogidi, Stanwix 16, Jewell, M Manyang 11)

WOODVILLE WARRIORS 84 (Sloan 23, Parfitt 15, Uzo Dibiamaka 14)

The Semi-Finals are set in the Men’s with the Forestville Eagles hosting the Central Districts Lions while it will be on in the west of Adelaide twice in the night as the Woodville Warriors take on their neighbours in the West Adelaide Bearcats - meeting for the first time in a final since the Qualifying Final of 2015.     

The NBL1 Central Finals action continues in Week Two next weekend via Kayo Sports Freebies and NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App from 6:00pm ACDT

Watch the NBL1 Live & Free on NBL1.com.au, NBL1 App and Kayo Sports Freebies.