Recap NBL1 Central | Heritage Round Saturday

Feature images via: Melissa Belanic | @justbphotoau & Kelly Barnes/AllStar Photos

Round 10 of the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 Central saw the heritage round remember the greats while also see some history continue and reverse in a night of mixed results and standout performances… 

Here are the results from Saturday's games:

Eagles push further claims as they bring down Sabres   

The Forestville Eagles continue to stamp their credentials in the 2024 season with a convincing 75-58 win in the Simons/Bowley Cup over the Sturt Sabres at the Nest. In the Kayo Freebies Game of the Week the third and fourth placed teams looked like a close matchup but the Eagles second quarter put a big enough gap between them and last year’s grand finalists. The task was much tougher for the Sabres with Tayla Brazel missing with a knee injury bringing Meg Prosser back into the starting lineup.

It was done by committee by the flock of the Eagles led by Jess Simons again with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists while veteran Cara Annetts came off the pine for maximum impact to lead all scorers for her side with 14 points and five rebounds. Seven Eagles scored six or more in the match while shooting an impressive 48 percent for the evening. The Sabres' Nicola Mathews collected 17 points, four rebounds and three steals but no other teammate was able to manage more than 15 points in the game in a lean scoring night for Sturt.  

The Eagles continue to fly up the table and next take on the Southern Tigers on June 15 at 6:15pm local time and then have a meeting with the Norwood Flames on June 16 at 1:00pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

FORESTVILLE EAGLES 75 (Annetts 14, M Freer 13, Simons 12)

STURT SABRES 58 (N Mathews 17, Brown 11, Prosser 8)

 

Bearcats bear witness to youth rise in brilliant balanced display    

The youthful rise of the West Adelaide Bearcats continued with a well earnt win over their western rivals the Woodville Warriors 88-57 at the Bearcat Cave. The Bearcats had taken many close losses and been right in games but this time they’d finish their work thanks to Sienna Grieger and Molly Coleman. Grieger who scored 26 points early in the season against the Warriors backed it up with 24 points with six triples, five rebounds and four assists while Coleman assumed some dominant form with 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in a complete game.

Molly Coleman was doing everything tonight ?‍???

21 Points, 11 Rebounds & 4 Assists in a big win for West Adelaide ?

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Holly Forbes double doubled again for 12 points and 10 rebounds but again the Warriors struggled for consistent contributors in another disappointing night where a gettable game was right there.

 

You can continue to see the young talented Bearcats in action as they take on the top of the table Lions on June 15 at 6:30pm local time and then back it up against the Mavericks on June 16 at 1:30pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 88 (Grieger 24, Coleman 21, Strawbridge 14)

WOODVILLE WARRIORS 57 (Forbes 12, Joynes, Watkinson 8)

 

Panthers finally pounce on Tigers to end six year streak   

The South Adelaide Panthers produced the upset of the evening first up with an impressive 67-75 win over the Southern Tigers at the Cage against their Southern Showdown rivals. The Panthers had not beaten the Tigers since 2018 in 11 meetings between the two clubs and star of the night Brittany Hodges got the Panthers going early with her and Ash Spencer keeping the Panthers in touch with the Tigers in the first half.

The Panthers made their move in the third with Hodges finishing tough makes at the basket and setting themselves up with a 48-53 but of course had been here before when the Tigers would roar and roll over them in fourth quarters. In this heritage round the Panthers reversed recent history to win the final term and break the 11 game winning streak of the Tigers over them. Hodges was brilliant with 26 points, 13 rebounds and three steals as was Spencer with 16 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers were led by Regan Schenck with 15 points and four assists and Mollie McKendrick who was particularly damaging in the first half with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.

    

The Panthers can continue their momentum as they take on the double header first up against the Rockets on June 15 at 6:30pm local time and then the Sabres on June 16 at 1:30pm via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

SOUTHERN TIGERS 67 (McKendrick, Schenck 15, Stasinowsky 13)

SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 75 (Hodges 26, Spencer 16, Rees 8)

 

Gigantic Gak towers over Warriors in Wild West win   

21-year old Cairns Taipan Akoldah Gak made the most of some absences once again for the West Adelaide Bearcats as he amassed a gigantic haul as his team downed western rivals the Woodville Warriors 111-83 at the Bearcat Cave. Gak hauled in 37 points (31 in the first half), nine rebounds and three assists but from a numbers point of view - wasn’t the only impressive set of figures. 

In the absence of Drmic again Mirko Djeric grabbed the fourth triple double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists while teammate Fabian Krslovic narrowly missed two in the one night with 26 points with four triples, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Import guard Sharif Black kept the Warriors scoreboard ticking over all night with 32 points, and three rebounds but no other Warrior made double figures. They had no answer in the third quarter with a 30-13 scoreline courtesy of young gun Sean Stock stepping up with 10 of his 22 points, four rebounds and three assists coming in the term.     

    

The Bearcats back to back quest continues against the Lions on June 15 at 8:15pm local time and then double up against the Mavericks on June 16 at 3:15pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 111 (Gak 37, Krslovic 26, Stock 22)

WOODVILLE WARRIORS 83 (Black 32, Meldrum, McGee, Wurm 8)

 

Rigoni rocks Eagle’s nest with sharp shooting Sabres    

The Forestville Eagles winning streak has been snapped by the teams that inflicted their only loss earlier in the season the Sturt Sabres as a Sixers sharp shooter brought them down 98-111 in the Bauer/Newley Cup at the Nest. Rigoni rocked the Eagles with 32 points with four triples, three assists and rebounds and one sensational throwdown. In the Kayo Freebies Game of the Week the Eagles went toe-to-toe with the Sabres thanks to the ultra consistent Greg Mays with 17 points and six rebounds plus this putback jam to rattle the away side. 

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Adam Doyle produced his absolute best despite the Sabres second half dominance with 29 points with four triples, six assists, five rebounds and three steals but the entire Sabres opening five hit double figures in a strong display giving them both wins for the season. The Sabres Jordan Forbes collected a near triple double of 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while bigs Jamie Smith (15 points) and Ben Griscti (14 points and six rebounds) with the whole team shooting the ball at 57 percent.

The Eagles did cut it back to four points in the fourth thanks to the injection of Stefan Gould with his 11 final quarter points but the Sabres through Forbes managed to close it out with a 12-21 final four minutes.      

    

The Sabres can continue their streak against the Flames on June 15 at 8:15pm local time and then have a crucial matchup with the Panthers on June 16 at 3:15pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

FORESTVILLE EAGLES 98 (Doyle 29, Mays 17, Johnson 13)

STURT SABRES 111 (Rigoni 32, Forbes 25, Smith 15)

 

Flames fire up in overtime to save season    

It took till overtime but the Norwood Flames may have saved their season after scrapping past the North Adelaide Rockets 106-119 at the Lights. The Flames looked good early thanks to a pair of Jack’s in Stanwix and Hemphill but a turnaround from Koop McCalop (21 points with fours triples and 10 rebounds), Steve Parfitt (16 points and 18 rebounds) and Durrell McDonald (29 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists) saw the Rockets fight back.

The Rockets pulled away from the Flames to lead by as many as ten points in the third quarter but a 60 percent from the field final term from the Flames saw them draw back level with a Riley Harrap triple bringing it back to 97-96 with 57 seconds left. The Rockets turned the ball over with a careless foul before a second opportunity to Cooper Osborne saw him to the free throw line to draw it level 97-97 a piece. Stanwix denied the win in regulation with a block to Parfitt and the game moved to an extra five minutes.

 

It was all Flames in the overtime period with a 9-22 final five thanks to Osborne’s 11 points to finish with 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Stanwix led all comers with 26 points, seven rebounds, six steals backed up by a pair of 23 points from Hemphill (along with seven rebounds) and Harrap (six assists). Isaac Miller -Jose also collected a double double of 10 points and 14 rebounds alongside four steals.    

       

The Flames resurgence could continue to simmer against the Sabres on June 15 at 8:15pm local time and then double up against the Eagles on June 16 at 2:45pm local time via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App. 

NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 106 (McDonald 29, McCalop 21, Parfitt 16)

NORWOOD FLAMES 119 (Stanwix 26, Harrap, Hemphill 23, Osborne 22)

And finally after much anticipation…

The 2022 Woollacott medallist returned to the league just in the nick of time to make the cut off for games in import Jeremy Smith off the back of an epic finals series in Austria - literally stepping off the plane in the afternoon the “Mid-Range Marvel” put up 19 points in 25 minutes of action for the South Adelaide Panthers in their Southern Showdown win over the Southern Tigers… 

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