Round Wrap: South Adelaide v West Adelaide

By James Woite

 

WOMEN: McKendrick, Panthers rally late for fourth straight

Molly McKendrick continued her rich vein of form, as the South Adelaide Panthers came from behind to defeat the West Adelaide Bearcats 62-59.

When Madeline Cunningham scored a fast-break layup with 32 seconds left, the Panthers had what appeared to be a match-winning five points lead. Yet four seconds later, Bearcat Anna Carbo scored and drew a foul, ending a 0-8 run and earning her side their first points since the 4:52 mark of the quarter.

Carbo failed to convert the free throw, and the Panthers got the ball back, so the Bearcats played the foul game to try and keep the clock alive. Because they only had one team foul, the Panthers had to inbound the ball four times, and they nearly turned it over on a couple of occasions.

Ultimately, Jessica Mahony ended up at the foul-line with 17 seconds left, but she missed both, leaving the Bearcats just three points behind.

The Panthers played good defence on the final possession, with Carbo eventually squeezing slightly open to get off a three-pointer, but she could not convert – the Panthers hanging on for their fourth consecutive win.

After winning the Spirit Medal for her terrific effort against the Mavericks on ANZAC Day, Panther Mollie McKendrick was pivotal again, ending the night on 18 points and 9 rebounds.

In what was a fourth quarter filled with aggressive defence, turnovers and near misses for both sides, McKendrick scored twice from the field when her side was trailing. She then made two free throws under pressure with 1:27 remaining, ending a scoring draught of almost three minutes for both sides, and giving the Panthers a little breathing space with a three point lead.

Trudy Holland led the Bearcats in scoring and rebounding with 15 and 9 respectively. Carbo finished with 12 points, in what was her first game of the season.

Cunningham added a further 13 points for the Panthers, while Mahony was credited with 9 assists, 6 steals, 8 points and 4 rebounds. Hajnal Nagy was the game’s high-rebounder with 10, while she also had 8 points.

The Panthers, now 4-5, have a home match against the 5-2 Sabres on Saturday. The Bearcats (2-6) will play the winless Lions.  

  

 

MEN: Sturner, Bearcats prove too strong for Panthers

David Sturner had 21 points and 15 rebounds, as the West Adelaide Bearcats improved to 6-2, defeating the South Adelaide Panthers 83-47.

He may have only taken one shot, but Bearcats captain Anthony Spadavecchia was inspirational early. With the score at 10-5 and the game in the balance, Spadavecchia created a fast-break layup for Tristan Braithwaite, then stole Jordan Robertson’s inbound pass, before feeding David Sturner, who went over the top and in for another two points.

The Bearcats were never really threatened thereafter.

The Panthers were trying to pressure the ball up the court with run-and-jump and zone-trap, but their inability to score meant their opportunities to get their full court defence set were limited. As a result, the Bearcats were able to control the tempo and feed their bigs, leading to a 44-28 half-time lead. Only a purple patch in the middle of the second quarter from Panther Jeremy Smith (14 points, 6 rebounds) keeping the Panthers within striking distance.

The longer the third quarter went, the more the Bearcat lead grew. With Sturner and Blake Truslove combining well on the inside, and Peter Crawford and Daniel Phillips a threat on the outside, the Bearcats were up 30 after three quarters. Their scoring dropped off in the fourth, but the Bearcats kept up their strong defence as they kept the Panthers under a half century.

Along with Sturner, Truslove (16 points, 9 rebounds), Phillips (17 points, 5-8 3FG) and Crawford (14 points) made their mark on the scoreboard.

Thomas McKenzie (10 points, 6 rebounds) was the only Panther to hit double-figure scoring besides Smith. The Panthers were without starting centre Bradley Reid.

The Bearcats will host the Lions next Saturday. The Panthers are at home against Sturt.

 

 




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