Mark Halliday

WOMEN

Flames survive scare from Lions, stay undefeated

The Norwood Flames remain undefeated while the Central District Lions are still searching for their first win after going down, 88-64 to the Flames at Mars on Saturday night. While the 24 point winning margin could have been predicted before the match, the Lions were one quarter away from an extremely unlikely upset. Unfortunately for the visitors, basketball is a game of four quarters and the final 10 minutes didn't go well for Centrals and ultimately decided the match.

The Flames dominated the fourth quarter. Kelsey Ireland (13 points, three assists) put on an offensive showcase as she connected on two triples, hit mid-range jumpers and attacked the basket. Marisa Stabile (six points, five rebounds) chipped in a handful of points and once Rebecca Duke (15 points, eight assists) and Jess Good (22 points, 14 rebounds) both made threes, the lead, that was once two, was blown out to 20 points.

However, it was the previous three quarters that held the most intrigue. The Lions started the game completely locked in on both ends of the floor and took an early advantage they wouldn't relinquish until late in the third quarter. Lion Amy Lewis (24 points, five rebounds) had the hot hand against her former team, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter. Ashley Grimes (21 points, three assists) likewise was giving the Flames some troubles with her drives to the basket.

On the other end, Centrals were preventing Norwood easy looks close to basket. The Flames were forced to take a step out and the shots weren't falling for the top side in the league. The Lions biggest lead was 12 after Lewis hit a three half way through the second quarter and was getting any shot she wanted. But after some early foul trouble, Norwood's Jess Good returned to the game and quickly helped to cut into the lead. Good scored seven straight points to close the gap as the Flames started to look like the team that had won every game so far this season.

With 3:49 left in third quarter, Lewis headed to the Lions bench and that's when things turned for the worse for Centrals. The Lions only managed to score two points to close the third and only nine more for the rest of the game as the Flames turned it on and poured in 31 to finish.

Norwood moves to 12-0 and visits West Adelaide (4-7) next, while Central Districts look to build on their excellent play through the first three quarters as they host Sturt (6-4) on May 30.

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Webber's hot hand lifts Flames over Lions 

In what was a close contest between the Norwood Flames and the Central District Lions, it was the Flames' Daniel Webber who proved to be the difference maker with a third quarter performance that put Norwood in control of the game en route to a 91-82 victory.

Webber put his mark on the game as he top-scored with 27 to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. In the third quarter alone, Webber scored 11, grabbed three rebounds and stole the ball twice as his play gave Norwood enough of an advantage that the Lions couldn't recover over the remaining quarter.

The Flames opened the third in convincing fashion, Matt Lycett and Jacob Holmes both made baskets before Webber poured in nine straight and gave Norwood the momentum. Webber grabbed his own rebounds for put backs, saved the ball from going out then hit a running jump shot and splashing a triple gave the Flames a 10 point lead.

The Lions would only get the lead down to six points and couldn't manage to make a run to retake the lead they enjoyed in the first half. Central's Chris Clausen's work in the low post was a tough task for the Norwood defence while sharpshooter Tyler Kennedy hit from the outside. However Kennedy couldn't regain his touch from the first quarter when he connected on three triples and looked to be locked in from beyond the arc.

Kennedy still top scored for the away side, finishing with 23 points while Clausen scored 21 and grabbed eight rebounds. Luke Frost added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.Norwood's Webber led all scorers with 27. Holmes recorded an 18 point, 18 rebound double-double with Lycett and Andrew Webber adding 12 and 11 points respectively.

Second place Norwood visits third place West Adelaide in their next game, while Central Districts face Sturt with both teams sharing the same 3-7 record.