Writer Mark Halliday

 

Women

 

Flames continue unbeaten season with win over Sabres

The Norwood Flames have taken a step closer to locking up the top spot on the Premier League ladder with a 75-65 victory over the visiting Sturt Sabres on Saturday night.

The Flames appeared to have the game in the bag but the Sabres gave the home side something to think about as the minutes ran down.

A lead that as big as 27 points at one stage was brought down to nine with 1:21 left in the game. The Sabres had clawed their way back with a 26-15 final quarter but had given themselves a monumental task after falling behind earlier in the game.

The Flames dominated the first half. Jess Foley was at her usual best as she attacked the basket and was dialled in from long range, connecting on two triples in her 12 point first quarter.

The gas pedal was firmly down for Norwood as they forced Sturt into some difficult shots and made the Sabres turn the ball over 10 times in the first half. Sturt wasn't having the best of nights from the field as even open shots refused to find the net.

The game was heading to a predictable end as the Flames picked up a number of steals and put in the extra effort to grab loose balls and fight for rebounds. Elizabeth Keane, especially, was grabbing any type of miss. She tallied 18 rebounds, nine of those on the offensive glass, to go along with her 10 points and five steals.

However, Sturt mounted a comeback in the final quarter. The Sabres started sharing the ball more and were able to find small cracks in the Norwood defence which they exploited for some easy points.

The momentum had shifted back to the Sabres, who had started the game with a 7-0 run. Amy Shaw led the visitors with 15 points and 11 rebounds but fouled out with 3:24 remaining. Kayla Mathews turned it up by scoring all 10 of her points in the last quarter.

Nine points was as close as Sturt got. Marisa Stabile nailed a long two to put the Flames up by 11 with one minute left and halt the Sabres who couldn't find an answer in the dying seconds.

Foley led all scorers with 23 to go along with her seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Stabile added 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.

 

 

Men

 

Holmes sends it to OT, Flames prevail in thriller

The Norwood Flames were able to survive in regulation as Jacob Holmes hit a leaning three pointer from the top of arc to send the game into overtime. Norwood caught fire in the extra period as they ran away with the 101-92 win over the Sturt Sabres at Mars on Saturday night.

The Flames needed a triple to tie the game after Sturt's Dylan Rawson made two free throws to give the Sabres an 81-78 lead. With 12 seconds left in the game, Norwood wasted no time getting the ball to Holmes who threw up a fake and then released an off balance three that found the bottom of the net.

Sturt had a chance to win it with seven seconds still on the clock, but CJ Reed's layup was no good and the game was headed to overtime.

Rawson opened the extra period with a triple but it was all Norwood from then on. Matt Lycett responded with a mid-range jumper and then a three of his own while Daniel Webber caught one of Lycett's misses, put it back and then banked in a floater for a 90-84 lead. Andrew Webber nailed a three to put the home side up by seven with less than two minutes left.

Sturt suffered turnover problems in overtime. Rawson's pass was picked off when he couldn't get by the Norwood defence while Reed lost control on the next possession. Rawson redeemed himself by scoring four straight points and Tim Klaosen's layup closed the gap to four with 1:25 remaining.

Norwood had time on their side and Andrew Webber's three point play with 38 seconds left had the Flames up by seven once again and took the victory after outscoring their opponents by nine points in overtime.

Lycett finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for the Flames, Andrew Webber also had 26 and Holmes added a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Rawson led Sturt with 25 points and seven rebounds. Reed added 18 and six assists while Klaosen finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Sturt had the upper hand early in the contest and led by as many as 14 points during the second quarter. Reed, Rawson and Klaosen were big parts of Sturt's great start as they used their speed to race the ball up the court at every opportunity.

The Sabres had Norwood on the back foot but the Flames went on a 9-0 run to close the gap and take some of the momentum away from Sturt. Both teams traded baskets in the second half as the Sabres held a narrow margin over the Flames until Holmes' shot equalised and Norwood stepped up in overtime to take the win.