By Kieren Vartuli

North Adelaide 73 | Sturt Sabres 53

North and Sturt were heading into their Saturday night clash with a record of 6-2 and 5-3 respectively.

North Adelaide started off quite strong in the first term as they controlled the quarter on the court as well as the scoreboard. They were up 6 points with 5:30 remaining in the term. North Adelaide’s Jo Hill was on fire right from the beginning as she finished the opening term with 12 points. She provided a nice show with some quick hands for the steal, then the coast-to-coast run for an easy 2 points. After a slow opening term, the Sabres were able to string together some nice shots and pull the margin to 12 points.

Coming out of the first break, the Sabres seemed to be determined to fight their way back into the game as they were putting the hard yards on the offensive boards. They were also shooting just under 40% from deep. Despite this, North Adelaide kept their foot on the gas and was 86% from the free throw line earning the points. North Adelaide was also playing through Hill as she was continuing to dominate on the scoreboard as well as on the boards. That opening lead for the home side was quite handy, as it was large enough to stop the game and momentum if needed, although this was not the case. As the final buzzer blew for the half-time break, North Adelaide were still up 12.

Both clubs were moving the ball around quite well and passes were accurate as many turnovers were from loose balls and steals not from working the lanes. Not only was Jo Hill on fire this evening but she also served up a healthy dish to Kirsty Williams for the ‘and 1’ opportunity. Sarah Elsworthy was also providing an excellent spark for the rockets by receiving a double-double despite being in foul trouble after three quarters. It was a tough evening for the visitors as the margin was growing by the minute despite their hard work. They had many open looks but just couldn’t get them to fall. As the end of the third term came, Sturt were down 18 (50-32).

The final quarter saw a few nice plays impressing the visitor’s bench with a fast-break layup off the steal by Danni Angley (team high 18 points) and a nice baseline layup by Kate Gladstone. Jo Hill finished off her spectacular night with 34 points and at one point, an efficiency rating of +41.

Despite an excellent final quarter by the Sabres, the Rockets early lead was too much for a comeback win as they fell by a flat 20 points. This loss leaves them in fifth position and on a 3 game losing streak.

Round 10: Saturday, 21 May at 6.30pm

North Adelaide v West Adelaide @ Port Adelaide

Sturt Sabres v South Adelaide @ Pasadena