By Sam Phillips
Sturt Sabres 101 | South Adelaide Panthers 80

Sturt comfortably accounted for a gallant South Adelaide side, especially after half time with a 21 point home win, 101-81.

Both sides came into the contest on the back of some good form, particularly the Sabres, whose streak included a hard fought win against Norwood.  

The first quarter was predominately about just one man, Sturt’s Daniel Johnson. Johnson looked very lively early holding a strong presence inside the key, collecting 12 points for the quarter as he amassed 9 rebounds and 19 points in the first half.  A big dunk from Johnson provided a great highlight, getting the Sturt bench and crowd vocal.

Isaac White was also proving tricky for South to contain, with his penetrative passing giving Sturt many open looks (5 first half assists). Adrien Coleman battled hard for South driving hard to the basket, but at times looked to be playing a lone role.

As Josiah Lee bravely threw himself on a loose ball on the buzzer, words were exchanged between the rival benches, giving a sense both teams were fully invested in this one. At the first change Sturt had the better of proceedings, 28-18.

The second saw a much improved Panthers outfit, with handy points from Shane Boal and Ryan Gardiner helping them snatch a narrow lead.

Sturt appeared to be rattled in defence, with Coach Paul Rigoni expressing in no uncertain terms that they needed to better communicate and take some care.

The timeout did settle Sturt, with Hamish Burns skillfully managing to find open lanes to basket where others couldn’t. Isaac White was once again important in wrestling back the momentum for Sturt, but a sloppy turnover late in the quarter allowed South to keep the margin at just 2, 49-47.

Sturt came out with an assured energy after the break, with Jan Warbout and Jack Turnbull hitting consecutive three’s to bridge a gap. Warbout (8 rebounds) along with Johnson (11 rebounds) were helping Sturt establish a rebounding advantage (61%), with South feeling the absence of big man Steve Pilkington whose boardwork has been important this season.

Burns (15 points, 3 assists) continued to provide speed and tenacity out on court, as Sturt led by 12 at the final change.

Sturt continued to press South in the final quarter, with Max Calligeros a highlight, collecting 9 points and some strong rebounds. Coleman (30 pts, 8 rebounds) and Gardiner (19 points) worked hard to give South some hope, but ultimately they needed much more help from their teammates.

Perhaps what most exemplifies the effective team play of Sturt was the high number of assists, 26 to just 4 from South Adelaide. In what was one of their most balanced performances of the season, Sturt are well placed to consolidate a finals berth next week against the struggling Lions.  

Round 20
Saturday, 6August at 8.15pm
Sturt Sabres v Central Districts Lions @ Pasadena
Sunday, 7 August at 5.00pm
Forestville Eagles v South Adelaide Panthers @ Wayville