By Benito Carbone @_DavidCarbone

West Adelaide Bearcats 76 | North Adelaide Rockets 74

Spectators were treated to a compelling display of competitive basketball on Saturday Night, as two title contenders faced off in what was bound to be a very entertaining match. The fixture did not disappoint, as the West Adelaide Bearcats toppled the 2^nd placed North Adelaide Rockets by a slender margin of just two points at Hillcrest. The win was the Bearcats’ second consecutive major scalp after last week’s surprise success at Mars, keeping the side in the race for a 2^nd placed finish. Import Teonna Campbell showed good endeavour to record 19 points and 8 rebounds for West Adelaide, while teammate Trudy Holland was on triple-double watch with 10 rebounds, 9 dimes and 6 points. As always, Jo Hill was tremendous in her efforts, racking up 12 boards to go with her 21 points. She had substantial support on the court as well, with Elsworthy and McKay scoring 21 and 16 points respectively.

After Hill opened proceedings with an early basket, the match quickly became an arm-wrestle with neither side able to gain an early advantage over their opponents. West Adelaide impressed with mesmerizing passing plays in the opening term, but North Adelaide capitalised on any turnovers, with sharp shooting in the first quarter allowing them to carry the slightest of margins into the first break. The hosts’ field goal accuracy began to decline in the second quarter, as the Fejo sisters shifted the match in the Bearcats’ favour. Tahlia Fejo (14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) drained a maximum to hand her side the lead, before younger sibling Jasmine (12 points) showed a cool head to put up a swish in the perimeter at the buzzer to deliver a 4-point lead to the visitors at the main interval.

The fiercely competitive encounter picked up where it left off after the break, as each side continued to battle fiercely and accumulate fouls. Sarah Elsworthy sustained her accurate shooting to keep the Rockets within striking distance, however Jasmine Fejo was able to break their momentum with a vital triple late in the term. Carrying a shaky 8-point advantage into the final term, the visitors managed to increase the deficit to 10 points with just 5:00 remaining. Hill weaved through the defence for a significant three-point play, before a McKay three-pointer reduced the deficit to just 6 points.

North Adelaide were continually being sent to the line by their inexperienced opponents, but were unable to convert a multitude of chances as they remained 3 points down with 1:56 on the clock. Two clutch free-throws from the experienced McKay reduced the gap to a solitary point, before Teonna Campbell was then sent to the line twice in the final minute. The import converted one in her first pair, before missing her next two with just 12 seconds remaining to keep it at a 2-point game. Hill banked the missed throw, before dishing the ball to Opal Mader, who rocketed down the court to find herself with a relatively simple 2v1 opportunity to tie the match. Mader, who struggled for much of the night, took on the responsibility but scuffed the shot, leaving Campbell to snatch the rebound and a bizarre 76-74 victory.

The loss sees North Adelaide fall to 3^rd on percentage, with the Southern Tigers taking full advantage of the slip-up. West Adelaide remain in 4^th, but are now just one win behind the Rockets and the Tigers, with just percentage separating the Bearcats and Forestville.

Round 20: Saturday, 6 August at 6:30pm
North Adelaide vs Woodville @ St Clair
West Adelaide vs Eastern @ Port Adelaide