Centrals Win Nail Biter
North Adelaide Rockets (58) lost to Central Districts Lions (60)
The Rockets almost had it after an uneasy start when they gave the Central Districts Lions a fright, coming within 2 points of them at Hillcrest on Saturday night.
The home team looked like they were not going to score at all in the first quarter when Thomas Rowe finally broke the drought with 3 and half minutes left of the period. They went in to the break with the ominous score line of 4-17 in the Lion's favour.
The Lions could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas but no one could have expected the turnaround the Rockets were able to deliver in the second quarter. Luke Mapunda was on fire, finally hitting his groove and finding the basket after a stuttering start to the game. Mapunda made 7 critical rebounds for the quarter and added 8 points to his teams tally closing the gap to a manageable 9 points at the half time break.
The Rockets kept the pedal to the metal keeping the pressure on the visitors and drawing on the home court crowd to feed their momentum. The Lion's began to falter coughing up turnover after turnover, lack of possession and opportunity coupled with some unlucky shooting from down town saw the Lions limited to 7 points for the period. The Rockets took the lead for the first time that night less than a minute out from the last break all be it, by just 1 point.
The stage was set for an epic battle as the final quarter began, the Lions playing to stay in finals contention, the Rockets playing for pride in front of their tribe.
Both sides slogged it out, with every player on the court making a contribution and playing their part. The Lions held a slight lead for most of the quarter but scores were level with 3 minutes on the clock. A tidy 3 pointer from Kyle Miller saved the day for Centrals in the end. Both sides missed opportunities and gave away free throws in the dying minutes and a show stopping 3 pointer from North's Luke Pike gave the home side hope, bringing them within 1 point with 10 seconds left on the clock. It wasn't to be for the Rockets though and Central's Jordan Centernera ended the game at the free throw line sinking 1 to secure a 2 point win for the Lions.
Top Scorers North Adelaide
Luke Pike 17
Luke Mapunda 15
Brett Collins 7
Top Scorers Central Districts Lions
Daniel Carlin 19
Kyle Miller 12
Jordan Centernera 10
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