By James Woite

 

Norwood Flames (6-2) v Woodville Warriors (6-1)

In the Match of the Round, the Woodville Warriors will be hoping to continue their dominant recent form when they visit the Norwood Flames.

The start of 2015 saw the Warriors in three tight games, one of which they lost. But the last four rounds have resulted in the Warriors emptying their bench early, including the 88-45 victory over Sturt on ANZAC Day. Ian Nixson (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Mitchell Creek (17 points, 10 rebounds) were two of the Warriors to make an impact.

The Flames’ five game winning streak came to an end at the hands of North on ANZAC Day, before bouncing back for an 81-66 success against the Tigers on Wednesday. Jacob Holmes and Matthew Lycett combined for 37 points and 17 rebounds, as the Flames overcame a one point half-time deficit. The Flames are tied for the Warriors in wins, but have played a game extra.

The Flames won the first matchup with the Warriors in 2014, but were soundly beaten in the final two. The Warriors denied the Flames a chance to go through to the Grand Final by defeating them 86-72 in the Second Semi Final.

 

Sturt Sabres (2-4) v Eastern Mavericks (2-5)

Following two straight wins, the Eastern Mavericks could be just a game outside the top five come the end of the round, should they come away victorious against the Sturt Sabres at Pasadena.

The Mavericks lost their first five matches, including a blowout 32 point defeat to Forestville in their fifth fixture, but have found form in the last few days. Their 14 point win over Centrals, behind 21 points apiece from Atem Atem and DeCorey Jones, at Adelaide Arena on Wednesday marked a 34 point turnaround from their meeting earlier in the year.

The Sabres are one of the aforementioned struggling sides, having lost four matches in a row, including a 43 point defeat at Woodville on ANZAC Day. Tim Klaosen was the only double-figure scorer against the Warriors with 10 points.

The Sabres went 2-0 against the Mavericks last year, but lost a crucial match to them at Pasadena two seasons ago that dented their finals chase.

 

West Adelaide Bearcats (5-2) v South Adelaide Panthers (2-6)

The South Adelaide Panthers have a tough task to counter last round’s upset loss to the Mavericks when they visit the third-placed Bearcats.

Despite their 0-5 start, the Panthers appeared to be on track to make a finals push, following wins over 2014 playoff sides Centrals and Forestville. But their pursuit has taken a step back, as Jeremy Smith’s 24 points and 9 rebounds were not enough to prevent the Mavericks earning their first win.

The Bearcats went for their biggest win of 2015 on ANZAC Day, defeating the Tigers 95-48. David Sturner (33 points, 16 rebounds), Peter Crawford (22 points, 5 rebounds) and Blake Truslove (16 rebounds, 13 points) put up prolific numbers.

The Panthers produced a stunning upset against the Bearcats at Port Adelaide in Round 3 last season, before the Bearcats squared the series later in the year with a win at Marion.

 

Central District Lions (2-4) v Southern Tigers (1-6)

Following two road games and a neutral clash, the Central District Lions will have their first home game since April 11 when they welcome the Southern Tigers to Starplex.

The Lions are just 1-4 against non-finalists from 2014, after their 62-76 defeat to the Mavericks on Wednesday. The loss occurred in spite of 17 rebounds and 15 points from Christopher Clausen, and a further 15 points from Tyler Kennedy.

Also on Wednesday, 14 points and 8 rebounds from Matthew Williams could not prevent the Tigers going down to the Flames. The Tigers now have just one win from seven outings.

The Tigers and Lions went 1-1 in 2014, with the home team winning on both occasions.

 

Forestville (4-3) v North (5-2)

The North Adelaide Rockets will face their fourth consecutive opponent with a winning record, when they visit the Forestville Eagles.

The Rockets ended a two game losing streak against the Bearcats and Warriors on ANZAC Day, defeating the Flames 82-81, thanks to Daniel Goodluck’s buzzer-beater. Goodluck scored 16 points, while Aric Miller had 18 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. The Rockets are only one win behind the Flames and the Warriors.

The Eagles have lost two consecutive games against a couple of struggling sides in South, and most recently, Centrals. Pero Vasilijevic had 18 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in the defeat to the Lions on ANZAC Day.

The Eagles swept their 2014 series with the Rockets 2-0. Typically, the away side has had a lot of success when these two clubs have done battle.