James Woite

The Eastern Mavericks have given themselves a shot at finishing in seventh place, after defeating the Southern Tigers 90-71, in the penultimate match at Adelaide Arena on Sunday.

The Mavericks allowed the bottom-placed Tigers to get on top of them early, but led by DeCorey Jones (24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), they gained control of the game in the second period. Tigers Coach Rashad Tucker made a lot of substitutions early, which benefited his side, as they led by four points at quarter-time.

With Jordan Dodman (16 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks) racking up stats, Haydn Barns (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) impactful in transition, and Atem Atem (13 rebounds, 12 points) everywhere, the Mavericks outscored the Tigers 29-10 in the second quarter. The Mavericks were up 15 at the half.

As Jones and company continued to flourish, the Mavericks’ advantage reached the 20 point mark in the third period. With the game well within their grasp, Mavericks Coach Will Smith took the opportunity to empty his bench.

When Tiger Samuel Johns (25 points, 10 rebounds) scored two with 8:13 remaining, the Tigers had narrowed the gap to 14 points. The Tigers had already once rallied back from a sizable deficit to beat the Mavericks this season, but after Smith called time-out and reintroduced Jones and Daniel Lean (8 points, 6 assists), the Mavericks steadied.

The Mavericks scored on their next possession, and got their lead back out to 17 quickly. The Tigers did get as close as 13 when Craig Catford (19 points, 6 rebounds) scored with 4:16 to go, but missed three opportunities to get within 10-11 points. The Mavericks then outscored the Tigers 11-5 in the final three minutes, as they won the season series 2-1.

For the Mavericks (8-13) to finish seventh, they must upset the Woodville Warriors (16-5) next week, and have the South Adelaide Panthers (9-12) lose to the Tigers (2-19). The Mavericks are now 8-8 since a 0-5 start.