By Benito Carbone

Woodville Warriors 88 | South Adelaide Panthers 59

Led by Spirit Medal winner, Darren Ng, the Woodville Warriors downed the South Adelaide Panthers at the Marion Basketball Stadium on Anzac Day. The victory is Woodville’s fifth-straight putting them in third place behind Southern and Norwood, two teams many tip for the title. On the other hand, South Adelaide drop to 0-7 and will be desperate for a victory against Central Districts in Round 8.

The visitors had a great second-half performance from Darren Ng to thank for the success. Ng had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Adrien Coleman was relentless for the Panthers with 20 points and 8 boards in a losing effort.

The match picked up its pace early, the hosts being the faster side out of the gates. Coleman led his team to an 18-12 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the quarter, while South Adelaide’s exciting outside shooting game, coupled with an array of lay-ups from their import helped the side to a deserved 8-point lead at the first break. Gardiner (14 points) landed a triple for South promptly after the interval, but momentum began to change thanks to overwhelming offensive pressure from the visitors. Ng cut the deficit soon after and the Warriors took the lead with a remarkable 15-0 run midway through the term, ending the half with a 34-44 lead.

South Adelaide continued to struggle against a switched-on Woodville, missing critical shots as the visitors made them pay. Ng was instrumental around the court, sinking another clean triple to establish a 20-point lead over their opponents. Kirksey (17 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals) was at the end of a brilliant chain of passes to consolidate their lead going into the final break. The eventual Spirit Medallist hit another three in the last to compound the Panther’s pain, despite some consolation points from substitute Matthew Wall.