ROUND 4 Preview: Men

By James Woite

 

Eastern (0-3) v Southern (0-3)

One of the Eastern Mavericks and Southern Tigers will no longer be winless once their head-to-head battle at Adelaide Hills is complete.

The Mavericks have struggled to avoid being blown out in each of their games, although they did outscore West in the second half of their last game – this could be a sign that improvement is on its way. The Tigers have not been thrashed in any of their losses to Forestville, Sturt and Norwood, but have not seriously threatened to steal a win in any of those games, losing all three by double-digits.

Atem Atem has made a promising start to the season scoring-wise for the Mavericks, leading the team in points. Craig Catford has been the top scorer in Tigerland.

The boxscores suggest the Tigers are in better form right now, giving them favouritism to get on the board at the expense of the home side.

 

Norwood Flames (3-1) v South Adelaide Panthers (0-4)

The South Adelaide Panthers will be looking to avenge their blowout defeat to the Norwood Flames earlier this season, when the two sides meet at Mars.

The Flames’ speed was too much for the Panthers on the opening weekend of the season, where 18 points from Matthew Lycett lead the red and the blue to a 90-61 win. It was only the 29 points from Jeremy Smith that somewhat kept the scoreboard ticking for the Panthers.

That was one of four losses for the Panthers this season, who suffered a heart-breaking one point defeat against the Rockets in their last match.

In contrast, the Flames have won three straight, following an opening day defeat to West in Round 1.

It would take a stunning change in pace for the Panthers to reverse their previous defeat to the Flames.

 

Woodville Warriors (2-1) v West Adelaide Bearcats (3-1)

The West Adelaide Bearcats will be attempting to end their run of close losses to the Woodville Warriors in this week’s Match of the Round.

The Bearcats have been in great form, winning six of their last eight games dating back to last season’s finals series, but the Warriors have become their bogey side in recent times. The Bearcats have lost their last two games to the Warriors by a combined total of five points.

The Warriors’ loss to the Rockets in their last game – three weeks ago - broke a couple of big winning streaks. It was their first defeat since June 21 last season, while they suffered their first setback at Hillcrest since 2008.

Darren Ng, who scored the winning basket in the 2014 Grand Final, was one again a nemesis of the Bearcats in the opening weekend of the season, scoring 21 points. New import David Sturner was the primary Bearcat who troubled the scorers with 18 points.

The Bearcats really need to break their losing habit against the Warriors, or else their troubles could become a mental factor, should the two teams meet again during the postseason.

 

Central District Lions (1-1) v North Adelaide Rockets (3-0)

The in-form North Adelaide Rockets will be playing for a 4-0 record when they make the trip to the far north to visit the Central District Lions.

After Aric Miller’s basket with seven seconds to play rallied the Hillcrest franchise from a double-digit deficit to a one point win over South, the Rockets had matched their 2014 win total. Miller’s 23 points was his best score so far as a Rocket.

The Lions have played a league-low two games thus far. They have not played since March 21, where 19 points from Matthew Atkins lead them to a 92-72 victory over Eastern. That evened up the Lions’ record at 1-1, after they lost to Sturt in Round 1.

The Lions may have swept the Rockets last season, but the way the Rockets are playing right now, another win is not beyond them.

 

Forestville Eagles (2-1) v Sturt Sabres (2-1)

The Sturt Sabres have the chance to exact a little revenge on the Forestville Eagles, after the Eagles’ win at Wayville last season proved the difference in the race for sixth spot.

The Sabres looked well on their way to virtually wrapping up a finals berth when they visited the Eagles last season, but threw away a sizable advantage and fell to a season-destroying defeat. Had the Sabres held on, they would have gone to the playoffs instead of their closest rivals.

Both teams are on one game losing streaks that were preceded by consecutive victories. Strong performances from Clinton Reed and Tim Klaosen were not enough to prevent the Sabres losing to West on March 29, while the Eagles could not defeat Norwood the night before, despite the return of scorer Jake Rios.

Sabres-Eagles games often seem to have a bit of extra meaning. Based on these teams’ results and the direction they are heading, this meeting should be no exception.




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