By Mark Halliday

 

WOMEN

The North Adelaide Rockets grabbed victory in their clash with the Southern Tigers, beating the visitors 86-66.

North's Jo Hill top scored with 20 to go along with her nine rebounds, but found herself in foul trouble early in the contest.

With 4:35 left in the first quarter and the Tigers leading 13-12, Hill picked up her third foul that saw her head to the bench for an extended period.

From there, the rest of the Rockets went on a run that would decide the game.

Sarah Elsworthy and Jamie-Lee Peris gave North an eight point lead after Southern's Jess Fergus banked in a three to close the first quarter.

The Rockets received a huge boost in the second due to the play of Lauren Badenoch. She scored nine of her 13 points in the quarter and was everywhere on the floor, fighting for rebounds and finding open team-mates in addition to her offensive contributions.

Badenoch subbed back in the game and immediately made an impact, connecting on a triple shortly after Shannon McKay (13 points) had done the same.

North kept the Tigers scoreless for five minutes as Badenoch, McKay and Peris were too much for the Southern defence to handle.

Fergus (16 points) and Tara Robinson tried to keep Southern close. Robinson's play in the post was excellent but couldn't keep it going in the second half, 11 of her 13 points came before half time.

The Tigers matched the home side for the remainder of the game, but couldn't take the extra step to significantly cut in the lead.

North next match is against the in form South Adelaide, winners of five straight. Southern also face the Panthers next in Round 10.

 

MEN

The North Adelaide Rockets fought hard on Saturday night and came out on top with a 10 point win, 75-65, over the Southern Tigers.

Aric Miller top scored for the Rockets, finishing with 18 points, four rebounds and five assists.

North's Adam Schild had the biggest impact on the floor as his play close to the basket was unmatched and opened up opportunities for his team-mates. Schild scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, seven of those coming at the offensive end.

Southern's Stephen Branson led all scorers with 19 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists as he tried to lead his team back from an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter. Matthew Williams was the only double digit scorer for the Tigers with 12.

The Rockets had gained the upper hand early in the contest, leading the Tigers by five at the first break. Schild was giving the Tigers defence trouble as he scored eight in the quarter for a 17-12 North advantage.

After trading baskets for much of the first half, it was the Rockets who took a small extra step that proved vital in their victory.

Both teams struggled to make shots in the third quarter, however the Rockets kept attacking the basket in the second half that allowed them to move the ball and find the open man.

When North's driving game was off, scoring was hard to come by, but through the play of Miller, Schild and Thomas Rowe (15 points), the Rockets were able to hold onto their small lead to the final buzzer.

Schild was all over the offensive boards, giving North a 17-4 edge in second chance points while the Rockets forced the Tigers into 16 turnovers which lead to 23 points off turnovers compared to just 12 for the visitors.

North remain locked in a battle for third on the ladder with West Adelaide, both teams currently sit at 7-2, while Southern sit at the bottom with only a single win.