Women's Previews - Round 5

Eastern Mavericks (0-3, 9th) v Norwood Flames (3-0, 1st)
Sunday April 29, 1:15pm at Adelaide Hills

David has overcome Goliath before, and history will need to repeat itself once again if the luckless Eastern Mavericks are to have any hope of overcoming the visiting Norwood Flames on Sunday.

The Mavs could potentially enter this encounter on the back of a 22nd straight defeat, with a date against Southern the previous night. On the other hand, the Flames are looking like championship material again, and a win over bottom placed South would make it 22 wins from 24 matches.

The highlight of the night will no doubt be the matchup between 2010 Halls Medallist Tess Madgen and 2011’s winner Jess Foley. Madgen has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in all three games, and has scored 78 of her team’s 180 points so far this season. Foley is putting up 21.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 4.7 apg, while shooting outstanding percentages from the field (57.8%) and beyond the arc (36.4%).

Madgen’s only teammate who is consistently finding the bottom of the net is Lauren Wright, who really needs to take more shots! Wright has connected on 72.2 per cent of her field goals and 77.8 per cent of her foul shots, for a season total of 33 points.

Intriguingly, Amy Lewis is the only other double digit scorer on the Flames’ roster, averaging 16.7 ppg to go with 5 rpg. As a team, the Flames are putting up 77 ppg and conceding only 61 ppg.

Overall, the Mavs have not beaten the Flames since June 21, 2008, and unless a miracle occurs, that statistic will not have changed by the end of the round.

South Adelaide Panthers (0-3, 10th) v Forestville Eagles (4-0, 2nd)
Saturday April 29, 1.15pm at Marion

It will be winless v undefeated when the South Adelaide Panthers battle the Forestville Eagles down south on Sunday.

The Panthers have a trip to Norwood on Saturday, while the Eagles will have had three days rest, after their win over West on Anzac Day. The Eagles started slowly, but were ultimately victorious 69-57, outscoring their opponents 21-10 in the second quarter. Jess Fergus was not at full strength, and this clearly had an effect on the rest of the team, as the Eagles lacked intensity and were outhustled throughout the game.

However, their size and skill advantages shone through in the end. Tara Robinson had a great all-round game with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Olivia Thompson finished with a season-low 16 points, but had 15 rebounds, and Alex Duncan registered 15 points and 8 assists.

The Panthers are struggling at the moment, having lost to Woodville, Southern and most recently West. Lauren Fischer, who was absent last week, is leading the team in scoring with 11.5 ppg. Hajnal Nagy (10.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg) is averaging a double-double.

The last time the Eagles and Panthers met, the Panthers had a much more potent line-up, yet the Eagles still thrashed them 97-58 at Marion. The Eagles’ previous trip to Marion resulted in a 105-46 victory.

The Panthers have not beaten the Eagles since March 24, 2007, and this record is unlikely to change on Sunday.

Sturt Sabres (1-2, 7th) v Southern Tigers (2-1, 4th)
Saturday April 29, 1.15pm at Pasadena

The Southern Tigers will complete their second road trip in two days when they visit the Sturt Sabres in Round 5.

The Tigers have made a positive start to the season, opening their account with two straight victories, before a respectable loss to ladder-leaders Norwood. They will likely be 3-1 after playing the Mavs the previous night.

Alexandra Ciabattoni (20.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Genna Anderson (20 ppg, 10.3 rpg) are players the Sabres will have to keep an eye on. Simone Nelson is averaging just 4 ppg, but is leading the league in rebounding with 16 per game.

The Sabres started the season well with a hard-fought win over West, but have struggled in the last two weeks. They only scored 59 points against Forestville and 52 against Centrals, and were blown away after half-time in both games.

Amy Shaw (19 ppg, 9.5 rpg) was sorely missed against the Lions. Katrina Fitzpatrick (11 ppg) is the next highest scorer for the Sabres. No other Sabre is averaging double-figures in points, while Jess Mcphail (6.3 rpg) is the Sabres’ second best rebounder.

The Sabres won both games against the Tigers last year by an average margin of 18 points. The Tigers’ last win against the Sabres was at Morphett Vale on May 29, 2010. Their last win at Pasadena was April 20, 2008.

The Tigers will likely have too much offensive firepower for the Sabres and complete their double-header with a victory.

West Adelaide Bearcats (1-3, 8th) v Central District Lions (2-1, 3rd)
Saturday April 29, 1:15pm at Port Adelaide

In the Match of the Round, the West Adelaide Bearcats will be playing for their first home W of 2012 when they tackle the Central District Lions.

The Bearcats lost their previous home game to the Warriors in Round 2, and enter this match following a tough loss to Forestville on Anzac Day. There was no questioning the Bearcats commitment to the match, led by Ashlea Vordermaier (11 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals), Trudy Holland (13 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Narelle Van Leuven (15 points, 3/4 3FG). However, a combination of 25 per cent field goal shooting and a margin of -15 in rebounding will not win many games.

The last time the Lions were at Port Adelaide, they came within eight points of the Bearcats. That is as close as they have come to beating them in the last seven years. However, the Lions can take plenty of confidence from ending another long drought in Round 3, when they finally defeated the Sturt Sabres.

The Lions have a home match with Woodville only hours before their trip to St Vincent Street. A win there will mean they have won 12 of their 23 matches since 2010, an almighty turnaround for a club that had not won for almost two years prior to Round 1 2011.

Jess Mahony is averaging career best figures of 14 ppg and 50 per cent field goal percentage, however, she is down on her rebounding (6.3 rpg) and assists (5 apg). However, new recruits Elizabeth Keane (19.7 ppg, 7 rpg) and and D’Lesha Llyode (15 ppg, 7.7 rpg) have added another dimension to the team.

If the Bearcats are to have any chance of continuing their streak against the Lions, their best objective is to keep their opponents on the perimeter. As a team, the Lions have only made a trio of three-pointers this season, two of which have come from Mahony.

Otherwise, the Bearcats will likely suffer their fourth loss in five games.

By James Woite




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