Woodville Warriors (7-5, 5th) v North Adelaide Rockets (9-3, 2nd)
Friday July 6, 8.15pm at St Clair
Saturday July 7, 6.30pm at Hillcrest

In the Matches of the Round, the Woodville Warriors will meet the North Adelaide Rockets twice in two days for what could be a season-defining weekend for both teams.

The first match will be on Friday night at St Clair, with the replay at Hillcrest on Saturday. The Warriors are currently 7-5 and sitting fifth, but if they fail to take at least one of these games they will likely be out of the top five at the end of the round. However, two Ws would see them fighting for a top three position.

The Rockets’ 9-3 record is good enough for second spot. The difference between two wins and two losses could be massive, however. Two wins would have them firmly in the top two and a finals spot sewn up, yet two losses would likely see them drop to the lower end of the five and make for an anxious final month.

The Warriors had a very important win in Round 13, defeating Centrals 84-60. Puff Summers top-scored with 24 while Adam Blight chipped in with 13. It was not such a good night for the Rockets, who lost their second game against Sturt this season, 75-84. Tom Rowe had a team-high 17 points while Pero Vasilijevic and Josh Bond had 16 apiece.

Last season’s split finished 1-1, with the away team winning on each occasion. Based on where these teams are at, a 1-1 repeat would probably make for a satisfying weekend for both sides.

Norwood Flames (7-6, 6th) v Eastern Mavericks (0-13, 10th)
Saturday July 7, 8.15pm at Mars

The Eastern Mavericks will the hoping to kill two birds with one stone when they visit the Norwood Flames.

The Mavs have two long losing streaks to break in this Round 14 fixture. They are yet to win in Season 2012, while they have not beaten the Flames since May 20, 2006.

Last time they met, the Flames held sway 64-53. Daniel Lean (16 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds) was the best for the Mavs, while Keith Krause (21 points, 11 rebounds) was the standout for the Flames. Both teams have added key players since, with the Mavs recruiting Ed Millard (26.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) mid-season, and the Flames signing Matthew Lycett (12.7 ppg, 9 rpg) and Brian Moultrie (24.2 ppg, 16.4 rpg) only weeks prior.

The Flames are currently on a season-high two game winning streak, finally putting their Jekyll-and-Hyde form behind them. Their most recent scalp was a 99-83 win over South at Marion, a 20 point turnaround from the last time they met. Moultrie was on fire with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew Webber added a season-high 16 points in just his fourth game of the season - 31 less than his last effort (51) against South at Marion.

Millard finished just one turnover shy of a triple-double last week, but it was not enough to prevent a 91-99 loss to Southern. Shane Breheny added 21 and Will Smith 15.

The Flames are half a game outside the top five, so this is a game that they cannot and should not lose in order to keep their hopes of another trip to the postseason alive.

Southern Tigers (4-9, 9th) v Sturt Sabres (10-3, 1st)
Saturday July 7, 8.15pm at Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers will be attempting to defeat a winning team for the first time this season when they host the Sturt Sabres.

The Tigers have beaten South and Eastern twice this season, who have a combined record of 4-22. No other club has fallen victim to the Tigers.

If the Tigers can win this game, it will be the first time they have won back-to-back matches since Rounds 10-11 of the 2009 season. They defeated the Eastern Mavericks last week, thanks to 24 points from Tyler Tanis and 20 from Codey Ellison.

The Sabres moved back into top spot with an 84-75 triumph at home to North. Tom Daly had 22 points, while Darren Ng chipped in with 21 and Tim Klaosen added 12. The only team to have beaten Sturt since Round 1 is Forestville.

Back in Round 5, the Sabres cruised to a 70-55 victory over the Tanis-less Tigers. Daly and Ng each had double-doubles for the Sabres, while Samuel Johns scored 17 for the Tigers.

A win would improve the Tigers’ ever-so-minute chances of finals action, but they have a tough ask on their claws.

Central District Lions (5-8, 7th) v West Adelaide Bearcats (9-4, 4th)
Saturday July 7, 8.15pm at Starplex

The Central District Lions will be eager to bounce back from their disappointing Round 13 loss to the Warriors when they welcome the West Adelaide Bearcats to Starplex.

With their season on the line against a team on a run of poor form, it was the wrong night for a change of fortunes for the Lions. Kyle Miller and Luke Frost had 12 points apiece, but after leading by three at half-time, the Lions were put to the sword with a 9-29 third period.

The Bearcats would likewise not be thrilled with their Round 13 result. They have fallen outside the top three for the first time since Round 6 following their 67-79 home loss to a Rashad Tucker-less Forestville. Blake Truslove had 20 points while Howard Salters Jr and Paul Rankin each registered double digits.

The last time they met, the Bearcats held the Lions to just 49 points and won by 22. Salters Jr was the shining light with 19 points.

If both teams are at their best (or worst), this is anyone’s game.

Forestville Eagles (9-4, 3rd) v South Adelaide Panthers (4-9, 8th)
Saturday July 7, 8.15pm at Wayville

The Forestville Eagles have been the hottest team in the league the last month and can take another step towards a top three finish if they can defeat the South Adelaide Panthers for the first time this season.

The Eagles are currently on a competition-high four-game winning streak and have moved up into third position, their highest rank since the opening two rounds of the year. By contrast, the Panthers have lost seven in a row and are now staring down the barrel of another season without finals action.

The Eagles were without Rashad Tucker against the Bearcats, but that did not stop them rolling to a 12 point victory. Brad Gerlach top-scored with 20, while Adam Doyle had 18 and Brad Haydon 17. Meanwhile, the Panthers were comprehensively beaten by Norwood, despite the best efforts of Kyle Howe-Tipene, Patrick Mattson and Damian Scanlon, who combined for 52 points.

In Round 5, the circumstances were much different for both teams. The Panthers won their third straight game by defeating the Eagles 94-83, which was also the Eagles’ third straight loss. Former Eagle Jordan Robertson had 20 for the Panthers, while Trent Fildes and Tucker each scored 18 for the Eagles.

On form, the Eagles should win this comfortably.