Eastern Mavericks (8-7, 6th) v Sturt Sabres (4-11, 7th)
Saturday July 21, 6.30pm at Adelaide Hills

The Eastern Mavericks will be hoping for a fourth straight win to keep their season alive when they host the Sturt Sabres.

The Mavericks need to go a game better than the Southern Tigers, and/or three games better than the Central District Lions, over the remainder of the regular season if they are to finish the season in the top five. The Mavericks are fortunate enough to have three of the bottom four sides over the final three rounds, whereas after this week’s clash with the Bearcats, the Tigers have two of the top four clubs in Forestville and Centrals.

In Round 15, Tess Madgen had arguably the individual performance of the season. She scored 43 of the Mavericks’ 80 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished off 10 assists, stole the ball 7 times and rejected 3 shots in a 20 point win over South. Alex Wilson added 25 points.

The Sabres put in a good performance against the Flames, but fell 51-60. Caroline Burgess top-scored with 10.

Last time they met, the Mavericks defeated the Sabres 69-62 at Pasadena. Madgen had 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Nathalie Chaloner had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals for the Sabres.

Up til now, the Mavericks have held their nerve and won the games that matter most, and they need more of the same composure this week to beat an improving Sabres team (unless Madgen’s former teammates go light on her!).

North Adelaide Rockets (12-3, 2nd) v Forestville Eagles (11-4, 3rd)
Saturday July 21, 6.30pm at Hillcrest

In the Match of the Round, the North Adelaide Rockets will be hoping to do the double over the Forestville Eagles when the two sides go head-to-head at Hillcrest.

It is highly likely these two sides will meet in the Qualifying Final, but bragging rights and home court advantage are up for grabs. The Rockets currently have a +3 advantage in the series split, having beaten the Eagles 84-81 in overtime in their last faceoff. Lauren Mansfield (18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists) and Jamie-Lee Peris (17 points, 15 rebounds) were the Rockets’ best that night, while Olivia Thompson, Georgia Minear and Jess Fergus combined for 69 points for the Eagles.

Thunderbirds netballer Carla Borrego did not hit the court until last weekend’s victory over Centrals. She played a pivotal role too, registering a double-double, as did Thompson.

In contrast, the Rockets were without Peris for last weekend’s duel with West Adelaide. They still got the job done 69-57, with Jo Hill scoring 25 points and Kirsty Williams 16.

Following this match, the Rockets are away to Centrals and at home to South. The Eagles have blockbusters at home to Southern and away to Norwood. A win this week would be invaluable to both teams, with Centrals not far behind either team.

With Borrego in the line-up, the Eagles look even more ominous, and have a great opportunity to payback the Rockets for Round 7.

South Adelaide Panthers (2-13, 10th) v Central District Lions (10-5, 4th)
Saturday July 21, 6.30pm at Marion

With a tough draw to come, a double-chance falling by the wayside and a yet-to-be-sealed place in the top five, it is imperative for the Central District Lions that they defeat the South Adelaide Panthers this Saturday.

Failure to succeed this weekend, coupled with victories to Southern and Eastern, and the Lions will be in a three-way fight for the fourth and fifth seeds. If results do go their way, however, the Lions could still make the top three, albeit they have North and Southern the next two rounds, whom they lost to earlier in the year.

The Lions practically blew their top three chances with a poor 24-40 first half against Forestville last week. Elizabeth Keane and Jess Mahony combined for 34 points, but although the Lions got back in the game, they could not hit the front and went down by 11.

The last time the Lions were at Marion, they were destroyed 39-92. Fortunately for them, the Panthers roster underwent major change in the offseason, which showed through when the teams met in Round 7, a 70-46 win for the Lions at Starplex. D’Lesha Lloyde (24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals) and Mahony (17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) starred that night, but Lloyde has not been with the Lions since. Nicole Brown (10 points) and Hajnal Nagy (9 rebounds, 8 points) were the best for the Panthers.

The Panthers enter this match on the back of a 60-80 loss to Eastern. Karen Rokicinski had a team-high 12 points, while Jess Hansberry and Lauren Gibbons scored 11 apiece. The Panthers are still cemented to the foot of the ladder and need to at worst double their win tally by the end of the season to change that.

It would take an incredible performance from the Panthers to win this game, but time-and-time again sport continues to produce remarkable results, so the Lions will want to be switched on.

Norwood Flames (13-2, 1st) v Woodville Warriors (3-12, 9th)
Saturday July 21, 6.30pm at Mars

The Norwood Flames can take another step towards clinching the Minor Premiership if they can defeat the Woodville Warriors on Saturday.

The Flames made up for their Round 14 loss to Eastern by accounting for the Sabres at Pasadena. Jess Foley scored 16 and Amy Lewis 15. A Flames win this week will have them one victory away from cementing a trip to the Second Semi Final.

The Warriors failed to take advantage of the Southern Tigers’ poor recent form, losing their sixth straight contest, 44-68. Claire Christie was the shining light with 20.

Last time they met, the Flames cruised to a 79-52 victory. Lewis had 26 points for the Flames, while Katherine Perkas had a double-double for the Warriors.

Expect the Flames to repeat their Round 7 success with a similar scoreline.

Southern Tigers (9-6, 5th) v West Adelaide Bearcats (3-12, 8th)
Saturday July 21, 6.30pm at Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers will be hoping to retain their spot in the top five when they greet the West Adelaide Bearcats.

Mathematically, the Tigers can still finish in the top three and earn a double-chance, though only a fortuitous set of results would make that possible now. Just making the top five is enough of a task, with Tess Madgen’s Eastern Mavericks hot on their tails.

In Round 15, the Tigers ended their three-game losing streak with a big win over the Warriors. Teresa Kinross had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals, while Genna Anderson registered a double-double.

The Bearcats got off to a good start in their clash with the Rockets, leading by eight at half-time. However, they were outscored by 20 after the break and lost by 12, despite 19 points from Kate Shierlaw and a double-double from Alana Nairn.

In Round 7, the Tigers made the long trip north and came away with the goods, winning 71-54. Alexandra Ciabattoni had 22 points for the Tigers, while Narelle Van Leuven scored 16 for the Bearcats.

The Tigers have found the back end of the season tough, and despite their superior ranking compared to the Bearcats, they are by no means guaranteed of a W.

By James Woite