Sturt Sabres (9-2, 2nd) v North Adelaide Rockets (8-3, 3rd)
Saturday June 29, 6.30pm at Pasadena

In the Match of the Round, North Adelaide will be hoping to reverse their Round 3 result against Sturt as each side continues its pursuit of a double chance.

Last time they met, the Sabres got up by just four points, with Aneeka Smith hitting a clutch three to seal the game. Smith joined Molly Lewis, Hannah Richards and Hannah Bowley in double figures. Jo Hill had one of her eight double-doubles for the Rockets and Rebecca Lock scored 10, but Jamie-Lee Peris was held to 8 points and 8 rebounds.

The Sabres’ win over South last week, coupled with Eastern’s loss to Norwood, has helped them secure outright second position. The Sabres won their first five, then dropped two of three, but have bounced back nicely with another three straight wins.

The Rockets have won six of seven, with that one loss coming against Eastern by a lousy point. They overcame a gallant Woodville in Round 11 to move into third.

The Sabres are yet to lose at home, while the Rockets’ only away loss was against Norwood. The stage is set for a thriller!

Woodville Warriors (3-8, 7th) v Norwood Flames (11-0, 1st)
Saturday June 29, 6.30pm at St Clair

After a couple of near-misses, the Woodville Warriors have a daunting task ahead of them as they face the might of Norwood.

The Warriors have won just three of their 11 games, but their performances the last two weeks have suggested they are on the rise. They fell just four points short of a Jemma Thacker-inspired Eastern, before leading North inside the final three minutes, only to lose by nine.

However, as good as Eastern and North are, the Flames have proven to be miles ahead of everyone thus far. They beat the Mavericks, minus superstar Tess Madgen, by 54 last week. No one, including Sturt and Forestville, has come within 30 of them since West lost by nine in Round 5.

Back in Round 4, the Flames cruised to an 87-52 win. Jordan Walker-Roberts and Jessica Good each scored 14 for the Flames, who had five double figure scorers. Tess Keenan likewise had 14 for the Warriors, while Jessica Koch scored 10.

Flames to cruise once more.

Forestville Eagles (8-3, 4th) v South Adelaide Panthers (0-11, 10th)
Saturday June 29, 6.30pm at Wayville

With fellow strugglers Centrals almost overcoming Forestville last week, there is hope for the winless Panthers ahead of their trip to Wayville.

When the Panthers faced the Eagles back in Round 3, Mia Newley and Olivia Thompson combined for 33 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists as the Eagles rolled to a 69-45 victory. However, Newley and Thompson have not played the last two weeks, and the Eagles were only able to get up by seven over the 1-10 Lions – whom they beat by 51 in Round 5.

The Panthers can take some pride from having outscored Sturt 33-31 in the second half of last week’s game, although they can ill-afford to be behind by 25 at the half again. Former Tigers star Alex Ciabattoni scored 12 points in her second game for the club, while Lauren Gibbons had 16 on 6/7 shooting.

With Ciabattoni in the line-up, the Panthers are a sneaky chance of an upset, but the remaining Eagles will be keen to lift following their great escape.

Eastern Mavericks (8-3, 5th) v West Adelaide Bearcats (5-6, 6th)
Sunday June 30, 1.15pm at Adelaide Hills

The Eastern Mavericks will know there is plenty of work to be done to wrap up a finals berth ahead of their Round 12 clash with West Adelaide.

On June 30 last season, the Mavericks went into their match at Morphett Vale trailing the Southern Tigers by three games. Despite losing star Tess Madgen to concussion early in the match, the Mavericks pulled off a season defining victory. By the end of Round 18, the Mavericks were in the finals at the Tigers’ expense.

A year to the day, the Mavericks and Bearcats will line up. This time, the Mavs are the ones being hunted, leading the red and black by three games on the ladder. The Bearcats have an enormous task ahead of them to make the finals, but if they can get a win here...

With Madgen on the sidelines, the Mavericks were torn apart 40-94 by Norwood, while the Bearcats pulled away from the Tigers for a 77-51 victory.

Last time they met, Madgen was the match-winner with 47 points and 13 rebounds, while Amanda McDermott scored 22. Ashlea Vordermaier had 23 points for the Bearcats, who also got 19 from the now-departed Jessica Mahony.

Given the Mavs are the only team with multiple 30 point gamers, they should be able to score enough points with or without Madgen.

Southern Tigers (2-9, 8th) v Central District Lions (1-10, 9th)
Sunday June 30, 1.15pm at Morphett Vale

The last time Southern and Centrals met at Morphett Vale, post-season fortunes were on the line.

This time, it is about trying to avoid a wooden spoon.

2013 has not been a good year for results for the Tigers and Lions, though with prolific players like Alex Ciabattoni, Genna Anderson, Jessica Mahony and Elizabeth Keane heading for the exits, this could be expected. The Lions have shown some fight in recent weeks though – in falling 68-75 to Forestville, they knocked 44 points off their last loss to the Eagles.

The Tigers have also made some inroads – their 26 point loss to West was 10 less than in their previous encounter.

In Round 3, a career best 29 points from Denelle Fawcett was the catalyst for a 74-50 Tiger win. Kelsie Rutland (13 points) and Ashley Biddell (12 points) also troubled the scorers. Tamika Dukes was the shining light for the Lions with team leading figures of 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lions appear to be the stronger side in recent times and should be odds-on to overturn their last head-to-head fixture.