Central Spotlight | Bearcats claw Sabres to stay perfect

Featured image: @Picture It Sport Photography

The West Adelaide Bearcats handed the Sturt Sabres consecutive NBL1 Central defeats and sent a message that they are the team to beat by staying perfect and moving two games clear while welcoming in Alex Ciabattoni with the 93-66 win.

It had been pencilled in as the battle of undefeated teams through a lot of the first part of the season only for the Sabres to slip up last week against the Norwood Flames after winning the first seven of 2026.

West Adelaide came into the match up as the lone undefeated team left as they hosted the Sabres at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre while welcoming Ciabattoni fresh off her best WNBL season with the Perth Lynx.

She also started the NBL1 season in the West at the Cockburn Cougars where she was averaging 19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists including playing on Friday night.

She had 17 points, six assists, five rebounds and five assists on Friday in Cockburn's win against Mandurah before coming straight to Adelaide to line-up for the Bearcats to take on the Sabres.

That's quite the addition to a team already looking ominous and West Adelaide dominated Sturt from the outset to lead by as much as 30 points before winning by 27 to improve to 9-0 to start 2026 with the Sabres now 7-2.

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It was another dominant all-round showing from West Adelaide even while shooting 46 per cent from the field, 7/27 from downtown and 14/22 at the foul line, but they did take an extra six shots and nine free throws on the way to the 27-point win.

Coco Hodges ended up with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five steals on 7/11 shooting with 6/7 at the foul line with Morgan Yaeger adding 17 points, eight boards and four assists.

Alex Ciabattoni enjoyed her return home to Adelaide with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals with Chloe Hodges adding 13 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals, and Sienna Lehmann eight points, seven rebounds and two assists.

After starting the season winning seven straight, Sturt have now lost their past two and ended up just shooting 39 per cent from the field with only 4/18 from downtown while also going just 6/13 from the free-throw line.

Liz Williamson top-scored for Sturt with 12 points with four rebounds and two assists on 6/8 field goal shooting with Tayla Brazel adding 10 points, four boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Katia Stamatelopoulos also had nine points and five rebounds, Nicola Mathews eight points, five boards and two assists, and Zoe Walker-Roberts seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.

It was the most anticipated game of the season even with Sturt having suffered their first loss last week but not much separated the two teams in the first quarter with West Adelaide going into quarter-time with the 25-20 advantage largely thanks to their nine second chance points.

The Bearcats then took total control of the top-of-the-table clash in the second frame by going on a 10-0 scoring run and opening up a 19-point advantage.

West Adelaide went into the half-time break leading 53-34 on the back of shooting 51 per cent from the floor to the 39 per cent from Sturt along with 12 free-throw attempts to just three, and forcing the Sabres into nine turnovers.

Coco and Chloe Hodges combined for 27 points in the first half for West Adelaide with Morgan Yaeger having another strong showing with 11.

The scoring dried up at both ends in the third term with just the combined 30 points but West Adelaide were able to stretch their edge to 23 by three quarter-time still.

It was then another 23 points to 19 in the last term for the Bearcats to produce another statement performance to win by 27 and stay perfect on the season and now two games clear in top spot.

The NBL1 Central will now have the general bye next weekend and after that the Bearcats resume at home to the North Adelaide Rockets on Saturday May 23 while the Sabres will try to bounce back against the South Adelaide Panthers on the road.

NBL1 CENTRAL 2026 SEASON | ROUND 8

WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS 93 (Coco Hodges 22, Yaeger 17, Ciabattoni 14)

STURT SABRES 66 (Williamson 12, Padroth 10, Brazel 10)