Central Spotlight | Champion Warriors make it third straight

Featured image: Dan Cowley | @imagesby_dan

The defending NBL1 Central champion Woodville Warriors made it three straight wins and denied the South Adelaide Panthers a fourth in-a-row with the 82-66 home victory.

Both teams came into the match up at St Clair Recreation Centre in winning form with Woodville building momentum in their championship defence having won the past two while the Panthers arrived having won their past three matches.

That set the stage for a fascinating match up and the Panthers did lead by five points at quarter-time and by two at the half, but the Warriors took control from there.

Woodville outscored South Adelaide 45 points to 27 after half-time for the 16-point win to improve to a 5-3 record with three consecutive wins while the Panthers are now 5-3 following a first loss in the last four matches.

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While the Panthers pulled down 19 offensive rebounds and attempted seven more shots and four extra free throws than the Warriors, they only shot it at 31 per cent from the field and went 7/33 from three-point range.

Woodville were able to take advantage with 44 per cent shooting themselves and going 15/31 from behind the three-point arc including 6/11 in the final quarter.

Lealani Falatea was impressive in the win for Woodville finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists while playing all 40 minutes.

Brittany Hodges continued her Anzac Medal winning form with another 16 points and nine rebounds with Naomi Allotey contributing 11 points and seven boards, Ambah Kowcun 10 points, six rebounds and two assists, and Casey Real nine points and three assists.

Then there was captain Jordan Hunter who might have only scored three points on 1/7 shooting, but had a significant impact with 12 assists, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

South Adelaide did battle hard in the hunt of a fourth straight win up against the defending champions with Hatti Cox having 14 points in the first half and finishing with 19 to go with five assists and three steals on 4/13 three-point shooting.

Hannah Gardiner contributed 16 pints and eight rebounds, Keira Gardiner 14 points and five boards, and Daisy Hocking six points, five rebounds and four assists.

Both teams came into the clash on winning runs and the Panthers did begin impressively away from home to open up a six-point lead in the first term and to still be on top 22-17 by quarter-time.

That saw the Panthers make it a focus of going inside with 14 points in the paint of their 22 points while also four of the others being on the fast break.

It remained a tight contest in the second quarter with Woodville putting up 20 points to the 17 from South Adelaide, and that cut the Panthers lead back to 39-37 heading into the locker room at the half.

Not much separated the teams with Hatti Cox and Keira Gardiner combining for 24 points for South Adelaide while Lealani Falatea had 13 for Woodville while the Warriors were shooting 44 per cent to 38, but the Panthers got up an extra three shots and six free-throw attempts.

Woodville then worked on top in the third frame with 22 points to 14 with South Adelaide struggling with 4/18 shooting to see the Warriors opening up the six-point lead by three quarter-time.

Woodville completed the job in the last quarter with 23 points to 13 with a three-point barrage going 6/11 for the term to complete the 16-point win and to make it three straight in the process.

Woodville will now play host to the Southern Tigers next Saturday with South Adelaide heading back home against the Eastern Mavericks.

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WOODVILLE WARRIORS 82 (Falatea 22, Hodges 16, Allotey 11)

SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 66 (Cox 19, H Gardiner 16, K Gardiner 14)