Central Spotlight | Flames make it four straight

Featured image: Melissa Belanic | @justbphotoau

The Norwood Flames had six players score in double figures as they made it four straight NBL1 Central wins to consolidate third position with the 81-68 home win on Sunday against the South Adelaide Panthers.

The Flames and Panthers did battle on Sunday at The ARC with Norwood trying to continue their winning ways and maintain third spot with South Adelaide trying to break back into the top five.

Norwood make a flying start to already be leading by 19 points at quarter-time before going on with the job from there with the lead getting to as much as 25 before they settled on the 13-point victory.

The Flames have now won four straight to remain third with a 9-5 record while South Adelaide remain outside a finals place with a 7-7 record.

>> CENTRAL SPOTLIGHT | EAGLES STUN BEARCATS TO END STREAK

>> CENTRAL WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 11

The Flames finished the game shooting 44 per cent from the floor and 10/27 from beyond the arc while the Panthers struggled with 30 per cent overall and going just 5/29 at 17 per cent from downtown.

Norwood also had 16 offensive rebounds to 10 and also pulled down 47 defensive boards to clean up a lot of the 52 missed shots from South Adelaide to help the Flames still win big despite coughing up 28 turnovers.

Norwood continue to build impressive form and have won four straight and again the load was well spread with six players scoring in double figures while one player that didn’t was Lara Gribben, but she pulled down 11 rebounds in 16 minutes.

Cali Clark delivered 15 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two assists with Maddy Hinton adding 14 points, eight boards and three assists, and Amy Cotton 14 points, five rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.

Allysyn Becki also had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Annaliese Elliott 10 points with 5/7 free-throw shooting.

South Adelaide remain on the outside of a finals position as a result of the loss with Daisy Hocking delivering 20 points, eight steals, five rebounds and three assists.

Hannah Stewart also had 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists, Aimee Brett 11 points, two boards and two assists, and Keira Gardiner 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The lone Sunday NBL1 Central affair was a crucial one for both teams in the race for the finals and it was a scorching start from Norwood with a 14-0 run in the first quarter on the way to be leading 31-12 by quarter-time.

Maddy Hinton and Amy Cotton had seven points each while the Flames were shooting 63 per cent from the field with 4/8 from downtown to just 20 per cent from the Panthers along 0/6 from deep.

South Adelaide did manage 20 points to 13 in the second term but it was still Norwood leading 44-32 by the half-time break and then the Flames had another 19 to 14 in the third period to be leading 63-46 at three quarter-time.

That lead blew out to 25 points in the final quarter and eventually Norwood scored the 13-point victory to make it four on the trot to remain solid in third position.

Norwood now have the chance win a fifth and sixth game in-a-row next weekend with both games at home to the West Adelaide Bearcats and Forestville Eagles.

The Panthers will be away to the North Adelaide Rockets on Saturday before hosting the Central Districts Lions on Sunday.

NBL1 CENTRAL 2026 SEASON | ROUND 12

NORWOOD FLAMES 81 (Clark 15, Hinton 14, Cotton 14)

SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS 68 (Hocking 20, Stewart 12, Brett 11, Gardiner 11)