Central Spotlight | Motivated Sabres improve to 5-0

Featured image: @snapshotphotography3 / Snap Shot Photography

The Sturt Sabres are a team on a mission in 2026 to breakthrough in NBL1 Central and they delivered a dominant Friday night showing to beat the North Adelaide Rockets 97-60 to improve to 5-0.

The Sabres have come into the season after losing last year's Grand Final to make it three in the past four years and the other season in there was a heartbreaking preliminary final defeat in 2024.

So there's no shortage of motivation for Sturt who have finished top two in each of the past four seasons and they came into Friday night's match up at Springbank Secondary College unbeaten, and were dominant all evening forcing North Adelaide into 36 turnovers in the 37-point victory.

>> CENTRAL WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 4

It was a dominant all-round showing from the now 5-0 Sabres even while getting to the foul line just nine times for the game. They shot 50 per cent from the field with 11/30 from three-point range while having 15 offensive rebounds and scoring 22 points from the 36 turnovers from North Adelaide.

Sturt had plenty of strong contributors to the win led by 21 points, three steals and two rebounds from Tayla Brazel who was +33 in her 25 minutes.

Katia Stamatelopoulos also had 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks, Mia Walker-Roberts 14 points and two assists, Paige Padroth 12 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds, Liz Williamson eight points and four boards, and Zoe Walker-Roberts six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Rockets are now 1-4 on the season having got up 28 fewer shots on the night than the Sabres with Maddy Freer top-scoring with 13 points, four steals and three rebounds.

Jordyn Freer also had 10 points and two rebounds, Sasha Hardin eight points and three boards, Sarah Wardner eight points and four rebounds, and Abbey Jones six points, three boards and three assists.

The Sabres played host the Rockets in Friday night basketball and they wasted no time taking charge with a 10-0 run in the opening period to lead by 15, and still be in control at 28-18 by the end of one.

That was with a combined 17 points form Katia Stamatelopoulos and Paige Padroth and they were shooting 11/19 from the floor to 6/13 from North Adelaide while also forcing the Rockets into 11 turnovers from which they scored seven points.

Sturt then dominated further in the second period putting another 30 points on the board and by half-time that saw the Sabres well in control leading 58-34.

That was not only on the back of shooting 53 per cent opposed to 44, but also taking an extra 18 shots with having forced the Rockets into 21 turnovers and scoring 14 points from those.

Tayla Brazel already had 17 points to her name going into the locker room too and it was more of the same in the third period from the Sabres with another 23 points to nine.

They again held North Adelaide to shooting 5/11 for the quarter and into another eight turnovers so that points from turnover tally was up to 22 at three quarter-time with Sturt leading 80-43.

It was then 17 points apiece from there with the Sabres cruising to the 37-point Friday night victory at home to stay undefeated to start 2026.

The Sabres now won't play again until next Friday night at home to the Southern Tigers before backing up on Anzac Day against the Eastern Mavericks with the Rockets playing on Anzac Day too next Saturday hosting the Woodville Warriors.

NBL1 CENTRAL 2026 SEASON | ROUND 5

STURT SABRES 97 (Brazel 21, M Walker-Roberts 14, Stamatelopoulos 12, Padroth 12)

NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS 60 (M Freer 13, J Freer 10, Hardin 8, Warner 8)