Central Wrap | Men's Round 13

Featured image: Jett Ribbons | @jettsvisuals

Oskar Jones had 72 points over two NBL1 Central games for North Adelaide Rockets with Nick Marhsall having 52 for West Adelaide Bearcats, Jacob Rigoni 66 for Sturt Sabres, and there were two more Forestville Eagles wins to keep them in top spot.

>> CENTRAL SPOTLIGHT | FORESTVILLE KEEP WINNING TO STAY TOP

>> CENTRAL SPOTLIGHT | DOYLE CAN'T MISS AND EAGLES WIN BIG

>> CHAMPIONSHIP DESIRE SPURS JELLY ON

>> ON THE PATH TO THE NATIONAL FINALS

SATURDAY

Norwood Flames (71) lost to West Adelaide Bearcats (102)

The West Adelaide Bearcats have left themselves needing a miracle to reach the finals as defending champions but dominated the Norwood Flames for the 102-71 win.

The Flames were at home at The ARC one game out of fifth position while the Bearcats were two games further back coming into the weekend's double.

It was a dominant start from the Bearcats with 34 points to 20 in the first quarter and another 25 to 21 in the first quarter to be leading 59-41 by half-time.

That lead for West Adelaide continued to grow getting out to 25 points in the third quarter and 35 in the fourth before they won by 31 to improve to a 5-10 record.

Nick Marshall delivered 25 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals with Braelen Bridges 21 points and 12 boards with 10/11 field goal shooting while Nik DeSantis provided 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Akok Machar 12 points, three steals and three blocks, and Sean Stock 10 points.

Norwood are now 6-9 with the loss to remain outside the top five with Cooper Osborne finishing with 27 points with 6/12 three-point shooting.

Aydan Janssan also had 10 points and 12 rebounds, Thomas Kurowski nine points, four assists, three boards and two steals, and Mason Whittaker eight points and two rebounds.

Eastern Mavericks (90) defeated Woodville Warriors (72)

The Eastern Mavericks have left themselves likely needing to win out the rest of the way to be any hope of reaching the finals but they ticked that off first up in Round 13 beating the Woodville Warriors 90-72 with a big performance from Christian Peevy.

The Mavs hosted the Warriors at St Francis de Sales Community Sports Centre with the home team two games out of fifth position while the Warriors were a game clear of fifth in fourth place coming into the weekend.

The Mavericks started well with an 11-0 run in the first quarter on the way to a 14-point lead by quarter-time with the home team also gong into the half-time break on top 47-32.

That lead got out to 19 points in the second half too for the Mavs before they secured the 18-point victory to improve to a 6-9 record on the season.

Christian Peevy top scored with 33 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals with 12/20 shooting from the field, 3/7 from downtown and 6/6 at the foul line.

Dylan Marshall added 13 points, five assists and three rebounds, BJ Symons 13 points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals, and Curtis Scott 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Warriors are now 8-7 with the loss with Uzo Dibiamaka top scoring with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Nick Wurm added 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Bennett Sherry 14 points, four steals and two boards, and Awak Machar eight points and five rebounds.

North Adelaide Rockets (116) defeated South Adelaide Panthers (109)

Oskar Jones led the way for the North Adelaide Rockets as they made it back-to-back wins and handed the South Adelaide Panthers consecutive defeats with the 116-109 home win.

North Adelaide were back home at The Lights out of the finals mix but fresh off a win over the Southern Tigers while the Panters saw their 11-game winning run ended last Saturday at the hands of the Norwood Flames.

South Adelaide shot out of the blocks with 36 points to 23 in the first quarter and that advantage grew to 18 in the second period before the Panthers were still on top 55-46 going into the half-time interval.

That lead was back to 12 in the third quarter too but then North Adelaide fired back in dynamic fashion and ended up scoring 35 points in the third quarter, and 35 in the fourth on the way to the eventual seven-point victory.

The win improves North Adelaide to a 5-10 record with Oskar Jones providing 32 points and four assists with 4/6 three-point shooting.

Joel Dyer also had 22 points, four assists and two rebounds with 6/12 three-point shooting while Jack King contributed 21 points and four assists while also hitting 4/5 from beyond the arc.

Miller Drewett added 18 points, six steals, four rebounds and four assists, and Jok Bulabek 12 points, 10 boards and three assists.

South Adelaide now slip back to third place with the second straight defeat with Jeremy Smith once again top scoring with 29 points, four rebounds and four assists on 101/5 shooting while going 8/8 at the foul line.

Lloyd McVeigh also had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Rio Bruton 21 points and two boards with 4/9 three-point shooting, Yevgen Sakhniuk 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, and Jonty Smith 14 points and four assists.

Southern Tigers (67) lost to Sturt Sabres (91)

Jacob Rigoni was back in the line-up for the Sturt Sabres and put up 23 points to help his team to the 91-67 win on the road to the Southern Tigers.

The Tigers were on a seven-game losing streak ahead of hosting the third placed Sabres at Morphett Vale Basketball Stadium and it was Sturt starting on fire determined to bounce back from a last up loss to the Woodville Warriors.

Sturt put up 35 points to 13 in the first quarter and that lead got out to 24 in the second frame before the Sabres were still on top 51-34 by half-time.

The Sabres went on with the job from there with another 22 points to 15 and then going up by as much as 30 on the way to the eventual 24-point victory to improve to a 12-3 record.

Jacob Rigoni finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win for Sturt with Josh Tomasi adding 17 points and seven boards, and Sam Daly 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Tigers have now lost eight in-a-row to remain in bottom spot at 2-13 with Koop McCalop finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Devin Fortune also had 14 points and seven rebounds, Nicko Timonera 12 points, three assists and three steals, and Kurt Sizer eight points and two rebounds.

Central Districts Lions (80) lost to Forestville Eagles (106)

Adam Doyle hit all seven three-point attempts and the Forestville Eagles started on fire and maintained their hold on top spot with 106-80 road win over the Central Districts Lions.

Forestville arrived at STARplex a game clear in top spot while Centrals were just clinging to fifth position but it didn’t take the Eagles long to take control of the contest with 36 points to 13 in the first quarter.

From there they retained control the rest of the evening with Doyle landing all five of his three-point attempts in the first half while the lead for Forestville got out to as much as 35 in the finish before they won the game by 26.

The win improves the Eagles to 13-2 to remain clear in first place while the Lions are now 7-8 as they remain locked in a fight to stay in the top five by the end of the weekend.

Doyle couldn’t miss from beyond the arc in the win for Forestville on his way to 25 points, two rebounds and two assists in just 20:35 of court time.

Greg Mays also put up 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists, Daniel Johnson 15 points, seven assists and three boards, Fiston Ipassou 15 points, three rebounds and three steals, Stefan Gould 14 points and nine boards, Alex Starling six points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Jordan Forbes five points, seven assists, three boards and two steals.

Centrals are now further locked in a battle to play finals after making the Grand Final last year with Kalani Sapwell finishing with 22 points and two assists with 6/10 three-point shooting.

Koen Sapwell also had 19 points and five rebounds, Magok Manyang eight points, five boards and two assists, Paul Ajak seven points and three rebounds, and Aimable Rutayisire seven points and four boards.

SUNDAY

Woodville Warriors (114) defeated North Adelaide Rockets (112)

Oskar Jones hit a huge shot to get the North Adelaide Rockets to overtime but ultimately the Woodville Warriors had too much to play for and dug deep for the 114-112 victory.

Both teams had played on Saturday with Woodville going down to the Eastern Mavericks while the Rockets scored a win in a high scoring thriller against the South Adelaide Panthers.

The Rockets made the better of the start with 34 points to 24 in the first quarter but the Warriors hit back in the second period with 23 points to 11 and that meant it was the home team leading 47-45 by half-time.

Woodville then completed a 12-0 run into the third quarter and got out to a 19-point lead which they still held in the fourth quarter too but North Adelaide weren’t going away and came storming back.

Eventually at the buzzer it was Oskar Jones the hero for the Rockets hitting a massive three to get the scores level and force overtime just 30 seconds after he scored to make it a three-point ball game.

But then in the extra overtime, Woodville couldn’t afford a second loss of the weekend and opened up a five-point lead and secured the two-point win to split the weekend and sit on a 9-7 record.

Nick Wurm top scored for the Warriors with 30 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals with 6/12 three-point shooting.

LJ Booth Jr also had 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, Uzo Dibiamaka 22 points, five assists and three rebounds, Joe Jackson 19 points, nine assists and five boards, and Bennett Sherry 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

North Adelaide also split their weekend to now be 5-11 with Oskar Jones ending up with 40 points, seven assists, three steals and two rebounds with 6/10 shooting from behind the arc.

Jack King also had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, Burke Smith 17 points, 10 boards and two steals, Joel Dyer 16 points, nine assists and three rebounds, and Sam Hughes 13 points, two assists and two steals.

Sturt Sabres (115) defeated Eastern Mavericks (79)

The Sturt Sabres moved themselves back into second position by the end of the weekend double with the 115-79 win over the Eastern Mavericks with 43 points from Jacob Rigoni.

The Sabres were back home at Springbank Secondary College hosting the Mavericks with both teams coming off playing the night before where Sturt beat the Southern Tigers while the Mavs also won over the Woodville Warriors.

Sturt responded to losing three of their past four games having started the season going 10-0 but the Mavericks kept their season alive that win setting up the Sunday match up.

But the Sabres started on fire with 38 points to 18 in the first quarter and then went on with the job the rest of the way to be leading by 34 points in the second term, 36 in the third and 37 in the fourth.

Sturt went on to win by 36 points to improve to a 13-3 record in second position with Jacob Rigoni on fire for 43 points, eight rebounds and three assists with 7/12 three-point shooting.

Josh Tomasi also had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, Jarryd Hoppo 12 points, five boards, three steals and two assists, Hayden Meakes 11 points and six rebounds, Luke Pfitzner eight points and two assists, and Joel Spear five points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The loss could well have ended the season for the Mavericks who are now 6-10 with BJ Symons finishing with 17 points, 10 rebound and five assists.

Mack Schaftenaar also had 14 points, two rebounds and two steals and 4/5 three-point shooting with Curtis Scott adding 12 points, two boards and two assists, Christian Peevy 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jackson Bowden 10 points and four rebounds.

South Adelaide Panthers (92) lost to Central Districts Lions (98)

Both teams were coming off Saturday night losses and it was the Central Districts Lions who hit back beating the South Adelaide Panthers 98-92 with Jayden Seymour and Deng Manyang combining for 52 points and 16 rebounds.

The Panthers fell to a second straight loss on Saturday night to the North Adelaide Rockets following their 11-game winning streak while Centrals went down to the Forestville Eagles to leave their playoff position in jeopardy.

That set up the fascinating Sunday battle at Mitchell Park Sports and Community Centre with the Lions having the better of the start opening up a 10-point lead and being on top 28-21 still by quarter-time.

Central Districts were still leading 56-46 by half-time and then South Adelaide fired back with a 10-0 run in the third term on the way to having 26 points to 16 to have scores level by three quarter-time.

That set up a big finish but the Lions had all the answers to go on and score the six-point win to stay solid inside the top five at 8-8 with Jayden Seymour ending up with 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Deng Manyang also had 26 points and five rebounds with shooting 8/11 from the floor, 3/5 from behind the three-point line, and 7/8 at the foul line.

Koen Sapwell also provided 22 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, Magok Manyang 11 points, seven boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks, and Kalani Sapwell 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.

South Adelaide will now finish the round in third position at 11-5 having now lost three in-a-row with Jeremy Smith delivering another 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Lloyd McVeigh also had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Koby Moir 12 points, three boards and two assists, Yevgen Sakhniuk 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Rio Bruton 11 points, four boards, three assists and steals, and Jonty Smith eight points and two assists.

West Adelaide Bearcats (121) defeated Southern Tigers (94)

The West Adelaide Bearcats might still have left the run too late in their championship defence but put in another emphatic performance to beat the Southern Tigers 121-94 with another 27 points and 11 assists from Nick Marshall, and 31 points and 11 rebounds from Braelen Bridges.

The Bearcats came into the weekend needing more than might be possible to still make playoffs in their championship defence, but all the y could do was win their remaining games and that started by beating the Norwood Flames by 31 points on Saturday night.

The Tigers went down to the Sturt Sabres by 24 ahead of taking on the Bearcats at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre and it was a one-point lead to the visitors by quarter-time.

West Adelaide then unleashed their firepower in the second quarter with 43 points to 16 to open up a 26-point lead and to be on top 68-42 by half-time.

The Bearcats then went on with the job from there with the lead growing to 28 points on the way to being 27 by the final buzzer as they kept their slimmest of slim hopes alive to be 6-10 behind the fifth placed Central Districts Lions who are 8-8 with two games left.

Braelen Bridges delivered 31 points, 11 rebound and two assists on 13/17 shooting from the field and 5/6 from the foul line for the Bearcats.

Nick Marshall also had 27 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals, Sean Stock 20 points with 5/8 three-point shooting, Akok Machar 15 points with 3/5 shooting from downtown, and Nik DeSantis nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Tigers have now lost nine in-a-row to be 2-14 with Devin Fortune top scoring with 21 points, eight rebound and three assists with 10/13 shooting.

Nicko Timonera added 20 points and seven assists, Manny Wugol 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Koop McCalop 19 points, 13 boards and five assists.

Forestville Eagles (103) defeated Norwood Flames (85)

Fiston Ipassou, Daniel Johnson and Greg Mays all had 18 points with Jordan Forbes adding 16 and six as the Forestville Eagles kept winning overcoming Thomas Kurowski's 26 points to beat the Norwood Flames 103-85.

Forestville were back home at the State Basketball Centre after making it three straight wins the previous night against the Central Districts Lions with Norwood arriving coming off a big loss to the West Adelaide Bearcats.

The Eagles then started on fire with 33 points in the first quarter with 13/20 shooting and while Norwood did keep fighting hard, Forestville continued to have the answers on the way to the eventual 18-point victory with 27 points to 18 in the final term.

The win improves Forestville to a 14-2 record with four consecutive wins to retain top spot while Norwood remain out of a playoff spot at 6-10 having lost both games this weekend.

Forestville get up an extra 12 shot attempts as well as shooting at a better clip with all five starters making strong contributions but so did Fiston Ipassou off the bench with 18 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Greg Mays also delivered 18 points and six rebounds with Daniel Johnson ending up with 18 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals with 6/10 shooting from the field and 6/8 at the foul line.

Jordan Forbes finished with 16 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, Alex Starling 11 points, 11 boards and three assists and Adam Doyle 10 points and four assists while hitting his first three three-point attempts after going 7/7 the night before.

Thomas Kurowski did all he could to keep Norwood in the contest with 26 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals with 9/11 foul shooting.

Inady Legiste also had 17 points and six rebounds for the Flames, Cooper Osborne nine points and 10 assists, Mason Whittaker eight points, and Aydan Janssan eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.