Central Wrap | Women's Round 13

Featured image: Dan Cowley | @imagesby_dan

There were a pair of NBl1 Central wins in Round the Round 13 double header for the first placed West Adelaide Bearcats, second placed Sturt Sabres and South Adelaide Panthers team trying to stay in the playoff hunt to chase down the Norwood Flames, Forestville Eagles or Woodville Warriors.

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SATURDAY

Norwood Flames (78) lost to West Adelaide Bearcats (83)

The West Adelaide Bearcats found themselves 16 points down in the third quarter to be staring down the barrel of consecutive defeats but they produced a 27-15 fourth quarter to escape with the 83-78 win over the Norwood Flames.

The Flames were home at The ARC on a four-game winning streak to have improved to third place in the NBL1 Central ahead of hosting the league-leading Bearcats fresh off losing for the first time in 2026 to the Forestville Eagles.

Norwood then went into half-time leading by seven points and then got out to a 16-point advantage by the third quarter and were still seven up heading into the fourth.

But the Bearcats answered the challenge with the 27 points to 15 in the fourth quarter to secure the five-point win and steady themselves in top spot at 14-1 while the Flames are now 9-6 not quite able to secure the fifth win in-a-row.

By three quarter-time and having led by as much as 16 points, Norwood had done plenty right to be shooting 24/49 from the field and 7/16 from deep opposed to the 24/55 and 4/20 from the Bearcats.

However, of concern for the Flames would have been the Bearcats getting up more shot attempts and eventually they were going to start to fall and that happened in the fourth quarter as West Adelaide escaped the danger of back-to-back losses.

For the Bearcats to win on a night where they only shot 48 per cent from the floor along with going 6/25 from downtown and 9/17 at the foul line means they definitely got out of jail with Alex Ciabattoni finishing with 19 points and three assists.

Coco Hodges added 14 points, six rebounds and two assists, Ashlee Strawbridge 12 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, Sienna Lehmann 11 points and three rebounds, Morgan Yaeger 11 points and five assists, and Chloe Hodges nine points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Norwood were ever so close to making it five straight wins with Cali Clark finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists with 10/17 shooting from the floor and 5/5 at the foul line.

Ally Becki also had 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Caitlin Shillabeer 11 points, three assists and two boards, and Maddy Hinton 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.

Eastern Mavericks (57) lost to Woodville Warriors (84)

The Woodville Warriors stopped their losing slide with the 84-57 win over the Eastern Mavericks with 22 points and 13 rebounds from Naomi Allotey.

The Mavericks were at home at St Francis de Sales Community Sports Centre and having lost their past 12 matches while missing import Antigonie Sanabria as they hosted the fifth placed Warriors.

Woodville were still fifth but their championship defence was teetering after four straight defeats and they were leading 22-19 by quarter-time before taking charge with 30 points to nine in the second period.

That saw the Warriors leading 52-28 by half-time and then ending up leading by 31 in the second half on the way to the eventual 27-point victory.

The win improves Woodville to an 8-7 record to stay in the top five with Naomi Allotey delivering 22 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Brittany Hodges also had 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists, Ambah Kowcun 12 points and five boards, Shamah Yak nine points and three rebounds, Jordan Hunter six points, 10 boards and 10 assists, and Chloe Purvis eight points, four rebounds and two steals.

The Mavs have now lost 13 straight to be 1-14 with newly arrived import Madi Torresin having 10 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists.

Elli Constantopoulos top scored with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals with Bella Schaftenaar adding 10 points, four boards and four assists, Annaliese Watkinson 10 points and six rebounds, and Airlie Ramsey nine points and eight boards.

North Adelaide Rockets (63) lost to South Adelaide Panthers (71)

The South Adelaide Panthers kept their playoff aspirations alive with the 71-63 win over the North Adelaide Rockets with four triples and 17 points from Bianca Stasinowsky.

The Panthers came into the clash at The Lights having lost four of their past five games to slip out of the top five while the Rockets might be out of contention but had still won their past three games to bring into it some momentum.

South Adelaide came out on fire, though, with a 13-point lead in the first quarter only for the Rockets to respond with a 9-0 run and by quarter-time the Panthers lead was back to just one.

The Panthers did manage to be leading 38-31 by half-time and then still 52-49 by three quarter-time before North Adelaide hit the front early in the final period.

South Adelaide responded again on the way to the eight-point win thanks to going on an 8-0 run to improve to an 8-7 record to say in the playoff hunt.

Stasinowsky top scored in the win with 17 points and 4/9 three-point shooting with Hannah Gardiner contributing 14 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Hatti Cox 12 points, three boards and three assists.

Daisy Hocking also had six points and eight rebounds, and Hannah Stewart five points, six boards, three assists and two blocked shots.

North Adelaide are now 4-11 with the loss with Jordyn Freer finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds with Abbey Jones adding 14 points and 14 boards, Bri Rogers 12 points and three steals, Lauren Mansfield nine points, six assists and five rebounds, and Maddy Freer six points, six boards and four assists.

Southern Tigers (48) lost to Sturt Sabres (95)

The Sturt Sabres maintained their hold on second position with the 95-48 win on the road to the Southern Tigers with six players scoring in double figures.

The Sabres got back to winning last week after losing three of their previous six matches ahead of hosting the Tigers who were only just clinging to still being in finals contention as they were home at Morphett Vale Basketball Stadium.

Sturt started well to lead 21-15 by the end of the opening period before that lead got out to 12 in the second term, and they were still on top 36-28 by the half.

The Sabres dominated the third quarter with another 31 points to 10 including going on a 15-0 run to lead by as much as 29 points, and then by 47 in the final term which was still the final margin.

The win improves Sturt to a 12-3 record to stay solid in second place with Nicole Mathews top scoring with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds with Paige Padroth contributing 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Katia Stamatelopoulos also had 14 points and two rebounds, Chelsea Portus 13 points, four boards and two steals, Tayla Brazel 12 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Caitlin Dyer 11 points and six boards.

The Tigers slip further from the finals race at 6-9 with Holly Forbes finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds and four steals with Jhaz Joson adding 11 points and three assists, and Mollie McKendrick six points and seven rebounds.

Central Districts Lions (74) lost to Forestville Eagles (82)

The Forestville Eagles consolidated their playoff position with the 82-74 road victory with Gabi Vidmar delivering 26 points against the Central Districts Lions.

Forestville arrived at STARplex coming off handing the West Adelaide Bearcats a first loss of the season with the Lions out of playoff contention but also having beaten the Eastern Mavericks last up.

It was a strong start at home from Centrals with 23 points to 16 in the first quarter but Forestville worked back into it and cut that lead for the Lions to 38-37 by half-time.

It was then all the Eagles in the third quarter with 28 points to 15 on the way to leading by 14 points in the fourth period and winning by eight to make it consecutive wins and improve to 9-6.

Gabi Vidmar finished with 26 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in the win for Forestville on 10/15 shooting from the field, 3/7 from downtown and 3/4 from the foul line.

Jess Simons added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists with 3/6 three-point shooting while Sydney Hunter contributed 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Ella Sawyer 11 points, nine boards and four assists.

Sarah Boothe then had a big all-round impact with eight points, nine rebounds, seven blocks, six assists and three steals.

Centrals are now 4-11 with the loss with Jewel Watkins finishing with 27 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals on 4/8 three-point shooting.

Tiahna Sears also had 20 points, 10 boards and four steals, Terran Wright nine points and three assists.

SUNDAY

Woodville Warriors (85) lost to North Adelaide Rockets (87)

The Woodville Warriors fired back from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to hit the front before Lauren Mansfield put the North Adelaide Rockets back in front for the 87-85 win.

The two teams arrived at St Clair Recreation Centre having played on Saturday with Woodville winning by 27 points over the Eastern Mavericks while the Rockets went down to the South Adelaide Panthers by eight.

North Adelaide were leading by six points at quarter-time, by six at the half and then six at three quarter-time having been up by as much as 14.

The Rockets were back up 13 early in the fourth quarter but then the Warriors fired back on the home floor and were in front by one with a pair of free throws to Brittany Hodges with 30 seconds to go.

Mansfield then hit the biggest shot of the game to help secure the two-point win for North Adelaide that improves them to 5-11 on the season with the defending champion Warriors now 8-8 after splitting their weekend.

Sarah Warner ended up shooting 5/7 from downtown in the win for North Adelaide to finish with 24 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.

Mansfield was making just her sixth appearance of the season and produced her best performance with 16 points and six assists.

Maddy Freer added 13 points, five assists and four rebounds, Jordyn Freer 12 points, five boards and four assists, and Bri Rogers nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

Brittany Hodges delivered a huge performance for Woodville despite the loss with 27 points, 14 rebounds and three steals while Ambah Kowcun added 25 points, nine boards, three steals and two assists.

Jordan Hunter also had 14 points, 11 assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Naomi Allotey nine points and 13 boards.

Sturt Sabres (111) defeated Eastern Mavericks (51)

The Sturt Sabres inflicted some more pain on the Eastern Mavericks with the 111-51 win to consolidate second place with another six players scoring in double figures.

The Sabres were back home at Springbank Secondary College solid in second place hosting a Mavericks team having lost 13 straight with both teams coming off wins and losses respectively the night before.

Sturt started strongly to already be leading 31-18 by the end of the opening period before another 30 points to 14 in the second term to go into half-time leading 61-32.

That lead continued to grow in the second half with it getting to 42 points in the third frame, and 60 in the fourth on the way to the eventual 60-point win with the Mavs managing just six points in the last quarter.

The Sabres have now won three straight to be 13-3 with Chelsea Portus top scoring with 19 points and three rebounds with Tayla Brazel adding 18 points, six boards and three assists.

Caitlin Dyer also had 17 points and six rebounds, Paige Padroth 15 points and five boards, Nicola Mathews 14 points, six steals, four assists and two rebounds, Liz Williamson 10 points, 14 boards, four assists and two blocks, and Katia Stamatelopoulos nine points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Mavericks have now lost 14 in-a-row to be 1-15 with Annaliese Watkinson finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds with Bella Schaftenaar adding 10 points and four boards, and Airlie Ramsey nine points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.

South Adelaide Panthers (98) defeated Central Districts Lions (68)

The South Adelaide Panthers made a flying start and had another six players scoring in double digits to keep their finals hopes alive beating the Central Districts Lions 98-68.

Both teams arrived at Mitchell Park Sports and Community Centre having played the previous evening with South Adelaide beating the North Adelaide Rockets while the Lions went down to the Forestville Eagles.

The Panthers then started on fire with 30 points to 16 in the first quarter before still leading 49-35 by half-time and then building on that lead further with 27 points to 15 in the third period.

South Adelaide then ended up leading by 35 and winning by 30 to make it a double win weekend to improve to a 9-7 record with Hannah Gardiner finishing with 18 points and four rebounds.

Bianca Stasinowsky had another 16 points and two assists with 4/8 three-point shooting, Hatti Cox 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Keira Gardiner 13 points, nine boards and three assists.

Bella Stratford added 11 points, two rebounds and two blocks, and Daisy Hocking 10 points, 12 boards, six assists and two steals.

It's a pair of losses this weekend for Central Districts to be 4-12 with Tiahna Sears producing another 20 points and 12 rebounds on 12/12 foul shooting.

Jewel Watkins also had 20 points and seven rebounds, Alana Howden seven points on 2/3 three-point shooting, and Bethany Harrap seven points, three rebounds and three assists.

West Adelaide Bearcats (105) defeated Southern Tigers (57)

The West Adelaide Bearcats delivered another dominant showing to maintain their hold on first place with the 105-57 win over the Southern Tigers with Morgan Yaeger and Alex Ciabattoni combining for 47 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals.

The Bearcats were back home at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre having consolidated their hold on top spot with the win over the Norwood Flames on Saturday after last week's first loss of the season to the Forestville Eagles.

The Tigers were looking to hit back from a 47-point loss to the Sturt Sabres but the Bearcats got the better of the start to be leading 24-12 by the end of the first quarter.

It was then another 28 points to 16 in the second frame from West Adelaide to go into half-time leading 52-28 and then they continued to dominate through the second half.

The lead got out to 39 points in the third frame and 50 in the fourth before the eventual 48-point victory to improve to the 15-1 record.

Yaeger top scored for West Adelaide with 25 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists with Ciabattoni adding 22 points, seven boards, seven assists and four steals.

Sienna Lehmann added 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Ashlee Strawbridge 11 points, three boards and two steals, and Coco Hodges 11 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists.

The Tigers are now 6-10 having lost three in-a-row with Mollie McKendrick providing 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Holly Forbes also had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists, Rosie Williamson seven points and three assists, and Sophie Rogers six points with a couple of three-pointers.

Forestville Eagles (62) lost to Norwood Flames (72)

The Norwood Flames hit back from the loss the night before to consolidate third position with the crucial 72-62 win over the Forestville Eagles.

With the Eagles beating the Central Districts Lions and the Flames losing to the West Adelaide Bearcats the night before, that left both teams on identical 9-6 records coming into the clash at the State Basketball Centre.

Third position went on the line and it was Norwood with the flying start with 25 points to 13 in the first quarter.

Forestville responded with 22 points to 14 in the second term and that cut the Flames lead back to 39-35 by half-time.

Norwood pulled away once more with 21 points to 14 and then from there they were able to secure the 10-point victory to stay solid in third place by the end of Round 13 with the 10-6 record.

Ally Becki produced another 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds with 4/7 three-point shooting for the Flames with Maddy Hinton adding 14 points and two boards.

Amy Cotton added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Cali Clark nine points, seven boards and four assists, and Lara Gribben six points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

Forestville remain fourth now at 9-7 with Jess Simons finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists with Sydney Hunter adding 13 points and seven boards, Gabi Vidmar 11 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, and Ella Sawyer 10 points and two assists.