North Adelaide and Central Districts impress in first round of Premier League basketball
Competition newcomer Mount Gambier is taken down by a pre-season favourite but pummels another Adelaide club as the Premier League basketball season tips off.
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Competition newcomer Mount Gambier has been taken down by a pre-season favourite but pummelled another Adelaide club as the Premier League basketball season tipped off on Saturday night.
The Pioneers, in their first season in the competition, took on a strong North Adelaide side to begin their campaign.
In other results, Central District’s young side showed they should not be taken lightly and Norwood got off to a hot start.
ROCKETS FLEX MUSCLE
North Adelaide coach Nathan Hawkes cannot recall too many season-opening Premier League games as intense as Saturday night’s 80-65 home triumph over competition newcomer Mount Gambier.
“They play a physical brand of basketball, coming from the SEABL (South East Australian Basketball League), and we had to match that,” Hawkes said.
“It was another level of intensity than normally you’d play in the Premier League but it was good that the boys stepped up, matched it and ran over it. It was a really good start for us.”
North led early at Hillcrest before scores were level at quarter-time, only for the hosts to pull away in a big second period.
Import Tobias Dowdell, recruited to North from West Adelaide over summer, topscored with 25 points, while Adelaide 36er Jack McVeigh added 19 points and two-time Woollacott medallist Alex Starling registered a double-double.
But Hawkes was just as impressed with his side’s performance off the ball.
“Defensively we had a pretty good night,” Hawkes said.
“Mount Gambier loomed as something of an unknown quantity heading into the season but most observers of the competition expected it to make the playoffs.
Hawkes said the Pioneers, who were missing Sydney King Sam Daly, would get a lot better as the campaign progressed.
“Their import only just arrived and (Sam) Daly will add a lot to them, an extra dimension,” he said.
The Rockets are also trying to jell on the go.
McVeigh only trained with the Rockets for the first time two days before the game and 36ers development player Bijan Johnson joined the squad last month.
The Pioneers turned up the heat in a much more impressive performance on Sunday when they smashed Sturt 101-66 at Pasadena.
Import Kentrell Barkley dominated with 24 points and 13 boards, while Brad Rathjen shot 85 per cent from the field to record 15 points.
The result could signal a long season for the Sabres, who were smashed 52-28 in the paint.
YOUNG LIONS ARE HUNGRY
Chol Luk and Lual Diing scored 50 points between them as Central Districts got off to a winning start in men’s Premier League basketball at St Clair on Saturday night.
Luk hit 30 points, while Diing added 20 and 15 boards in the 85-82 triumph.
Diing made a free throw with five seconds left to put the Lions four points ahead and all but seal the game.
Last year’s Frank Angove Medallist (rising star) Jimma Dau chipped in with 12 points and seven boards.
The returning Luke Stanbridge (19 points, 11 rebounds) and US import Joshua Clippinger (18, 12) led the way for Woodville, while captain Alex Maiorana and James Boonstoppel chipped in with 14 and 12 points respectively.
HOT START FOR FLAMES
Norwood shot to the top of the ladder with two victories on the weekend over Sturt and South.
Matthew Lycett and import James Legan (21 points each) starred for the Flames in a 95-75 triumph at home on the opening night.
The pair led the way again on Sunday against the Panthers, with 29 and 24 points respectively, while recruit Brandon Brine had 19 and 13 boards in the 90-60 win.
The Flames, Sabres and Pioneers were the only three teams to play two games across Saturday and Sunday, while Southern Tigers and West Adelaide had byes.
EAGLES SOAR
Adelaide 36ers Brendan Teys and Majok Deng scored 56 points between them as Forestville thumped Eastern 112-72 in their season-opening Premier League basketball clash on Saturday night.
Teys topscored with 30 points and Deng added 26 as the Eagles outscored the hosts in all four quarters.
WOMEN’S WRAP
Australian under-19 representative Ruby Porter led the way as Sturt started its 2019 women’s Premier League basketball campaign with a 75-37 away win over Norwood on Saturday night.
Porter registered 22 points and four rebounds in the Sabres’ round-one victory.
The guard starred again against new side Mount Gambier on Sunday with 21 points in a 95-54 thrashing at Pasadena.
Recruits Mollie McKendrick and Brianti Saunders proved their worth as South Adelaide recorded its first win in almost two years, defeating the Flames 67-52 at home on Sunday.
McKendrick topscored with 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while import Saunders added 21 and 10 boards.
It was a dour affair at Mt Barker as Forestville prevailed over Eastern Mavericks 49-38.
Hannah Hank topscored for the visitors with just 12 points in the low-scoring contest.
Reigning premier North Adelaide gave the Pioneers new women’s side its first taste of life in the Premier League as the Rockets prevailed 75-66 at Hillcrest on Saturday night.
Katherine Perkas scored 19 and Teige Morrell had 18 at St Clair as the Woodville made light work of the Central District in a 75-44 victory.
The Warriors trailed 13-10 at the first break but put on 25-5 in the third quarter.
ROUND TWO
Friday, March 8
■ Sturt v North Adelaide – at Pasadena
■ West Adelaide v Southern Tigers – at Port Adelaide
■ Eastern Mavericks v Norwood – at Mount Barker
■ Forestville v Woodville – at Wayville
■ Bye – South Adelaide, Central Districts, Mount Gambier
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