Men’s Norwood Flames vs Sturt Sabres
The Norwood Flames (5-6) and the Sturt Sabres (9-2) go head-to-head in a matchup which has potential to shake up the postseason outlook for both teams. This intense matchup should lead to an entertaining game in which both teams play at their peak intensity. The offensive focus of the Flames will be up to the test against the stingy defence which the Sabres boast.
The game had an electric opening, starting with a post-play for the Sabres which Jack Hemphill responded with a post finish of his own. The Sabres responded with a quick layup which Isaac Miller-Jose answered with a massive slam. Sturt was able to create an early lead before the Flames fought back and tied the game off a Cooper Osborne triple. These three ignited the Flames offence as they took the lead and worked on expanding it for the rest of the quarter. The lead was brought to 9 before the Sabres brough the game back a little. The score being. 28-34 at quarter time.
The Sabres jumped out to a good start at the start of the second. Jack Hemphill hit a big three to hold off the Sturt run but it didn’t stop them from eventually bringing the game back to even. Another three from Jack kept the lead in Norwood’s hands before a timeout was called by Tim Odell to try and calm the team. The timeout was successful as Darcy McNamara hit two triples in a row to extend the lead back out to 9. Sturt didn’t let the Flames run away with the game, bringing it back with consistent defensive stops, leading to easy points and eventually taking back the lead with 50 seconds left in the half. Isaac Miller-Jose was able to drain a 3 and close the quarter, Norwood up 2, 50-52.
The third was just as competitive as the second, opening with a lot of back-and-forth between the teams. The Flames were able to mostly control the quarter, keeping the game in their favour and not letting the Sabres get into the lead. Bringing the lead all the way to 9 and proving to be able to break through Sturts’ usually excellent defence. After the lead being brought to 9 the Sabres offence was improved and they brought the game back to 73-77 going into the final quarter.
The Sabres were able to obtain the lead early in the fourth. This visibly rattled the Flames who weren’t expecting to lose the lead as easily as they had. This led to some rushed offensive possessions and over-aggressive defence, enabling the Sabres to exploit the defence, quickly building a 5-point lead. Some much needed composure allowed the Flames to calm down and execute better possessions, taking the lead back with around 4-minutes to go. The lead wasn’t long lasting as Norwood had hoped, with Sturt taking a 3-point lead with 2 minutes remaining, forcing a timeout from Tim Odell. A couple bad turnovers led to a 5-point lead for the Sabres before Cooper Osborne hit a massive triple. Unfortunately, another bad turnover led to a quick score and another timeout for Tim Odell. Jack Hemphill split a pair of free-throws, a steal forced an unsportsmanlike foul which resulted in Issac Miller-Jose splitting another pair of free-throws before two missed shots led to heartbreak for the Flames. Losing to Sturt, 94-92.
