NBL1 Women Round 4 vs North Adelaide Rockets
NBL1 Central Round 4 pits The Paradise Hotel Norwood Flames Women (1 – 2) against the North Adelaide Rockets (0 – 3). The North Adelaide Rockets have had a disappointing start to the season, coming off a strong season last year they were hoping to build on their success and move towards championship contention but after 3 games they are still searching for their first win of the season. The Paradise Hotel Norwood Flames Women are coming off a difficult loss to South Adelaide and looking to get back in the winning column tonight. Strong season starts from imports Dara Mabrey and Cali Clark as well as key locals Amy Cotton, Caitlin Shillabeer and Maddy Hinton have given Norwood fans much to cheer about and hope for more wins to come.
The tone of the game was set immediately as both teams played hard-nosed defence form the jump. Dara Mabrey was able to break away before the North Adelaide defence got set and opened scoring with an and-1. North answered with 8 straight, capitalising on Norwood missed shots, running early and creating mismatches to attack in semi-trans. Maddy Hinton broke the North Adelaide run with a strong drive and finish around the rim. The Rockets didn’t fade as their offence was rolling, scoring on the next possession and forcing Norwood Head Coach Matt Hunt to call a timeout.
A triple from Dara Mabrey out of the timeout was quickly answered as North Adelaide maintained their 5-point advantage. A loose ball foul on Cali Clark gave her 2 and sent her to the bench with 6-minutes remaining in the quarter, North took advantage of the paint protector coming out of the game and attacked the rim relentlessly. Dara Mabrey wasn’t letting North pull away though as she got hot, draining a couple from deep, scoring 14 in the quarter. The Rockets continued taking advantage of the Flames lack of interior defence, attacking inside to either score in the paint or draw help and kick-out for open outside looks. An adjustment from the Flames tightened their rotations, helping them close the gap as their offence was rolling, a triple from Brooke Silby made it a 1-point game before North responded. A buzzer beating 3 from Brooke Silby kept the Flames trailing by 1 going into the break, 28 – 29.
A steal and fastbreak finish from Maddy Hinton gave the Flames their first lead since it was 3 – 2 to open the second quarter. The Flames defence had stepped up since some early issues, and the Rockets were looking flustered offensively. Transition offence is great way to break out of a slump and an easy bucket in transition from North put them back into their scoring ways. An offensive battle ensued with both teams attacking mismatches and finding their ways to open shots. The Flames were able to hold a slight lead at 3-points.
North Adelaides defence took a step up after a timeout as they were more handsy, forcing deflections and turnovers from the Flames. They took advantage of the Flames mistakes, tying up the game. The tie didn’t last long as Annika Uzcategui-Montenegro hit a layup in transition to give Norwood their lead back. The Flames defence was uplifted in response to North’s intensity as they got stops, forcing the Rockets into tough shots. Sometimes, tough shots drop and North tied the game up again before Dara Mabrey hit a step-back jumper with 33 seconds left in the quarter giving her 21 in the half. North Adelaide tied the game up with their ATO play and after a stop hit a buzzer beater to end the half up 2, 45 – 47.
A well-executed play from North Adelaide resulted in a blown layup and a jumper on the other end gave Norwood the opening points of the quarter, tying up the game. Some mistakes on both ends of the court gave North Adelaide transition opportunities, resulting in an 8-point advantage for the Rockets. An offensive foul on Cali Clark gave her 3 fouls early in the quarter, sending her back to the bench. The defence, from North Adelaide was swarming, giving them a ton of energy and helping them extend their lead to double digits.
To relieve the unrelenting pressure of the Rockets, Coach Matt Hunt brought Maddy Hinton and Jem Whitton into the game, hoping their composure would help the Flames slow the pace of the game. The girls did their job and Amy Cotton was able to break the scoring drought for the Flames. This was quickly answered and the North Adelaide lead grew past 15. North Adelaide was rolling now as their offence was unstoppable, draining 3’s and attacking the paint with force. The Flames weren’t able to answer this intensity and the team’s youth was showing, all of Norwood’s small mistakes were being exploited by a more experienced North team. The quarter closed, Norwood down big, 51 – 72.
Fourth quarter basketball, and North started right where they left off scoring off a nice back-cut. Cali Clark answered with a strong and-1 in the paint as her inside dominance continued. The energy of the Flames was noticeably improved out of the break, they were moving better off ball on both ends, hunting good shots and playing great team defence. The composure of North Adelaide impressed as they effective on both ends despite the improved Norwood play, holding their 21-point lead. Coach Matt Hunt noticed the girls energy slipping again and called a timeout with 5:56 to go in the quarter.
A triple from North followed and an intentional foul on Dara Mabrey gave North momentum out of the timeout. This momentum and hot shooting continued as the North Adelaide lead grew seemingly shot after shot. With 3 minutes to go the benches were emptied. These moments are integral to the development of teams as it gives young players valuable in game reps. As the final buzzer sounds Norwood loses 67 – 95.
