Isaac
Years ago
Hang Time news from BSA
Here's the news component from this week's Hang Time. Grab a copy at a game for full game previews, ladders and so on.
On the WNBL front, Carla Boyd will return to the Adelaide Lightning after an absence of several years. She will add that bit of extra experience that should help the team which started its pre-season training this week. Carla formerly played with Noarlunga City Tigers and Forestville Eagles in the BankSA State League.
Whilst the change in ownership of the 36ers is yet to be announced, the team has commenced training, albeit without their final recruit. The 36ers have yet to seal a deal to secure Kevin Freeman. Thus, Phil Smyth and Steve Breheny are leaving for the USA to try to finalise the final target.
The State Metro Teams recently returned from Ballarat where they contested the Under 16 Australian Junior Championships. Both Metro teams finished in fourth position while the SA Country teams finished in eighth (girls) and thirteenth (boys) positions respectively.
The Under 18 Australian Junior Championships commence today and conclude on Saturday, 15th July. The championships are being hosted by Forestville Eagles Basketball Club with the games being played at Wayville. North Adelaide Rockets head coach Scott Loveday will again lead the SA Metro Men's team, while long serving Damien Weeks will again coach the SA Metro Women's team. Scouts from throughout the nation are likely to source future talent from these championships.
Last week's round of the BankSA State League realistically eliminated Eastern Mavericks from finals' contention in the women's league. The Mavericks have been the unluckiest of teams, losing many games during the final minutes and even seconds. This leaves Norwood Flames and Southern Tigers fighting for the vital fifth position.
Forestville's Rebecca Duke realised much of her potential last week when she was the round-high scorer with a career-best 30 points at 56%, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Samantha Woosnam also was a key player for West with 18 pts, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
In the men's league, Sturt Sabres and Forestville Eagles realistically should finish in the top two spots while the battle for the remaining three places will be between Eastern Mavericks, Woodville Warriors, North Adelaide Rockets and Norwood Flames. A win to South Adelaide Panthers may still provide some optimism for them.
Last week provided some great statistical highlights with Damien Scanlon (42 points) posting his third score of over 40 points this season. Darren Ng remains the league's leading score with another 43 points, 22 of which he scored in the final quarter of Sturt's encounter with the Tigers. He also has posted three scores of 40 plus this season.
Matt Sutton scored a career-best 36 points for the Eagles. His score included 8 three-pointers at 67%. He also dished out 10 assists, took 8 rebounds and made 3 steals. Team-mate Brenton Campbell shot a season-high 37 points with 7 three-pointers, while the team posted 19 three-pointers at 52.8%.
David Cooper dominated the boards with 17 points, 19 rebounds and 6 blocks for Norwood this week, further demonstrating his value as the league's leading rebounder and shot blocker.
This week's games again will provide plenty of challenges.
