Mac.Rob Exchange 2014

Yes, that's right. Austral Sports is back for another year!

Adelaide High School will be hosting the 101st Exchange between Mac.Robertson Girls High School and Adelaide High, and Austral Sports will be there to cover all of the action!

The four day exchange begins on August 10th, and runs until the 13th.

Austral Sports was there to cover the Melbourne High School Exchange when they visited Adelaide High in 2013 - a series which Adelaide won in thrilling style.

Watch the Promo:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpcmttBOPUo

CABL Round 17

WOMEN: Bearcats Keep Finals Hopes Alive
              

The West Adelaide Bearcats had their finals chances on the line on Saturday night as they went up against the Southern Tigers, and they produced the goods with a strong 31 point victory away from home.

However it wasn’t easy for the Tigers when they lost their captain to injury early in the first quarter. Kelsie Rutland landed wrong when receiving a pass, immediately crashing to the court and clutching her ankle. After inspection, the injury was diagnosed as a sprain.

West Adelaide made an early break, leading 20-5 at one stage, and then by 18 points at quarter time. Seeming like a blowout already, the Tigers held their nerve and played well to keep the margin the same at the half time break. Michaela Lappin registered an impressive 6 points and 10 rebounds in the first half for the Bearcats.

In short time West Adelaide turned it into a 31 point game, with Lappin and Sky Langenbrinck both shifting into another gear and scoring freely. Lappin had 16 points and 16 rebounds at three-quarter time.

Southern kept ticking over on the board, but never enough to reduce the margin significantly. Shayde Quintrell scored a team-high 18 points with 8 rebounds, while 15 points and 11 rebounds for Kaylee Biddell gave her a double-double for the night. Langenbrinck top-scored for West with 17 points, while Anna Carbo was close to a triple-double with 10 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds!

With the win, West Adelaide are still in the hunt for a top five placing, however their chances are incredibly slim. For them to qualify for a post-season spot, the Bearcats will require Forestville to defeat the Rockets (North have a 7-1 record away from home in 2014), while West will also need to hand Norwood, the top-seed, their third loss of the season.

MEN: West Claim Important Win
          

The West Adelaide Bearcats have firmly placed themselves in the top five with an important 22-point win against the Southern Tigers at Morphett Vale.

The Bearcats worked hard to get ahead, putting together a 9-2 scoring run late in the first quarter to make an important breakaway on the scoreboard. The Tigers managed to get themselves back within 4 points in the second quarter, however the Bearcats swiftly pulled away to a 16 point lead at the main break. Blake Truslove was impressive with 14 points and 6 rebounds at half time, while Anthony Spadavecchia knocked down 13 first half points for West also.

Truslove combined with Jason Dawson to assemble a destructive quarter for the Bearcats, taking their lead out to as far as 26 points at one stage. The pair put on 17 points together for the third quarter. Sam Johns was doing his best to keep Southern alive, having accumulated 11 points and 6 rebounds at three quarter time.

A much more spirited final quarter saw Southern play their best basketball of the game, though it was too late. After West Adelaide jumped ahead by 30 points, Michael Florance and his Tigers reduced the margin to as low as 19 points with a 13-2 run late in the last quarter. At the final buzzer West Adelaide finished up on top, 94-72.

Dawson and Truslove tallied similar stats at the end of the night; Truslove finished up with 22 points and 10 rebounds, alongside Dawson who had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Top scorer for the Tigers was Michael Florance with 15 points.

West Adelaide take on Norwood at home next week to ensure they hold third position and take full momentum heading into the post-season, while the Southern Tigers will play their last game of the season when they take on Sturt at Pasadena.

CABL Round 16

WOMEN: Panthers Show Strong Form

The South Adelaide Panthers women had to work for it, but their 12th win of the season came Saturday night against the Eastern Mavericks on home court, prevailing by 29 points.

Despite the score at 21-14, it was difficult to split the two teams at quarter time. The Panthers’ Janae Howard hit the board early with 8 points in the first term, as her side built themselves a small lead. The Mavericks seemed threatening at stages in the second quarter, but turnovers cost them. It was a good quarter for Panthers’ team skipper, Jess Mahony, as she registered 11 first half points. Emma Hooley was the go-to girl for the Mavericks, as she marked down 12 first half points as Eastern trailed by 6 at the major break.

The second half opened up a lot more as the Panthers pounced on their opportunity, taking the front by 16 at the end of the third. Ieva Nagy, alongside Mahony and Howard, put the Panthers into top gear, stretching their lead out to 26 points in the last quarter. The final play of the game seemed ambitious, but a couple of big passes up the court to Nagy allowed her to sink a terrific buzzer-beating three to finish the match, lifting the fans to their feet, as the home side won by 29 points.

Howard and Mahony both finished with 22 points each, while Hooley starred for the Mavericks with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mahony also finished with 10 assists and 9 rebounds, as well as an outstanding 93% free throw shooting percentage on the night, sinking 14/15 at the line!

As South Adelaide currently sit comfortably in fourth, a heavyweight clash against North Adelaide next week will decide whether the Panthers can steal the Rockets’ third position on the ladder. Both South and North are 12-4 this season.

MEN: Mavs Men Stun Panthers
     

The Eastern Mavericks surprised the crowd as they notched up their third win of the season against the South Adelaide Panthers at Marion Stadium on Saturday.

The Mavericks made an early burst in the first quarter and continued it throughout, forcing a double digit margin at the first break, leading 26-13. Curtis Scipio for the Mavericks knocked down two important 3-pointers in the quarter to help produce the advantage.

Eastern maintained that lead, stretching it out as far as 18 points at one stage, to head into half time with a 15-point buffer. Dylan Shorne had registered 12 points at half time with a fantastic run of shooting in the second quarter.

However it didn’t take much more than a blast from the coach at the long break to get the Panthers back in the game. South responded with fight, as they closed the gap in no time. An 8-2 run in the opening two minutes of the third quarter shook the visitors as the tables turned quickly. Shane Boal and Jordan Robertson combined to add 19 points between them for the quarter, as South shaved the margin to 2 points, before briefly taking the lead by 1 point. At the three quarter time break, the scores were level at 62-62.

But a spirited Mavs outfit hadn’t lost their composure, as the underdogs ran away with the game with an 11-2 run in the last quarter. Whatever fight the Panthers put forward, the Mavericks would match, as they wrapped the game up 73-87 at the final buzzer.

Scipio and Shorne both finished the game with 20 points, while Thomas Giles had a strong fourth quarter to end with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Top scorer for South Adelaide was Robertson with 19 points, plus Boal doubled up with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the night.

CABL Round 15

MEN Report: Rios 40 beats Tigers

Jake Rios and his Forestville Eagles downed the Southern Tigers by 20 points in a close encounter at Morphett Vale on Saturday. The 73-93 final result came largely from a remarkable display of skill assembled by Jake Rios. Rios sunk 40 points for the night, including 7 from behind the arc!

The Tigers got the early jump, opening the match with an 11-4 run, however the Eagles rallied back hard to lead by 9 at quarter time. Southern stayed in touch in the second quarter, with Sam McDaniel making his impression on the game, adding 17 points to his name by half time. The Tigers came within one point, but were behind by 4 at the main break.

Rios and McDaniel lead their teams from the front, lighting it up at their respected ends of the court. Forestville took the margin back out to double digits in the third quarter, though the contest was still incredibly even. As hard as the Tigers tried, the Eagles wouldn’t let them in at any stage in the last quarter, as they slowly increased their lead past 20 points.  Rios continued to show off his talent, superiorly smashing 18 points in the last 10 minutes of the game!

Rios had terrific support from his teammate Trent Fildes, whose double-double performance was hidden in his shadow. Fildes hit 20 points and pulled in 10 rebounds for the night. McDaniel for the Tigers was impressive also, doubling up too with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

This win means Forestville are looking firm for a top five finish, while the loss means the hopes of a post-season appearance may be fading for Southern. With three rounds to go, the competition is still well and truly in the balance. Look forward to some exciting basketball in the coming weeks.

WOMEN Report: Eagles clean up Tigers

A walloping by the Forestville Eagles inflicted the Southern Tigers with their second 50+ point loss on home court on the trot, losing 54-114 at Morphett Vale on Saturday night.

A 28-point demolition by Samantha Defrancesco was part of the cause, racking up a double-double with 10 rebounds in just her 20 minutes of court time.

The Eagles were off the mark quickly in the first quarter, keeping a 12 point distance from the Tigers at quarter time.  However they wasted no time extending that margin in the second, blowing out their lead to 36 points at one stage. Jess Fergus owned the quarter, nailing three 3-pointers in short time, and adding 11 points on her own.

A much more structured Southern outfit came out to play after half time as they managed to score 15-8 in the first five minutes of the third. Though this form was short lived, as the Eagles put together a 30 point quarter to stretch the margin out to 45 at the final change. Danielle Angley had an exciting quarter, including a 7 point run on her own.

As Southern coughed up opportunities at their end, Forestville continued their onslaught, making their way to a 60 point lead before the final buzzer ended the torment for the Tigers. 69 points off the bench for the Eagles was a major part of their win, as well as 38-8 points from turnovers.

Forestville now go to 8-6 for the season with just two round to go, hopeful of being able to hold their top five spot with the Flames, Mavs and Rockets still to come on the run home. Southern’s record only worsens, dropping now to 3-12 with the Warriors, Bearcats and Sabres left to play.