Yaeger's confidence in Mavericks finals run

Feature image via: Mark Willoughby

A career-high 47 points in the opening round of the NBL1 Central season has Morgan Yaeger grabbing national attention and believing she is in the best form of her life.

The talented guard is also optimistic that her Eastern Mavericks are finals contenders this season after finishing equal last with just two wins in 2024.

“Finals are the aim and I genuinely feel that is achievable for us,” Yaeger said.

“We will have to be super disciplined and there are some good teams in NBL1 Central, but we have a really talented young group.

“That youth brings a lot of enthusiasm and hustle to the table and if we can limit the number of mistakes, then we are a big chance,” she added.

Yaeger knows all about winning. She is a current NBL1 North champion with Rockhampton and won a title in New Zealand in December on top of the 2023 WNBL championship she helped Townsville claim.

She already has an NBL1 Central title to her name with Southern Tigers (2021) and has achieved all that success battling a chronic back injury that, at times, was close to ending her career.

“I was medically retired at the University of Oregon during my U.S. college career and my back injury is something I have to manage in terms of load management and exercise," she said.

“I have a bulging disc in my lower back and disc degeneration, so there are good days and bad.

“But I’ve been feeling really good of late and really enjoying my basketball at the moment,” she continued.

The Mavs upset 29-point win over reigning champions Central Districts in last weekend’s opening round snapped a 14-game losing streak and was inspired by Yaeger’s individual brilliance.

She scored 47 points (more than the Mavs scored as a team in a handful of games last year) and added 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in an all-round performance rarely seen recently in SA basketball.

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Tonight (Saturday), Yaeger will be looking to continue her great form against her junior club Forestville, with the action tipping off at 6:15pm at Mount Barker and the men’s game to follow at 8pm.

In other round two fixtures Norwood hosts Southern Tigers, Sturt takes on Central Districts, South Adelaide battles West Adelaide and Woodville entertains North Adelaide.

All games are streamed LIVE via the nbl1.com.au website and the Woodville versus North Adelaide games will be broadcast nationally on Kayo Freebies.