A sensational debut from former Perth Wildcat Rashad Tucker has helped the Forestville Eagles to a 80-72 victory over a revved up Southern Tigers outfit at Wayville on Saturday night.

Tucker glided around a more than competitive Tigers defence for 33 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists, as well as having 4 steals, albeit 8 turnovers.

Brad Sullivan, Trent Fildes and Nic Blair all scored in double-digits, despite poor shooting nights for the former two.

Marcus Robinson was Southern’s best with 18 points and 6 rebounds, despite picking up a technical foul late in the third quarter, his fifth personal of the game.

Michael Florence had 10 points and 10 boards for the Tigers, who shot just 35 per cent from the field and 52 per cent from the free-throw line.

Despite their poor percentages, Southern put in a committed effort across all areas for four quarters and were well and truly in the game the entire way, other than allowing Forestville 13 of the game’s first 17 points.

Southern looked to b in a tough position heading into the fourth, where they were down 8 points.

Forestville had the ascendancy, winning the first three possessions of the final period, including forcing an 8 second violation to give them their first double-digit lead of the match.

However, a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock from Patrick Clarke (6 points) and a fast break lay-up from returning Tiger Reece Turner (9 points) had the Southern supporters roaring, before Florance put his team within two after a put-back off a missed free throw.

Scores were all tied up when Clarke knocked down his second 3-pointer of the quarter, before Turner knocked down a three of his own to give Southern a 67-68 lead with just over five minutes remaining.

The Tigers were on a 13-2 run and had all the momentum, but the Eagles quickly put that to bed.

The Eagles outscored their opponents 13-4 the rest of the way, including a Brad Sullivan 3-pointer with 1.51 left on the clock that gave them a commanding eight point advantage, which would be the final margin.

Forestville controlled the game in the third, but could not put it on the scoreboard, leaving the window ajar for the Tigers.

Robinson was a forced to be reckoned with in the paint, breaking down his opponents with ease and getting to the foul-line at will.

Southern mixed up their defence with great effect across the second and third quarters, rotating between man-to-man, a 2-3 zone and a 3-2 zone.

Although Forestville had plenty of open looks from the perimeter, they struggled to get the ball inside, outscoring their opponents by two points in each of these quarters.

The Tigers were behind the eight ball early, but a 11-0 run saw them quickly gain a lead. The teams then went basket for basket the remainder of the quarter, with Nic Blair giving his side a big contribution off the bench, scoring eight of his ten points during this span.

Defining moment: Southern were hanging tough and late in the third they were down only five points. With just three seconds remaining in the quarter, Robinson picked up a fourth foul, then was called for a technical foul. With five personal fouls, Robinson could not return. Although his teammates held their own in the fourth, Robinson could have given his team a vital contribution late in the game, which may have caused a different result.

Forestville verdict: Round 1 is always tough, and picking up wins at this stage of this season is vital. Their perimeter game is strong, and they have very good ball movement, but they are lacking an inside presence at both ends of the court, just as they did last year. Tucker was outstanding in this one, but if he has an off game, they will be vulnerable. Still, they executed well late in the game, which was a weakness for them in Season 2010, losing many close games. Any Simons’ men were a bit lucky to come away with this one, but they will take it nonetheless.

Southern verdict: The Tigers played an extremely good game, but just could not seize the moment went it was there for the taking. If Robinson performs consistently, they are capable of competing against the best. Florance is a great player for them and the younger brigade played hard at both ends. Their defensive rotations were excellent and they did a great job of backing each other up. They will take heart from their performance, but will be disappointed not to have pinched a big away win.

Courtesy of James Woite, Forestville