Nikita-Lee Martin continued her steaming hot form with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots as West Adelaide smashed Forestville 75-44 at Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Martin was well-supported by Ashleigh Vordermaier (13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals) Kate Walsh (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) and Trudy Holland (5 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists), however it was Irene Sourlatzis’ aggressive defence in the opening period that sent the Bearcats on their merry way.

Georgia Minear had 19 points, including 5-7 threes, and 7 rebounds, while Jess Fergus again played her heart out to no avail with 16 points, 5 boards and 3 steals.

There were not many shining lights for the Eagles, however 16 year old Jasmine Trimboli played a better game than her numbers (2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), while Amy Bell registered her first CABL points in the fourth period.

Fergus was given the task of defending Martin, while Martin defended Minear when Forestville was on offence.

The Eagles got off to a stronger start, but could not give themselves any breathing space, thanks to several open misses.

Half-way through the first, the game was in the balance, before Sourlatzis forced two straight turnovers that led to layups.

Her strong play opened the game up for West, giving her teammates a major confidence boost, and they went on with the job the remainder of the quarter.

Forestville continued their struggles offensively, but all of a sudden, the Bearcats started converting the shots that they were missing earlier in the match.

Vordermaier hit two long jumpers, opening up West’s inside game, and by the end of the first quarter, the Bearcats led 23-8, finishing the quarter of a 19-2 run.

West scored the first five points of the second, before Minear hit knocked down a three-pointer to break the 24-2 run.

The basket triggered a 10-2 run for Forestville, before Sourlatzis broke the Bearcats’ draught with a layup.

The Eagles had the last possession of the quarter, trailing 34-21, before Sky Langenbrinck stole the ball off Trimboli, before converting the layup whilst being fouled by Fergus.

Langenbrinck missed the free throw, but West got the offensive rebound and converted another basket on the buzzer, giving them a 38-21 half-time lead.

Forestville never responded from their inability to close the second quarter.

Unlike Saturday’s game against Sturt, there would be no third quarter fightback from the Eagles.

The Bearcats scored the first nine points of the third, before a Minear three was again the draught-breaker.

With Martin on a roll and West stifling the Forestville attack, the remainder of the game was just economical.

The Eagles only other basket of the third was another Minear trey, with the Bearcats winning the quarter 18-6.

West then won the fourth 19-17 for a 31 point win.

Defining moment: Forestville looked a slightly better side until Sourlatzis forced two straight turnovers midway through the first quarter. First of all, she forced Jamie-Lee Bow into a bad pass, which led to one layup. She then stole the ball herself the next play before putting another two points on the board. This sent West off on a 24-2 run that would never be pegged back. Langenbrinck’s steal on the verge of half-time was also critical, as it resulted in four points, giving the Bearcats a 17 point lead, rather than potentially a 10 or 11 point lead.

West verdict: This was another stellar display from an undefeated Bearcats side. Their 75 points was the most points Forestville has had scored against them this season, and keeping them to a measly 44 was an extraordinary effort. Martin and Vordermaier are in outstanding form, and everyone else is chipping in with important contributions. West has only won the title once since 1993, just falling short to the Eagles last season. Maybe this is their year.

Forestville verdict: The Eagles have not suffered such a loss for a long time, and other than their second half against Sturt and their match against Woodville, their form has been down on last year. Forestville has experienced more losses in this season’s first five regular season games than they did the whole of Season 2010, and with undefeated Norwood up next, things will only get tougher.

By James Woite