The Forestville Eagles have overcome a 15 point third quarter deficit to defeat the Central District Lions 54-51 at Wayville on Saturday.

The Lions scored the first four points of the game and were never headed until Georgia Minear hit two free throws with 4.29 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Although Centrals managed to get the lead back through Desinta Cummins, they were unable to hold on, with Jasmine Trimboli knocking down a three from the left corner with only 1.48 remaining to give Forestville a 51-49 lead.

Cummins, twice, and Alisha Heglund each had the chance to put the Lions back in front, but were well off on their long range attempts.

It was a lucky escape for the Eagles, who were outplayed for the first three quarters.

However, an 18-4 fourth quarter got them home against the foul-plagued Lions.

Centrals Coach Ben Todd went with his regular six player rotation, but with Jess Mahony (6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), Desinta Cummins (10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals) and Alisha Heglund (9 points, 8 rebounds) each picking up four fouls, and Kimberley Olsen (13 points) on three fouls, the Lions struggled to compete defensively in the final period.

The Eagles shot 43 per cent from the field in the final quarter, compared to 22 per cent in the first three quarters.

Forestville’s extra depth also proved dividends with eight extra rebounds in the fourth period, after there was only seven rebounds difference in the first three.

Borrego was the only likely source of scoring for Forestville for most of the night.

She struggled in the first quarter but was a force thereafter, finishing with a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Minear scored 6 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and drew 3 fouls in the final period, as well as using the ball efficiently on offence with some excellent perimeter and post passing, and also stopping her player at the defensive end.

She finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

Trimboli played the entire final quarter and finished with 5 points, but also played well defensively against her more experienced opponents.

On the downside for the Eagles, Monica Bello (4 points) went off early in the third quarter and did not return, after suffering what appeared to be a serious calf injury.

Fiona Perso was the Lions’ best with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals.

After the scores were locked at 6-6 halfway through the first, Cummins and Heglund ignited a 13-4 run from the visitors to close the first.

Missed shots and turnovers were the story for Forestville, while Centrals scored quickly and fluently.

Frustration was evident for the Eagles in the first quarter. The second quarter saw much of the same, and if not for Borrego, the Lions would have had a much greater lead than 10 points at halftime.

Borrego had 10 points on 5/6 shooting, while the rest of the Eagles managed one point on 0/9.

Mahony showed great leadership in organising her team at both ends of the court, Centrals worked hard defensively and caused the Forestville offence to be stagnant, and the Lions opened up plenty of shot opportunities at the offensive end.

Even after the interval, the Eagles could still not find the bottom of the net.

Their troubles continued at the foul-line, with Captain Jess Fergus uncharacteristically missing both free throws at one stage.

The Lions could not string a match-winning run together, but every time Forestville did score, someone would come up with an important basket.

They also did an extremely good job of attacking the boards, coming up with many extra scoring opportunities, despite their size disadvantage.

Centrals held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the quarter, and looked like the better team, with its army of supporters in full voice.

However, everything changed in the fourth quarter, as the Lions began to fatigue.

Offensively, they struggled to beat the shot clock, and most of their shots did not go close to going in.

Defensively, they could not get a stop, with the Eagles finding a rhythm for the first time in the game.

Led by Borrego, Minear, Fergus, Trimboli and Jamie-Lee Bow, all of whom played the entire period, Forestville showed why it was winners of 10 of its past 12.

A jumper from Trimboli and a layup from Minear had Forestville within seven 47 seconds into the quarter.

It was the closest the Eagles had been since the opening period.

Following a timeout, Forestville put on another six points, causing Todd to use his final timeout.

Shortly after Minear put the Eagles in front, the Lions hit back, and had chances to extend their advantage to three or four on three occasions, but failed to make the most of them.

After Trimboli put Forestville back in front, Borrego scored off an offensive rebound for a four point Eagles lead.

Olsen calmly slotted two free throws with 50 seconds left, reducing the deficit to two.

After Centrals got a stop, Heglund bricked a three, and it appeared the game was Forestville’s.

The Lions trapped and forced Bow into a bad pass, and Cummins got out on the break.

However, Cummins did not appear to realise how much time was left, as she pulled up for a three from well outside the three point line, when there was still enough time for her to get within range, or possibly take the ball to the basket.

Minear then grabbed the rebound and, after being fouled, hit one of two free throws for the finals score.

Forestville verdict: As they say in the classics, a win’s a win. The positives for the Eagles were that they only gave up 51 points on the night, came out on top in the clutch, and fought back from a large deficit to win, when the game could have easily slipped away. The negatives were that they failed to match their opponents’ intensity at the start, only managed to find their offence when their opponents tired, and trailed for all but a couple of minutes against a team they should have beaten comfortably. Based on this performance and Bello’s injury, it is difficult to see Forestville advancing past Sturt in next week’s First Semi Final.

Centrals verdict: The heartbreak was evident on the Lions’ faces postgame and why wouldn’t it be? They outplayed their opponents for three quarters, but just did not have enough in the tank to get the job done in the fourth. Centrals have had a magnificent season and could not have gone out on a better performance. The Lions supporters were on their feet clapping and cheering after the game, which was great to see, and the players and coaching staff should be extremely proud of their efforts.

By James Woite