Round Wrap: Forestville v West Adelaide

James Woite

 

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Pero-cious Eagles upset Bearcats

Pero Vasilijevic held his own against star Bearcat big men David Sterner and Blake Truslove, as the Forestville Eagles defeated West Adelaide 97-86 at Wayville.

The Eagles, who ended a five game losing streak, got on top early, and were in control for most of the night. With Vasilijevic as their anchor, the Eagles forced the Bearcats away from their post-up game. Despite needing to rely on their perimeter players more than usual, the Bearcats rallied back from several double figure deficits, but ran out of time to avoid their first loss to an opponent other than Woodville.

Vasilijevic produced a mixture of thrills and spills, scoring 9 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, and converting 1-3 dunk attempts. But it was his block with 6:16 to play that ignited an Eagle run to put their feisty opponents away.

The Bearcats got to within three points in the fourth quarter, and were down five with 6:44 to go, when Vasilijevic re-entered the fray. 28 seconds later, Bearcat Guard Tristan Braithwaite beat his man and got to the basket for what looked like a simple layup, only for Vasilijevic to come across from the weak-side and smash the ball out of the area. His big block found Jake Rios, who fed Daniel Sims. Sims was fouled and made two free throws, pushing the lead out to seven points. The Eagles were never seriously threatened thereafter.

Sims finished as the game-high point scorer, nailing 30. He added 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Adam Doyle (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Rios (19 points, 6 rebounds) were also prolific for the home side.

Braithwaite (23 points, 6-9 3FG, 5 assists) and Anthony Spadavecchia (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks) were the best for the Bearcats. David Sturner had 17 points and 13 rebounds, but missed some chippies around the rim that he would normally convert. Blake Truslove registered 10 points and 8 rebounds, but his lack of influence led to him being benched for the final minutes of the fourth.

The Bearcats ended the game with two more rebounds and one fewer turnover than the Eagles, while they made 33 field goals to 32. The Eagles countered by going +9 on threes and +10 on free throws.

Following their win, the Eagles have improved to 5-6, and remain well and truly in the mix for a finals spot. They play bottom-placed Southern next week, whom they defeated in Round 1.

The Bearcats, now 8-3, will face 9-3 Norwood next week. The Bearcats won a thriller with the Flames on the opening night of the season.

 

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Vordermaier, Bearcats earn vital win over Eagles

Behind big fourth quarters from Ashlea Vordermaier and Stana Zecevic, the West Adelaide Bearcats have edged closer to the top five, defeating the Forestville Eagles 86-79 at Wayville.

With top five sides South and Sturt losing, and sixth-placed Eastern also suffering defeat, the stage was set for one of these sides to build for a finals race. And it was the Bearcats who made the majority of the biggest plays, while the Eagles fell to outright ninth.

The Bearcats outscored the Eagles 29-22 in the fourth quarter, after the scores were tied at 57 apiece after three. Vordermaier, who started on the bench, was at the forefront of most good things, registering fourth quarter statistics of 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. She ended the night with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

Like Vordermaier, Zecevic was not in Coach Glenn Shaw’s starting five. She only had 5:24 court time in the first three quarters, but spent the entire final period on the court, scoring five points, grabbing five rebounds, and providing an important interior presence around the basket.

The one Bearcat starter to put up significant numbers was Anna Carbo (25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals). No other Bearcat starter registered double figures in any statistical category, although Trudy Holland did make a stand at the defensive end (7 defensive rebounds, 5 steals).

Like the Bearcats, the Eagles’ biggest statistical contributor was not on court for tipoff. Jade Johnson had a big night with 29 points and 9 rebounds.

Samantha Defrancesco added 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for the home side. Megan Kermond contributed a further 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The Eagles went +21 on threes, but had 16 fewer rebounds and were -8 on made free throws.

The 4-7 Bearcats will take on Norwood next week. The Flames are still unbeaten.

The 3-8 Eagles will make the long trip south to face 5-6 Southern, whom they lost to in Round 1.




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