In a gripping game, Forestville narrowly defeated Sturt 75-69, keeping calm when it mattered most.

Coming off a thrilling win last week against the Tigers, Sturt started brightly with Sarah Elsworthy collecting the opening basket and Caroline Burgess knocking down a three to give the Sabres an early lead.

In end to end action, both teams were swinging the ball around the key well. Olivia Thompson began to assert herself, showing why she’s so highly respected with a defence-splitting pass to assist Hannah Lehmann for an easy two.

Caroline Burgess was not afraid to shoot for Sturt, with 8 first quarter points, however, the Eagles were taking more of their chances- holding a 5 point lead at the break.

In a competitive second stanza, both teams were showing great fight refusing to give an inch. Amy Shaw battled hard on the floor for Sturt, combining with an energetic Elsworthy to give the Sabres the go-ahead basket. Elsworthy was continuing her good form, picking up 6 points for the term and providing headaches for the Eagles as she drove hard to the rim.

As was the trend all night, whenever Sturt pushed, Forestville more than answered. Meg Prosser was handy in the key with two crucial baskets to swing the momentum back Forestville’s way. Katia Stamatelopoulos was looking dangerous (shot at 75% for the half), getting free and nailing a tight long-range effort.   

When Sam Defrancesco hit a sharp jumper in the dying seconds, the Eagles had built up a 9 point lead, 37-28.

Olivia Thompson continued to make her mark, with a couple of nice fade away shots to keep Sturt at bay. She was dominant on boards, giving Forestville first use as she collected 18 rebounds for the match.

Sarah Elsworthy again provided the Sabres with terrific run, drawing a number of fouls and converting truly at the line. With 11 points in the third, Elsworthy looked at home in blue on her way to a game-high 24 points.

Sturt piled on the pressure, with back to back buckets from Hannah Stewart showing a glimpse of why Coach Marcus Wong tipped her to have a breakout season. Lauren Gibbons cut the margin to just 4 at the final change, leaving the match in the balance.

As both teams traded baskets to start the last, it was Defrancesco’s 7 points in the space of a minute that put the Eagles in control. Sturt threw everything at Forestville, but a number of travels and sloppy errors was not helping their cause. Despite getting within 3 points with 2 minutes to go, Forestville was able to counter Sturt’s efforts- showing composure and experience to close out the match.

Olivia Thompson was best for the Eagles, with an impressive 21 points and 18 boards. Thompson additionally had 5 assists, combining well with Sam Defrancesco (16 pts) to bring others into the game. Jemma Westhoff (8 pts, 10 rebounds) was also commendable, particularly in the second half, providing a strong presence under the rim.

Sarah Elsworthy was outstanding, in a near complete game (24 pts, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals). Elsworthy’s pace and pressure around the ball was terrific, demonstrating that she has the potential to become one of the competition’s elite. Caroline Burgess (14 pts, 7 rebounds) showed good leadership out on court, especially in a fluid first half display.              

 

Round 3 Saturday 22^nd April, 6:30 pm:

Eastern Mavericks v Forestville Eagles @ Adelaide Hills

Sturt Sabres v North Adelaide Rockets @ Pasadena