The Forestville Eagles have defeated the Sturt Sabres 104-92 in a Qualifying Final of the highest quality at Wayville on Saturday.

The Eagles were simply too fast for Sturt, creating fast breaks at every opportunity and running their opponents off their feet.

Forestville scored 57 first half points, its most in a half this season, while its final score of 104 was its highest of the year.

It was also the most points the Sabres had conceded in a half and for a full 40 minutes.

For the majority of the opening three quarters, whether it be off a steal, rebound or opponent score, the Eagles had the ball in their front half before their opponents could turn around.

And when Sturt did manage to get back into defence, Forestville executed its offence to perfection and got plenty of open looks.

The Eagles finished the night shooting 56 per cent from the field, had nine extra rebounds, 13 extra assists, 10 extra free throws and 14 more points in the paint.

Forestville led by nine at quarter-time, 13 at the half and 16 after three, before Darren Ng (38 points, 5/11 3FG) inspired a Sabres fightback.

However, Eagles super-sub Nic Blair made sure it was his team who got the victory, scoring three baskets in as many possessions late in the fourth quarter.

Blair was all over the floor at both ends and finished with 22 points (12 in the fourth) on 9/15 shooting in less than 25 minutes of action.

He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a spectacular block on the Sabres’ Jan Warbout, as well as being involved in several other plays where he did not get credited on the stats sheet, but all the same helped his team to score or save a basket.

Rashad Tucker went head-to-head with Sturt’s Jacob Holmes all night and easily took the honours, registering 16 points on 7/11 shooting (including three dunks), 15 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals.

Holmes finished with 17 points on 7/18 shooting, 15 rebounds and 6 assists, but did not have his normal influence on the game.

Brad Sullivan was Forestville’s leading scorer with 29 points on 10/17 FG shooting and 7/14 foul shooting, while Adam Doyle caught the Sabres napping a number of times, finishing with 9 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Trent Fildes was a nuisance at the defensive end and on the boards, while also contributing nicely at the offensive end, registering 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. 

Fildes had blood pouring down his face after a nasty collision with Holmes, but when he returned to the game, he was still getting in there and taking a hit for his team.

After Ng and Holmes, only Tim Klaosen (10 points), who was relegated to the bench and replaced by Nathan Kareta (4 points) in the starting five, scored in double figures.

Klaosen and Jan Warbout (9 points, 3 steals) each fouled out of the contest.

Within the first 38 seconds of the contest, the Eagles were up 5-0, thanks to a three-pointer from Sullivan and a reverse layup from John Wernham.

Despite Sullivan’s hot shooting and a sign of intent from Tucker, the Sabres fought their way into the lead at 18-15, after Ng found an opening to knock down a trey.

The lead only lasted a matter of seconds, however, as Sullivan sparked a 14-0 run with a three of his own.

Sullivan added a further six points in the run, taking him to 16 for the quarter, as Forestville built a 29-20 lead.

Sturt looked sharper at the second with Holmes scoring a couple of baskets and Kareta stealing the ball off an inbound and scoring, but the Eagles had all the answers.

Neither team could gather any momentum until Forestville went on a 9-0 run over the space of about 90 seconds to build a 17 point lead, with Tucker throwing down one of his dunks and Blair, Brad Haydon, Sullivan and James Boonstoppel also getting involved.

The Eagles still had a 15 point lead with only seconds to go in the half, but a couple of fouls from Blair and Tucker allowed the Sabres to eat into the deficit.

That was before a dime from Tucker to Majok Deng meant Forestville would hold a commanding 57-44 lead after 20 minutes.

The scoring dried up for the Eagles in the early part of the third, but other than back-to-back jumpers from Holmes, Sturt could not get hot either.

A purple patch from Doyle and some more strong play for Sullivan helped maintain Forestville’s lead, before a high class finish from Blair on the brink of three quarter-time put the Eagles up 77-61.

The Sabres were on top in general play for the first few minutes of the fourth, but seemed incapable of making a legitimate run.

Instead, Holmes and then Warbout committed off-ball fouls within the space of 11 seconds, as Sturt struggled to come to terms with a potential loss to its arch rivals.

Although his teammates’ minds may not have been on the ball, that was certainly not the case with Ng, who almost single-handedly got his team within striking distance.

Trailing 65-80 with 7.41 remaining, Ng scored four straight free throws, before Klaosen scored off a putback for a nine point game.

Four points from Sullivan and a three-point play from Blair had Forestville back out to a comfortable 13 point lead, but Ng and the Sabres were still not done with.

Ng scored eight points in three possessions as Sturt had the crowd gasping at a five point game.

In the midst of the action though was Blair, who scored two contested left hand layups with a bit of flair, then made a regulation one.

His third basket in three possessions extended the Eagles’ lead to nine, and the Sabres could get no closer the rest of the way.

There was still time, however, for Holmes to pick up an unsportsmanlike foul, and for Tucker to excite the crowd further with a third slam dunk.

Forestville verdict: A thoroughly deserved victory for the Eagles, who were without doubt the better team on the night. They ripped apart the defence of a ballclub who is renowned for being the best in that area, and had their transition and half court structure working to perfection. Forestville has plenty of options available and this should serve it well through the finals. A Second Semi Final date with Norwood awaits.

Sturt verdict: The Sabres did not have the legs to go with the Eagles, and for the most of the night, they were outdone in the half court as well. If it was not for Ng’s shooting, the scoreboard would have looked a lot uglier for Sturt. The Sabres will play West Adelaide in the First Semi Final. The Bearcats tempo should suit Sturt more than Forestville’s, but it will still be another tough game for the Sabres.

By James Woite