The Forestville Eagles have won for the 14th time in 15 outings, defeating the Sturt Sabres 74-59 at Wayville on Saturday.

After scores were level at half-time, the Eagles outscored their opponents 45-30 in the final 20 minutes, behind some inspirational efforts from captain Jess Fergus.

Fergus, who has not left the court this season, knocked down big shots, grabbed important rebounds, found the open teammate and really dictated terms at the defensive end.

Fergus finished with 19 points on 78 per cent shooting, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals.

Meanwhile, Olivia Thompson joined Tess Madgen as the only players league-wide to have registered at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each round.

Thompson had 27 points and 13 rebounds on the night.

Tara Robinson was also prominent, scoring 16 points on 7/8 shooting and pulling down 13 boards.

The Eagles made up for their lack-lustre ball control (25 turnovers) by nailing their shots.

They connected on 50 per cent of field goals (28/56), 57 per cent of three-pointers (4/7), and 70 per cent of free throws (14/20).

In contrast, the Sabres took much better care of the ball, committing only 11 turnovers.

However, they only made 17/74 field goal attempts and 5/21 treys, but they did score six extra points from the foul-line while attempting nine more shots.

Amy Shaw did the bulk of the damage from the charity stripe, knocking down 10 of her 13 attempts.

She finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals.

Katrina Fitzpatrick (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals) was the only other Sabre to score in double-figures.

The Eagles are unbeaten in third position, while the Sabres have dropped just outside the five with a 1-1 record.

The Sabres got off to the stronger start, leading 15-12 after the first quarter.

It was a foul-filled period, with the Eagles committing seven fouls and the Sabres six.

The teams had six fouls apiece in the second quarter, with both sides again struggling to score, the Eagles with just 17 points and the Sabres only 14.

The Sabres’ miserable shooting continued in the third, but the Eagles suddenly hit their straps.

An early 9-0 was the defining period in a low-scoring affair.

This run gave the Eagles full control, and the Sabres never looked like making a comeback.

Overall, the Eagles shot 10/13 from the field in the third, while the Sabres only connected on 3/19 attempts.

Fergus was in everything, though maybe a little too much when she picked up her fourth foul late in the quarter.

Getting Fergus fouled out would have been pivotal to a Sabres rally, but they had no such luck, with the Eagles captain seeing out the final 11 minutes untroubled.

The Sabres put up nine more field goals than the Eagles in the fourth, but again could not outscore them.

While they were missing close range looks, Thompson and co were lighting it up from distance at the other end, and the Sabres lost the fourth 18-21.

By James Woite