Rnd 14: Tigers Women battle past bold Eagles
By Benito Carbone @_DavidCarbone
Forestville Eagles 51 | Southern Tigers 68
In what shaped up to be a Saturday night blockbuster, the Premier League’s 3rd and 4th seeds faced off and after a see-sawing contest, it was the Tigers who came out on top with a 17 point victory over the home side. Mollie McKendrick and Denelle Fawcett starred for the visitors with a game-high 21 points each. Olivia Thompson also managed 21 points and 10 rebounds for Forestville but none of her teammates collected more than 8 points in a disappointing offensive display at Wayville.
The match was evenly-contested from the start, as Thompson helped her side with some great offensive plays early on. An incisive pass inside to Duncan for a score was followed by a skilful three-point play to level scores halfway through the first. The Tigers pulled away soon after though, utilising some classy team passing to build a 9 point lead at quarter time. Thompson continue to lead her side after the interval, until substitute Hannah Lehmann found her groove, hitting consecutive shots from downtown to help her side soar back into contention. Fierce determination was evident on both ends of the court and Southern star Lauren Fisher (5 steals) converted a strong layup in an attempt to slow the Eagles. Back to back triples from Forestville cut the deficit to just a point and it stayed that way up until the half.
Southern, who did not convert one attempt from the arc all night, regained their earlier rhythm to dominate the third term. The bigger-bodied Tigers used their size to take numerous trips to the line, where they took advantage of inaccurate shooting from the hosts to take a crucial 40-52 lead into the final term.
The Eagles were unable to capitalise on any form of momentum, as Ta’Rea Cunnigan (13 points) impressed late for the visitors to consolidate their lead, ultimately cumulating into an impressive 68-51 success.
The win sees the Tigers leapfrog the Eagles and the Rockets into 2nd, while Forestville fall to 4th with an absolutely crucial match against North Adelaide on the horizon.
Round 15: Saturday, 2 July at 6:30pm
Southern Tigers v South Adelaide Panthers @ Morphett Vale
Forestville Eagles v North Adelaide Rockets @ Wayville
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