Brad Sullivan and Rashad Tucker combined for 55 points as Forestville became the first team this season to break the century mark in consecutive games, defeating a Josh Kollasch-inspired Centrals 103-90.

Sullivan’s 28 points included 6-14 3FG, while Tucker added 11 boards and 8 assists to his 27 points, which came at 61%.

Adam Doyle scored 11 points to go with 7 assists and 4 steals, while big men John Wernham and Neil Mottram collectively produced 22 points and 18 boards in 41.50.

Forestville shot 54% from the field and won the rebounding count 44-30.

Most of the Lions’ defence consisted of fouling, committing 20 to the Eagles’ 9.

Kollasch amazed the Starplex audience with arguably the best solo performance in the competition this season, finishing with 39 points on just 21 shot attempts, including 5-8 3FG. He added 12 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals.

The Lion King had to put the team on his back with leading scorer Daniel Carlin failing to provide any resistance against Forestville big men Neil Mottram and John Wernham.

Carlin played just 12 minutes, finishing with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls.

Lachlan Parker was Centrals’ next best scorer with 15 points, but attempted just two shots less than Kollasch.

Luke Frost and Matthew Clarke added 10 apiece, although Frost took 15 shots, most of which were poorly selected and bounced off the front of the rim.

Kollasch kept the Lions in it all night, but it never looked likely to be enough against the even spread of the Eagles.

He had 13 points in the first quarter, including three treys and a long two, as Centrals sat level pegging with Forestville after one.

Sullivan had 10 for the Eagles and Mottram 5, who were not scared to fire away from deep either.

Kollasch only scored the 5 points in the second, instead assisting on three treys (two from Clarke and one from Daniel Wilson).

Sullivan scored 8 for the quarter, as Forestville seized momentum.

Tucker had 10 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in the period, while making the game look ridiculously easy.

Tucker displayed the best and worst play of the quarter within a matter of seconds late in the second.

After receiving the ball in the post, Tucker spun to the middle for a point blank shot, only to miss the easiest of layups.

However, he jumped across to the left side of the basket to grab the rebound, and then whilst being fouled by Kollasch, he shot the ball back over his head, where it sunk through the bottom of the net.

This gave the Eagles a 12 point lead, a game-high to that point.

Wilson hit a trey on the next possession, before Kollasch stole the ball off Sullivan and swished a bomb from the corner.

Within the blink of the eye, Centrals had close to within six, and were right in the game at half-time.

With 8.20 to go in the third, the Lions were within five, after Frost finally connected.

Frost and Carlin both had the chance to reduce the deficit to three after a Tucker miss, but misfired, before a Brad Haydon three gave the Eagles some breathing space.

Forestville won the rest of the quarter 18-15, and led by 11 at ¾ time.

Tucker continued to assert himself, and told the crowd he would ‘break the rim next time’ after finger-rolling a layup he could so easily have dunked.

With 7.28 to go, the Eagles still led by 13, and that was when the Kollasch show exploded.

Every offence down, it was Kollasch with the ball, and a Lion setting a screen for the star player.

Kollasch made four consecutive shots in the space of two minutes, but with five minutes left, Forestville was up 89-77 and with possession.

Doyle turned the ball over that very play, but made a sensational second effort to get across in front of the driving Parker, who missed the shot, and then fouled Nic Blair while pursuing the rebound.

The Lions seemed to go away from the red-hot Kollasch over the next few minutes, with Frost still trying to find the range.

They could get within no closer than eight the rest of the way; a Mottram dunk following an offensive rebound by Tucker putting the exclamation mark on a Forestville victory.

 

Defining moment: For all Kollasch’s scoring, trying to overcome a big deficit would never be possible for the Lions without getting stops. For so much of the fourth quarter, Kollasch would score at one end, but then Centrals would give away a basket at the other end. The moment was there to be seized with 4.56 left when Doyle lost the ball to Clarke. Doyle was the only man between Clarke and Parker and the basket, so it should have been a regulation two for the Lions. However, Doyle got his feet above the circle, and Parker appeared to be too focussed on drawing the foul, which ultimately led to a missed shot and a blown opportunity.

Forestville verdict: Forestville shot the ball at a stellar percentage, dominated the rebounding count, and overcame an incredible individual performance in picking up a third straight victory. On top of that, Tucker is playing at a formidable level, a Brad is on song from the perimeter every week, and Mottram has provided the big interior presence they were lacking. Things are looking good for them right now. The Eagles play the Rockets next week, who are also on fire right now.

Centrals verdict: The positive for the Lions: they have a player in Kollasch who can single-handedly keep the offence rolling and go off for a big night. The negative: Kollasch alone cannot get them over the line against a top side. Centrals will need better efforts from the supporting cast at both ends of the court if it is to move off the bottom. The Lions will be pleased they managed to stay within touch for most of the night with a quality side, but will need a lot of improvement in order to rise to the next level. They have an away match against the Warriors next round, whom most recently upset Eastern in the hills.

 

 

 

 

The Forestville Eagles are back in the top five, after defeating the Central District Lions 72-57 at Starplex on Saturday night.

The Eagles got the job done inside, outrebounding the Lions 50-34, rejecting nine shot attempts, and registering 14 second chance points to 7.

This was largely due to the efforts of Centre Tara Robinson, who had 13 rebounds and 6 blocked shots, to go with 11 points and 5 steals.

She also restricted her opponent, the taller Alisha Heglund, to 14 points on just 6-22 field goal shooting, with 6 of her 16 misses coming as a result of a blocked shot. Heglund added 13 rebounds.

Georgia Minear top-scored for Forestville with 18 points on 7-13 shooting, while Jess Fergus had 10 points and 10 boards, and came out victorious on several crucial battles.

Alex Duncan and Jamie-Lee Bow had 11 and 10 points respectively, while new recruit Monica Bello had 9 points and 6 assists in her first CABL game this season.

For Centrals, Kimberley Olsen led the way with 13 points, including four treys.

Jess Mahony, in her first game against her 2009 and 2010 teammates, had 15 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds and 6 steals. However, she missed 13 shots, 9 from downtown, and turned the ball over 5 times.

As a team, Centrals shot just 26% from the field, compared to their opponent’s 39%, although they committed five less turnovers.

The Eagles established their lead with a 19-10 second period.

Forestville led 20-15 at quarter-time, with both teams prepared to fire away from distance.

Despite her 20 point effort against Eastern, Duncan was relegated to the bench in place of Bello.

Both teams played a lot of zone in the first quarter, and it stayed that way throughout the game.

The Lions conceded the first six points, before fighting back with 15 of the next 18, and then giving away the last 11.

The Eagles’ 11-0 run included trifectas from Bello, Bow and Robinson.

In the second quarter, Forestville did a much better job of getting to the foul-line, drawing multiple fouls on Desinta Cummins, who had been in great form recently, Olsen and Mahony.

Mahony managed to suck Bello into an offensive foul off the ball, but other than that, the Eagles were well on top.

Forestville clogged the lane, forcing eight perimeter shots from Centrals, all of which failed to find the bottom of the net.

The Eagles also put up eight three-point shots, with two of them finding the net (both from Bello), as they opened up a 39-25 lead by the long break.

The Lions bench got vocal in the third, and the crowd showed their support, but Forestville had all the answers, maintaining its 14 point lead by the end of the quarter.

Both teams found it hard to score early in the period, before a flurry of baskets closed the quarter.

The Eagles maintained their double digit advantage throughout the fourth.

The Lions closed to within 11 off an Olsen trey with 6.56 to go, but that was immediately answered by Fergus at the other end.

The margin was back to 10 with 6.31 left, after a conventional three-point play from Olsen, but that was answered by a bomb from Minear.

Centrals would not give in, and trailed 54-65 with 3.24 to go, following Cummins’ only field goal of the night.

They forced a miss on the next play, only for Fergus to score off a putback, and from there, Forestville cruised home for a 15 point win.

 

Defining moment(s): It has often been said that it is important to know your teammates, but sometimes it is even more crucial to know your ex-teammates. There were two occasions in the second half where Mahony attempted a risky across the keyway pass, which more often than not comes off for the star Point Guard. However, on two occasions, a Forestville player stepped into the passing lane, forcing a turnover. These possessions showed the Eagles knew what was ahead of them and were up for the task at hand.

Forestville verdict: Forestville has now won two straight after dropping its previous three. The inclusions of Bello and Megan Kermond in the last two weeks have proved valuable, giving the team more depth. The Lions had been in good form, but even after surrendering an early lead, the Eagles maintained their composure and never looked like losing. Forestville’s defence and rebounding efforts were outstanding. Next up is North at Wayville.

Centrals verdict: Other than the second quarter, the improving Lions matched their opponents for most of the night, despite their poor shooting and large rebounding differential. Knocking down some shots and gathering the loose balls should be big focuses for them over the coming week. The positive things were that they forced 20 turnovers, and moved the ball efficiently (18 assists on 20 baskets). They may have lost, but this was another decent performance. Centrals’ next match is against the 1-7 Warriors.

By James Woite