Rnd 21: Late game Eagles execution see them victorious over Sabres
By Connor Rice
Forestville Eagles 70 | Sturt Sabres 59
In the final game of a really competitive 2016 Women’s Premier League both teams were looking to finish the season strong and carry on momentum going forward. An evenly matched game saw both teams go neck and neck for the first 3 quarters. Buckets were extremely hard to come by as either team were stifling the offense and crashing the defensive glass to try and limit scoring. Only a maximum of 70 points were scored in the game (by the Eagles) so this should give rise to how both squads were struggling for their usual point production.
One major key for the Eagles was definitely Olivia Thompson finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds on almost 60% shooting. Thompson was a monster from the midrange and in the post as she feasted on the Sabres smaller front court. Thompson has been the undeniable number 1 option for anyone who has caught an Eagles game and her production will be a huge point of emphasis going into finals, where baskets are harder to come by. It’s always good for every elite team to have one of those players, who can put their head down and get you a basket. Another key contributor was Samantha Defrancesco, who whilst she was struggling from the field, got to the line for 14 FTAs, making 12 of them.
The game really did come down to the wire but ultimately it was too much as whilst the Sabres made some late game baskets, the Eagles almost 10-0 run was too much to overcome. The Sabres a team predicated on their outside shot, will need to do better than 13% from 3 if they want to win in the future. One bright spot for Sturt was definitely Jordan Hunter who tried her best efforts to bring the Sabres back late game, finishing with 19 points on 55% shooting, she was their offensive leader in trying to claw back the Eagles deficit. Ultimately however the Eagles just proved too much down the stretch, as they made big shot after big shot and the Sabres couldn’t get their own. They’ll use this is a major momentum booster over a quality side, heading into round 1 of the finals.
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