West is Best in Adelaide: They’ve been top majority of the season and despite being pushed the Bearcats found an answer for every Eagle challenge.
Grand Final: Forestville Eagles vs West Adelaide Bearcats
All-Stars and Olbrich outlast Eagles to take title.
The West Adelaide Bearcats have held their nerve despite having to dive into their bench early to hold off a late charge from the Forestville Eagles in a solid 95-106 at the Adelaide 36ers Arena.
The Bearcat's second quarter turned the game drastically in their favour after some early foul trouble on superstar Anthony Drmic as they piled on 41 points eventually finishing with 57 percent including an awe-striking 17 triples at 48.5 percent – blitzing the Eagles from beyond.
Star Greg Mays gave the Andy Simons-coached Eagles the handy start 9-2 with a quick five points to give Bearcats – notwithstanding three opening quarter fouls on Drmic anchoring him to the pine.
Only tough buckets for Greg Mays ?
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Enter Lachlan Olbrich as the Illawarra Hawk elevated them back to 20-16 with a handy triple. The Eagles continued to fly their gold and blue flag through Adam Doyle (7 points) and Jake Rios recalling his 2013 efforts with a 13-point opening stanza laden with a perfect tre of triples. Mitch McCarron stepped up in the absence of Drmic from beyond the perimeter – the Eagles up 33-26 at the first break.
The second was opened by the talented Fraser Roxburgh punching one down on the rim from the corner followed by long strikes from Olbrich (11 for the term) and Joel Spear. Joel did exactly what his name implies hurling three triples (9 points) in consecutive plays as the Bearcats could not miss from outside opening up a 41-51 lead. Mays hit foul trouble as Drmic re-entered the fray – just in time to get an armchair view of upstairs Olbrich with this dunk of the night.
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The Bearcats amassed 41 points to 21 for the quarter with McCarron capping it with a delightful spin move – up 54-67 at the half-time break.
Drmic started strong in the third as did Rios, but it was Mays who returned with vengeance peeling off eight points for the quarter as both teams started to get verbally into each other with the physicality increasing through the all-important final minutes of the term. The unsung hero of the night for the red and black Nik DeSantis kept finding himself open for triples and downhill drives as he collected six for the term along with another lot of offensive boards catching Eagles napping on the glass. The Bearcats holding the momentum just heading into a thrilling finish 78-84.
With foul trouble and management, the key – coach Dean Nyberg turned to his loyal servant Hamish Staude playing a high-quality three minutes with this and1 play in one of the night’s best cameos.
Hamish Staude talkin' that talk ?
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Malith Machar kept very quiet through the night cut it back to 91-93 with a big putback basket but despite walking a tightrope – Drmic fed McCarron for a superb finish underneath then drained a triple of his own. Olbrich then found a Drmic pass for the open lane and flushed down another two-handed slam for a 93-100 scoreline. Olbrich’s next attempt missed but another set offensive rebounds of Drmic and McCarron secured possessions for DeSantis to land the knockout blow for their 17th triple of the match.
You may already know...
— NBL1 (@NBL1) August 12, 2023
But Mitch McCarron is ???? ???? ???? ?
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With 13 seconds remaining both teams cleared their bench including the 350th and possibly last game for veteran Anthony “Spud” Spadavecchia going out on the ultimate high with a championship ring – as the Bearcats began to celebrate.
MVP went to Lachlan Olbrich who announced himself on the biggest stage of the season with a near triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists with DeSantis nearly double doubling with 20 points with five of six triples and nine rebounds. McCarron was delightful throughout the evening and on point with a near triple-double of 18 points, 11 assists and six rebounds with Drmic driving it home for the black and red with 15 points. Six rebounds and five assists.
Rios with 23 points with four triples kept the Eagles within touch all night and Doyle was diming all night for his 19 points and nine assists. Mays stagnated throughout the night but still managed to finish with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Coach Dean Nyberg was relieved and stoically proud of his team.
“Really happy and relieved it’s been a tough year and there’s adversity that not everyone sees behind the curtains, but the boys pulled together after that loss a few weeks ago and good to get it done.”
“It’s a special and talented group we thought if we played at our very best no one could go with us, when we get going we are very hard to stop that’s what we can do when we are cohesive.”
Captain of the Bearcats Mitch McCarron paid credit to the Eagles for pushing them all night and felt the big runs were what got it done.
“Full credit to Forestville they played a really good game – when we got our big runs we were able to capitalise and that helped us in the end,” McCarron shared.
“We knew we could get some substance at the end of the game (when the Eagles pushed at them in the final quarter) we knew they were going to make some shots and make a run at us, but we just believed in ourselves to get it done.”
McCarron also paid tribute to club stalwart Anthony Spadavecchia also suggesting he might even go around again.
“You never believe he wouldn’t go around again but what an achievement for him but I’m really glad we could get it done for him.”
With Nationals now the focus and the Knox Raiders of NBL1 South awaiting the Bearcats first up including a former teammate in former Adelaide 36ers Deng Acouth – McCarron noted after weekend celebrations the mini-preparation begins.
“We’ll practice Monday and travel later in the week – we’ll start to plan for that from there and get excited about taking on them and all the other champions.”
The Bearcats add to their illustrious legendary record as a club with title number 16 and their first since 2017 – they are a fighting fury at Bearcat land ready to take it to the Raiders and the other Men’s NBL1 Champions.
