Sabres Edge Eagles in 20-Lead-Change Thriller

The Sturt Sabres edged past Forestville Eagles 60-59 on Saturday at State Basketball Centre in a nail-biting contest that featured 20 lead changes throughout the game. Sturt's offense was led by Katia Stamatelopoulos who posted 14 points on 6-16 shooting, including 2-6 from outside. Chelsea Portus added 11 points with a strong all-around performance, including three steals and three fast break buckets. The Sabres capitalized on Eagles turnovers, converting them into 12 points while maintaining a more efficient offense from the field, shooting 37.5 percent compared to Forestville's 31.7 percent. Despite the loss, Forestville dominated the boards, outrebounding Sturt 47-37 with a significant 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Simons sisters led the Eagles with Samantha scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while Jess added 11 points with 10 boards. Forestville's efficiency at the charity stripe (65 percent) kept them in the game, converting 13 of 20 attempts compared to Sturt's 4 of 9. **STURT SABRES 60 (Katia Stamatelopoulos 14, Chelsea Portus 11, Paige Padroth 9).** **FORESTVILLE EAGLES 59 (Samantha Simons 13, Jess Simons 11, Ella Sawyer 11).** #NBL1South #GameDay