EXCITING youngster Edward Bigg-Wither has been a serious shining light for the Canberra Gunners this season, and delivered a standout showing for his side as they defeated the Southern Districts Spartans over the weekend.

The NBL1 National Finals were held in Canberra from Friday to Sunday, and the Gunners had a serious chance of winning it all given their strong campaign and home court advantage. They had advanced to the semi final after a strong first up win, and were looking to book a spot in the decider when they took on the Spartans.

Although the Spartans delivered a strong first quarter performance and led by four points at the opening change, the Gunners took over from there, winning the remaining three periods comfortably en route to a 30-point blowout to cement their place in the Grand Final the following day, which they ended up winning in front of their home crowd.

Although the starters certainly stuffed the stat sheet, Bigg-Wither was excellent off the bench, making every post a winner in an efficient performance that suggests a bright future at the level in the coming years.

Southern Districts Spartans (83) def. Canberra Gunners (113)

Edward Bigg-Wither – 14 points, one assist, one steal

The Gunners Academy product delivered a statement performance on the big stage at the National Finals, making all of his 15 minutes of court time count in a mesmerising showing that proved remarkably productive.

He was not injected into the game until the second quarter, but made an immediate impact by getting on the end of an alley-oop play, showing good chemistry with his teammates despite just entering the game. A few minutes later, Bigg-Wither went back to back on the scoring front, first pulling up for a midrange jumper before driving in and finishing at the cup in a scoring flurry. He was subbed out for the remainder of the half having made a serious impression.

He returned to the fold in the third quarter, stealing the ball from Spartans star Tamuri Wigness to show active hands and create another possession for his team. Bigg-Wither showed his touch around the rim with a nice hook shot as the Gunners continued their charge, before throwing down a nice dunk less than a minute later. The youngster showed his passing craft with a nice dish to captain Glenn Morison inside the paint, before again finishing at the rim himself to round out another impactful quarter.

Bigg-Wither only played a few minutes in the final frame, with Canberra having already secured the win by this point, but was still able to make a nice play with yet another strong drive to the basket. He is not afraid to take his opponent off the dribble and can finish through defensive pressure with some tremendous composure.

In just 15 minutes of action, Bigg-Wither finished the game with 14 points on a perfect 7/7 shooting from the field, with all of his makes coming from inside the arc. He has no fear with ball in hand and was a crucial cog in the Gunners team that claimed the ultimate prize.