THE NBL1 finals are taking place around the country at the moment, and in the Central Men’s competition, Jordan Forbes put on a show to lead the Sturt Sabres past the South Adelaide Panthers and into the preliminary final.

The two sides locked horns at Springbank Secondary College on Sunday afternoon in an elimination clash, with the winner set to advance and take on the South Adelaide Panthers for a spot in the big dance in the coming weeks. It was set to be an exciting clash, given both sides delivered a record of 12 wins and five losses, only separated by percentage at season’s end. Having both advanced through the first week of finals, it was do-or-die in what was shaping as an intense battle.

For much of the game, proceedings lived up to the hype, with Sturt holding a slim, but consistent lead on the scoreboard. The Sabres always seemed to be able to answer after the Panthers tried to push ahead and snatch the lead. Although it was a 10-point game heading into the last, South Adelaide was still a shot and storming past the opposition. However, Sturt finished the game in dominant fashion, outscoring the Panthers 25-8 in the final 10 minutes of the game and keep its season going.

Forbes was a one-man show for a lot of the match, keeping the Sabres in the contest and helping set up their match-winning run in the fourth.

Sturt Sabres (98) def. South Adelaide Panthers (71)

Jordan Forbes – 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks

Forbes was the most influential player on the court in Sturt’s season-defining win over the Panthers, doing a bit of everything to lead from the front in a big way.

The six-foot-four guard registered a team-high 22 points, nailing eight shots on 14 attempts. He was not afraid to step up and take plenty of shots himself when Sturt’s offence dried up. Forbes was on a heater as the game went on, lighting things up from behind the arc, nailing three of his four attempts. Most of these came off the dribble, using his elite handles to create space and knock down a shot.

Forbes was also not afraid of contact, attacking the hoop with ferocity when going downhill. Although the Panthers tried to slow him down, the guard was simply too strong, forcing the opposition into illegal contact when defending.

Forbes’ rebounding was another important factor in the game, with no other Sabre having a bigger impact on the glass. He was relentless in his pursuit of the ball after the Panthers missed, which was a key part of the team’s restrictive nature on the defensive end.

He was still able to create offence despite taking more shots this time around, dishing out to his teammates in space. Whenever the defence overcommitted to guarding him, he still had the vision and composure to pass out and maintain possession for his side.

It was a vital performance from Forbes, who stepped up in Sturt’s biggest game of the season. Hopefully he will have a bit more help next time around, but it was a crystal clear display of his true capabilities.