EXCITING young talent Lloyd McVeigh put together a career-best performance for the South Adelaide Panthers last weekend in the NBL1 Men’s South competition, leading his side to a 19-point victory on the eve of finals.

McVeigh dropped 36 points, eight rebounds and five dimes in the win over the Norwood Flames to close out the home and away portion of the season, announcing himself as a player to watch during the postseason in the coming weeks.

The result sees the Panthers into an elimination final against the West Adelaide Bearcats tonight, hoping to make a splash in what should be an intriguing finals series in the competition, with the qualifying final between the Central Districts Lions and Woodville Warriors set to take place tomorrow night.

If McVeigh can continue to deliver performances of this calibre, he could lead his side deep into the finals and towards a genuine crack at a championship, which makes sense given the winning history the McVeigh name already carries.

South Adelaide Panthers (109) def. Norwood Flames (90)

Lloyd McVeigh – 36 points, eight rebounds, five assists

It was a coming-of-age performance from McVeigh, who took over the match from the Panthers and had an immense say on the contest, remarkably doing so in just 25 minutes of court time in the best showing of his young career, topping a pervious 32-point, 10-rebound effort.

The young gun opened the scoring for the match, attacking the basket with ferocity and intent to nail the layup and get the Panthers on the board. It proved to be a winning method as McVeigh continued to drive into the lane and nail the close-range baskets. He capped off a strong start to the frame with his first triple of the contest to showcase his ability to stretch the floor, before being subbed off having given his side a hefty scoreboard advantage.

After being brought back into the match to start the second term, McVeigh again showed confidence in his shooting and nailed his second triple of the match to push the margin out to six points early in the period. He backed it up a couple of minutes later with another three-pointer before the defence got wise to his efforts and closed out on him around the arc. However, he showed maturity to use this to his advantage and attack the closeout strongly, which resulted in scores at the basket and trips to the free throw line.

He delivered a highlight play to finish the half with a strong and-one finish inside through contact to extend the margin even further. He converted at the free throw line and was the dominant player in the game at the main change.

McVeigh continued to have his say into the third quarter, nailing a nice floater to get his game going once again before showing his impressive court vision with a pair of centimetre-perfect dimes. His fourth triple of the game came midway through the term before the Panthers gave him a rest once again. He was not done just yet for the third period, coming back in for the final couple of minutes and scoring five quick points to help give his side an unassailable lead with a quarter to play.

Having put his side ahead by a strong margin in the first three quarters, McVeigh did not feature much in the last term, with the coaching staff resting their young gun for a big finals campaign ahead. However, he did play a few minutes midway through the term and nailed his sixth and final triple of the match, capping off an immense showing from an exciting talent.

In just under 26 minutes of court time, McVeigh finished the contest with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and five assists, shooting an impressive 14/18 from the field and a deadly 6/7 from long range. He has now announced himself as a major player for the upcoming finals series and he could be a matchwinner again tonight for the Panthers.