IT MAY not have been the result that the West Adelaide Bearcats were hoping for, falling to the Central Districts Lions in the ANZAC Round of the NBL1 Central Men’s over the weekend, but the performance of Keanu Rasmussen was a shining light.

The Lions came into the clash as the favourites, having lost just one game to start the season and looking a complete outfit behind the consistent performances of Jack Stanwix and Efemena Abogidi. On the other hand, the Bearcats had shown glimpses, but had only secured a pair of wins from their first four outings.

West Adelaide was doing well to match the home side’s output in the first quarter at STARPlex on Sunday afternoon, leading by two points at quarter time, before the Lions put the foot down in the second period to hold a 12-point buffer at the main change. However, the Bearcats responded out of half time to cut that margin to three with a quarter to play, but the hosts stormed home to claim a 14-point win and keep their winning ways rolling.

Although the result was not ideal for the visitors, Rasmussen put together an excellent performance, with the 22-year-old proving the standout for the Bearcats.

Central Districts Lions (100) def. West Adelaide Bearcats (86)

Keanu Rasmussen – 27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six steals

Rasmussen was the standout for the Bearcats despite the final score, and again demonstrated why he has the potential to impact at NBL level in the future.

After using his impressive vertical leap to get involved on the glass on both ends of the floor in the opening minutes of the match, the youngster recorded his first score with a nice driving layup, perfectly encapsulating the explosiveness he possesses when attacking the basket. A couple of free throws followed shortly thereafter, as did a nice steal to create a fast break opportunity for his side.

Rasmussen showcased his isolation scoring ability with a nice stepback three-pointer later in the first term, taking the defender off the dribble and making no mistake with the space he created. At quarter time, the young gun already had nine points to his name, and was looking extremely dangerous offensively.

Although he started the second quarter a lot quieter, Rasmussen worked his way into the contest, and threw down a powerful dunk late in the term to give his side some much needed energy after the Lions looked to run away with the contest. He nailed another triple and began to really get involved as a passer, putting his teammates in the right spots and helping the Bearcats stay in the fight despite a strong term from the opposition.

The third quarter was much more of the same from Rasmussen, using his speed to attack the basket and finish at the rim several times throughout the period. His passing was still a crucial part of West Adelaide’s offence, while his defence continued to cause troubles for the opposition, and the 22-year-old played a vital role in dragging the team back into it.

Although he began to turn the ball over a bit more to start the fourth quarter, and struggled at times with increased defensive attention, Rasmussen was still able to make an impact with his ability to draw contact and convert at the charity stripe. The Bearcats struggled as a whole in the final frame in terms of offensive production, but Rasmussen was still able to keep the team reasonably close with his work at the free throw line, although his team was ultimately overrun in the final 10 minutes.

He finished with 26 points on 9/18 shooting from the field to go with excellent passing and elite defensive plays, and although the loss is far from ideal from a West Adelaide side looking to contend, Rasmussen’s performance was a huge positive and is hopefully a sign of things to come.