A MATCH-WINNING performance from Keanu Rasmussen has steered the West Adelaide Bearcats into the 2025 NBL1 Central Men’s Grand Final, after they defeated the Forestville Eagles in dramatic fashion over the weekend.

The Bearcats have been the fairytale of the finals series, coming from fifth spot to make the grand final, despite every one of their games being an elimination clash. They came into Saturday night’s clash at State Basketball Centre (Wayville) as underdogs against an Eagles side that finished atop the standings with a record of 16 wins and two losses.

However, a red-hot start from the Bearcats flipped the script, with West Adelaide leading by 10 points at the first change. As expected, the Eagles fought back over the course of the match, and led by a point with a minute remaining, but the Bearcats continued to show their desire and fight in the final stages, retaking the lead and holding on for a two-point win in remarkable fashion to keep their championship hopes alive.

The performance of Rasmussen was integral in getting the Bearcats to victory, particularly in the final frame, where he stepped up with clutch plays on both ends of the floor to stamp himself as a star of the competition.

Forestville Eagles (95) def. by West Adelaide Bearcats (97)

Keanu Rasmussen – 22 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, one block

The 22-year-old was the match winner for the Bearcats in his best performance of the 2025 season, and will be remembered for his heroics in the final minute of the game, single-handedly dragging his side to a Grand Final berth.

Rasmussen’s passing was immense in getting the Bearcats’ offence rolling in the crucial first quarter, setting up a pair of three-pointers to Cameron Huefner and Jacob Tryon in the first couple of minutes of play. He showed his craft as a scorer as the quarter went on, opening his account with a nice and-one from a strong finish through contact at the basket.

After combining well with Huefner to set up another triple for his teammate, Rasmussen delivered a second consecutive and-one play to put his side up by 14 points and stun the home crowd. The young gun nailed another layup later in the frame and it was all one way traffic by quarter time.

He formed a strong connection with Lat Mayen to open the second frame, with Rasmussen’s passing continuing to prove a massive factor in the game. Mayen went on a 5-0 scoring run and eventually eight points in four minutes thanks to his teammate’s passing, while Rasmussen was able to get involved as a scorer himself with a smooth stepback triple on the eve of half time.

The third quarter was a quiet patch of play for Rasmussen and the Bearcats, although the guard was still able to make an impact with his passing, with this injection of offence proving crucial as the Eagles looked to get back in the contest. The young guard set up several baskets in the penultimate period, although Forestville had managed to cut the margin down to four points at the final change.

Rasmussen’s final quarter will go down in Bearcats history given the significance of the match and the impact he had. He kicked things off with some nice work on the defensive glass, before driving into the lane and throwing down an emphatic dunk to inject some energy into his side. Rasmussen’s ability to draw contact was still a massive positive for West Adelaide, and resulted in the opposition getting in the ‘bonus’ earlier than they would have liked.

After the Eagles tied up proceedings with four minutes to play, the young guard was the one to stand up again with his third and-one layup of the match to show he is built for the big stage. He furthered those claims when he drew contact and brought his side within a point with another trip to the charity stripe with a minute to play.

Rasmussen then delivered a memorable moment again when he nailed yet another layup through contact to give his side a two-point buffer with 28 seconds on the clock when he converted the extra free throw. It showed his composure through contact as well as his clutch ability with the season on the line.

From there, the Bearcats simply had to defend, and Rasmussen stepped up in the biggest way possible to seal the win. When the ball was passed to star Eagle Dejan Vasiljevic, the young Bearcat was left on an island with the NBL champion, but was not shaken off by the dribble, and instead got a hand on the three-point attempt, blocking the game winner as time expired and sending his team to the big dance.

He finished the contest with 22 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and the match-winning block, all while shooting 7/10 from the field and 7/8 from the free throw line. Now instilled with immense belief following their best win of the season, Rasmussen and the Bearcats will be confident in their ability to lift the trophy this weekend.