THE Sturt Sabres found themselves on the end of a tough loss against the Southern Tigers in the National Basketball League (NBL)1 Central Women’s on the weekend, with the result largely set up by a powerful showing from one of the Tigers stars in Demi Skinner.

It was a thrilling affair, with the Tigers not in front until the final quarter of the game. Despite trailing by five points at three-quarter time, Southern delivered a rampaging final term to overpower the Sabres and storm home for an impressive triumph.

It was the Tigers’ eighth win of the season, and proved quite crucial in keeping them in touch with the top-four in the standings. Given they were not expected to get the job done against a favoured Sabres side, it is one of their best wins of the 2022 season to date. On the other hand, Sturt sustained its fourth loss of the year, and the result hurts its chances of potentially moving up to second spot in the coming weeks.

The second-half resurgence would not have been possible if not for a terrific outing from Skinner, who stormed home with a massive performance in the final two quarters. She took the game by the scruff of the neck and willed her side to victory with a truly complete performance.

Demi Skinner vs. Sabres – 30 points, eight rebounds

Skinner’s second half was one of the best we have seen throughout the 2022 season, single-handedly changing Southern’s fate with a magnificent showing. She poured in 20 points in the final two periods alone, and was a massive reason why the Tigers were able to get over the line.

Doing most of her work inside the three-point arc, Skinner proved solid in the first half, but her side found itself trailing on the scoreboard. When the third term kicked off, Skinner wasted no time getting involved, producing basket after basket as the Tigers began to catch up on the scoreboard. She became extremely involved on the offensive end, and formed a powerful partnership with teammate Mollie McKendrick (23 points, 18 rebounds), but the second half was all Skinner.

From two-point territory, she nailed 11 of her 15 field goal attempts, finding a way to evade the defence and get on a roll inside. Her jumpshot was as smooth as ever, finding the bottom of the net on even the most contested of shots. Skinner was also able to cut to the basket on a number of occasions, rarely making an error on her lay-up attempts. To top it off, she nailed a third-quarter three-pointer, showcasing her range if given the time and space.

From the free throw line, Skinner made no mistakes and nailed all five of her attempts. A couple of these came in the most crucial stages of the game, as the Sabres looked to retake the lead. It was the perfect way to top off a stunning second-half showing.