The Shoalhaven Tigers have won their fifth in a row, in a gutsy comeback against the Newcastle Falcons, off the back of Kylie Leslie's 45 points.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With several injuries hampering the team, the Tigers entered Saturday's match with only nine players dressed.
READ MORE:
It was a game the team needed to win, against a ninth place Newcastle side that had dropped four in a row, however the Falcons came out like a team desperate to get back in the win column.
The Tigers struggled out of the gate in the first quarter, with the team's lacklustre defence putting them in a 15 point hole, before coach Ben Bagoly called a timeout.
In the second quarter the Tigers started to put it together but still found themselves down 12 heading into halftime.
However, coming into the second half, the Tigers came out like a brand new team.
The team's defence came alive, with the players hands consistently in Newcastle's passing lanes, making the Falcons pay for every mistake.
With the increased pressure of their defence, the fastbreak opened up and the Tigers were able to string together a number of transition baskets.
Kyle Leslie sizzled throughout the whole night, dropping 45 points on 17 made field goals, including eight three pointers.
"The third quarter we killed it," Leslie said.
"Hands in passing lanes getting steals, transition buckets, moving on offence really well."
The Tigers finished the third up by one and then went onto again dominate the fourth on route to a 73-88 victory.
William Ozolins and Zac Ottosson both had fantastic games as well, dropping 18 and 10 points respectively, with their defence playing a huge role in the second-half slaughter.
Leslie credited the play of the team and a good mindset heading in that allowed him to come out firing.
"I had a really good warm-up and just took every opportunity I was given, just played to my usual shots," he said.
"I was just trying to win that game. Losing that one would not have been good."
The Tigers will look to make it six in a row this weekend as they take on the second seed St George Saints Red, who currently sit at 11-2.
That match will tip off at 2pm at Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre.