Tigers secure narrow victory over Canberra

It was an important win for the side as the gunners sit only one game behind in fourth place as the Tigers try to hold onto top three positioning.

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Speaking to Tigers captain Bruce Ozolins, he credited an energised and focused defense as the backbone to their victory on the weekend.

"We just locked down on defense a lot better, especially in the first quarter, which is where we had been lacking," he said.

The team is finally back and looking healthy after several weeks of having significant members of the team out with injury and illness. Bagoly said having everyone back really opened things up offensively with the spacing several players provide.

"We've got the three-point power that we haven't had in the past, we've got three or four guys this year who can all knock down shots from the outside."

"I really liked how we were passing the ball around and it really opened up everything for us."

It was a back and forth game that saw the Tigers climbing back in the final period of play. The maturity of the Tigers really came through when it mattered most with several clutch baskets, including a big three by Will Ozolins.

It was Kyle Leslie who was the hero on the night however, as he knocked down the biggest shot of the game when he drained a three to give his side the lead for good over Canberra.

"The maturity of the team, we're all a little bit older than the other side which I think really helped us to keep a cool head down the stretch as we all have that collective experience," Bagoly said.

He said the focus moving forward will be to maintain the defensive intensity they showed on the weekend, with it being key to the success of the Tigers.

"Defensively we just need to keep locking down because success on that end always leads to easy baskets."

Bagoly led the Tigers with 17 points, followed by consistent forward Jake Wilson's 16 points and Kyle Leslie with a quiet 10 points but the biggest three points of the night. \

Crafty guard Aaron Puljic is set to return to the Tigers lineup next weekend after injuring himself in the fifth round of the season, which will add some extra play-making and strong three-point shooting.

Puljic knocked down 12 three-pointers in just five games with the side this season.

The Tigers currently sit in third place, two games behind the St George Saints Red, but only one game back of fourth as the the tight race for the top four puts added pressure on Shoalhaven to hold their ground as the season wraps up.

Shoalhaven's next game will tip off at 2pm against the sixth place Hornsby Ku Ring Gai Spiders (10-8) at Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Centre on August 6.