Seymour's alley-oop finish saves Lions' collapse

• Central Districts beat Sturt 78-77 after leading by 23 at half time
• Cali Clark posted 22 points and 18 rebounds in Norwood's four-point win
• West Adelaide and South Adelaide go straight to the August 8 grand finals

Jayden Seymour finished an alley-oop dunk with six seconds on the clock to give Central Districts a 78-77 win against Sturt, the last of three lead changes in the final 13 seconds of the NBL1 Central semi-finals.

Four semi-finals were played on July 25, 2026, two in each competition. West Adelaide and South Adelaide won through to the grand finals on August 8. Norwood and Central Districts advanced to preliminary finals on August 1.

NBL1 CENTRAL MEN

Central Districts Lions 78-77 Sturt Sabres

Semi Final 2, Springbank Secondary College.

Central Districts led 53-30 at half time at Springbank Secondary College on July 25, 2026. They won by one.

Sturt outscored them 20-13 in the third quarter and 27-12 in the fourth, and the lead changed three times in the closing 13 seconds. Sturt led 75-74 when Josh Tomasi blocked a Seymour layup, but Magok Manyang rebounded it and Spencer Gaze scored to put Central Districts back in front at 76-75 with 13 seconds left.

Tomasi answered with a layup from a Sam Daly assist to make it 77-76 to Sturt with seven seconds on the clock. Six seconds later Kalani Sapwell found Seymour for the alley-oop. Jacob Rigoni's turnaround jump shot with two seconds remaining did not fall.

Seymour finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Captain Kalani Sapwell and Koen Sapwell scored 11 each, Magok Manyang and Deng Manyang 10 apiece.

Tomasi led Sturt with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Rigoni had 18 on 4-of-21 shooting but was 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. Luke Pfitzner scored 17 on 8-of-11 and Jarryd Hoppo added 16 with a team-best plus-23.

South Adelaide Panthers 83-77 Forestville Eagles

Semi Final 1, State Basketball Centre (Wayville).

Lloyd McVeigh scored 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three, to send South Adelaide straight to the grand final.

Forestville led 46-39 at half time at the State Basketball Centre on July 25, 2026 before South Adelaide won the second half 44-31, shooting 54.8% for the game and 60% inside the arc.

Captain Jeremy Smith added 14 points and 7 assists, Daniel Smith 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Rio Bruton 12 on 5-of-8. Yevgen Sakhniuk had 7 assists. South Adelaide finished with 23 assists on 34 made field goals.

Greg Mays led Forestville with 23 points on 9-of-14. Alexander Starling filled every column with 10 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals. Jordan Forbes scored 15 and captain Adam Doyle 13.

Forestville grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and still lost, undone by 40.3% shooting.

NBL1 CENTRAL WOMEN

West Adelaide Bearcats 83-64 Sturt Sabres

Semi-Final 1, Port Adelaide Recreation Centre.

West Adelaide are through to the grand final after the most complete performance of the round at Port Adelaide Recreation Centre on July 25, 2026.

Captain Chloe Hodges had 13 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for a plus-27. Coco Hodges added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Alexandra Ciabattoni scored 12 with 9 rebounds and went 8-of-10 at the line, Morgan Yaeger had 15 and Ashlee Strawbridge 12.

Krystal Thompson handed out 7 assists in 12 minutes off the bench. West Adelaide finished with 23 assists, 50 rebounds and 12 steals, and shot 60% from inside the arc.

Paige Padroth top-scored for Sturt with 17. Tayla Brazel pulled 14 rebounds and Zoe Walker-Roberts scored 11. Sturt went 2-of-18 from three and attempted four free throws for the game.

Norwood Flames 68-64 South Adelaide Panthers

Semi Final 2, The ARC Campbelltown.

Cali Clark had 22 points and 18 rebounds, seven of them offensive, as Norwood came from 11 points down at half time at The ARC Campbelltown on July 25, 2026.

South Adelaide led 45-34 at the main break. Norwood held them to 19 points across the second half and won it 34-19.

Clark added 3 blocks for an efficiency rating of 36. Allysyn Becki scored 19, and Amy Cotton had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Norwood recorded 12 steals and 5 blocks.

Keira Gardiner and Bianca Stasinowsky scored 16 each for South Adelaide, Stasinowsky on 4-of-10 from three. Daisy Hocking pulled 13 rebounds. South Adelaide committed 23 turnovers to Norwood's 19.

Why it's important

Three of the four semi-finals were decided by a team that was behind at half time. Norwood trailed by 11 and won. South Adelaide's men trailed by seven and won. Central Districts were the exception in the opposite direction, and nearly the biggest casualty of the lot, leading by 23 at the break and surviving by one.

Only West Adelaide controlled their game start to finish, and they are the side already in a grand final.

What's Next

Preliminary finals, Saturday, August 1, 2026, all times ACST.

• Sturt Sabres v Norwood Flames, women, 6:00pm, Springbank Secondary College
• Forestville Eagles v Central Districts Lions, men, 7:30pm, State Basketball Centre (Wayville)

Grand finals, Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, all times ACST.

• West Adelaide Bearcats v the preliminary final winner, women, 5:30pm
• South Adelaide Panthers v the preliminary final winner, men, 8:00pm

Key Takeaways

1. Sturt's men produced the comeback of the finals and still went out. Down 23 at half time, they won the second half 47-25 and led with seven seconds left. A 78-77 loss ends their season.
2. Cali Clark was the dominant figure of the women's round. 22 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks in a four-point win, with seven offensive rebounds on a night Norwood shot 40.3%.
3. West Adelaide are the team to beat. 23 assists, 50 rebounds, 12 steals and a 19-point win. Chloe Hodges finished plus-27 in 34 minutes.
4. Alexander Starling's line deserves its own mention. 10 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals in a losing semi-final. Forestville get another shot at the preliminary final.