In-Depth: Wolves, Cavs & Jets rack up wins
There was plenty of action in the basketball league as Wolves sank their teeth into Ravens after last week’s single point loss to Jets. Oscar Lace opened the scoring with two quick breaks in the first minute that pushed Wolves 4-points ahead. Ravens kept their composure and managed to draw level by the 4th minute, Logan Glover and Miltos Provatakis providing the goods. It wasn’t to last though as an aggressive pressing defence from Wolves bore fruit and provided plenty of turnovers which Ross Wilson and Harry Brindle were happy to convert. As the game continued Wolves pulled further ahead with quick movement and solid shooting, with Lace, Viktor Provatakis and Kyle Mills all swishing from outside the arc. By halftime Wolves were well ahead, 45-14.
The second half was a similar affair, aggressive defence from Wolves locking down Ravens offence and providing plenty of chances on the return. Wilson provided an outstanding performance in the third, cutting through Ravens defence for a 12-point run. Ravens found some form in the fourth as Matthew Jones hit the lanes for fast breaks and Jake Kinrade swished at the mid-range. Wolves continued to extend their lead though, Provatakis joined outside the arc by a returning Kai Kirkham who happily sank the three. When the final buzzer came Wolves had a solid win, 82-26.
The second game of the evening pit Cavaliers against Hoops in a first quarter that saw Hoops dominate the outside shooting while Cavaliers cleaned up inside the arc. Becky Dunne and Zoe Kirkham were a big part of keeping Hoops neck and neck for a large part of the first. The break came for Cavaliers in the final minutes of that quarter, as they found their flow allowing Andrew Cregeen and Dave Minay to push ahead. Hoops scoring dried up for a little while but they came back with a bank in the final minutes of the half, Danielle Murphy and Gemma Kirkham picking up plenty of points and cooling some of Cavaliers momentum.
Scoring was balanced at the opening of the third, and both teams found success at the mid-range as well as the free throw line. A slow grind from Cavaliers helped them to extend the lead as the quarter went on, Phil Evans and James Capelan featuring. The final quarter was where the game was put to bed though, Evans and Minay powering a 17-point surge for Cavaliers that Hoops wouldn’t overcome. With the final buzzer the scores stood 67-27 to Cavaliers.
The final game of the evening saw Jets roast Turkeys in a decisive 99-27 victory. A breakneck pace won the day for Jets as they outran Turkeys from the jump ball. Tom Dalton-Brown and Jake Glover dominated Jets scoring for much of the game, but it was Revi Del-Rosario who most impressed with a 17-point run in the fourth quarter – primarily from 3-pointers. David Boyle kept Turkeys scoring ticking over, with Chris Wolfendale breaking through Jets box & 1 defence late in the game to find his way to the hoop – but it was too late to dent Jets commanding lead.
