Wolfendale snatches victory for Cavaliers in thriller
The 2025/26 season continued to provide some of the most exciting games for years, as free throws in the dying seconds decided the outcome in a hard-fought battle between Cavaliers and Cannons Elite. A strong salvo of outside shots from Les Winnicki, Andy Cregeen and Chris Wolfendale powered an early push for Cavaliers in the first quarter. Cannons were close on their heels though, Gabe Thatcher and Oliver Hamilton swishing 3-pointers to get them started while strong drives from Rowan Coulter and Jack Wilkinson drew foul free throws that matched the Cavaliers scoring pace. The final minute saw a push from Cavaliers, with Mike Lewis hitting a nice mid-range to give seal a 3-point lead, 23-20.
A strong defensive push from both sides slowed scoring in the second quarter, Cavaliers locking down the lanes while Cannons denied the post-entry. Stronger defences forced multiple offences from both sides towards the 24-second limit and led to a string of pressure shots that favoured neither side. Both sides maintained a half court zone defence, sagging inside the 3-point line, quick ball movement and solid drive and kicks outs helped Cannons break through. Cavaliers ran more set offences and found some success in getting the ball into the hands of Wolfendale for 3-point shots, though always with a Cannons defender managing to get a hand up to challenge. As half time arrived the teams had matched point for point, Cavaliers still holding a 3-point lead, 36-33.
The third quarter saw Cannons launch a barrage of 3-pointers that were kicked off by Samson Shimmin in the opening minute and supercharged by Thatcher and Coulter as the quarter continued. The salvo of outside shots was matched with aggressive crashed for offensive boards that kept the Cannons in control for large portions of the quarter. Initially Cavaliers matched the outside shooting through the efforts of Wolfendale but soon found greater success with mid-range pull ups and post plays. Again, the teams were evenly matched in scoring and as the final minute ticked over Coulter brought them within 2-points through another swish shot from outside the arc. Cavaliers weren’t without reply though and responded with solid inside play from big man Dave Minay that extended their lead to 5-points, 57-52 going into the final quarter.
Chasing the lead, Cannons switched to a more aggressive fast break strategy in the fourth that repeatedly caught Cavaliers in transition. Quick pushes followed by strong drives upped the tempo of the game and initially saw Cannons narrow the gap and pick up a set of foul free throws. Cavaliers managed to stay ahead though, and an outside shot from Minay coupled with mind-range baskets from James Capelan and Andy Cregeen extended the lead to 7-points, 69-62 in the final two minutes of the game. With momentum on Cavaliers side, it could have marked the end of the game, but the final minutes saw a flurry of activity that set the Cannons bench and spectators ablaze.
O’Dea extracted two foul free throws from the Cavaliers defence and immediately followed them with a swish outside shot that drew Cannons to within three. Strong defensive pressure then forced the turnover and Thatcher converted to draw the game level. The teams traded baskets as the last sixty seconds ticked down until another swish 3-pointer, this time from Coulter, pushed Cannons into a single point lead, 73-74. With less than 10 seconds on the clock Cavaliers took an immediate timeout and advanced the ball to the front court, desperate for a basket to clinch the win. Cannons mounted a strong denying defence that almost paid off, but a foul on a pass gave Cavaliers a chance. Emotions boiled over leading to a player technical that added an additional shot for Wolfendale, who stepped to the line for three free throws. Sinking 2 of the 3 shots he pushed Cavaliers ahead by one-point, 75-74. With less than 2 seconds left on the clock, Cannons inbound with for a Hail Mary shot that fell short and sealed Cavaliers win on the narrowest of margins. The victory means that Cannons and Cavs are now tied in the league table, setting up what should be another thrilling third round encounter towards the end of the season.
The other games of the evening saw Pirates set sail against Hoops while an understrength Wolves were left grounded in the hotly anticipated top of the table clash against Jets. Hoops matched Pirates throughout the first quarter with only 3-points, 36-33, between the teams at halftime. Pirates caught the wind in the fourth quarter though, scoring at a rate of knots that left Hoops on the shore and granted them a 77-50 victory.
Meanwhile solid baseline cuts and quick drives saw Jets build momentum against Wolves, while the Wolves offence failed to find success in the latter stages of the game after a close 21-16 first quarter. Mattie Jennings shone for Jets on the inside and baseline while Wayne Mears and Tom Crosbie provided mid-range buckets and quick layups. A bruising four quarters saw Jets soar to a 90-48 win and extend their unbeaten run to 15 games, their last loss in the tail end of last year’s regular season.
