Basketball: Cavaliers take dramatic late win over defending champions

Southern Phoenix and Wolves A also victorious in latest ties

Report by Martin Dunne:

The basketball leagues offered up yet more exciting action with another dying second’s win, the second in as many weeks. 

It was DGU Jets against Cavaliers that provided the most excitement this week as the old rivals faced off in a contentious match-up. Cavaliers struck the first blow with a post move from Dave Minay and swish shooting from Chris Wolfendale giving them the early lead. 

Jets' offence struggled to find form at first but Wayne Mears and Logan Glover soon found paths to the basket, the latter stealing a single point lead for Jets. Another inside move by Minay took the lead back for Cavs but it was outside shooting from Wolfendale that proved key to keeping them in front albeit by a slender margin, 17-15 at the end of the first.

A more aggressive Jets offence coupled with an active defence from the start of the second quarter. Mid-range shooting from Glover coupled with an inside move from Keoghán Taylor to help Jets tie up the game and then take the lead in the opening minute. It was a standout performance from Tom Dalton-Brown that saw the Jets take off though, solid outside shooting complimenting aggressive drives that drew the foul and free throw opportunities. It was an unanswered eight-point run that gave Jets their biggest lead of the game. 

Substitutions from Cavaliers saw Wolfendale and Boyle back on the court and helped to restart their offence, matching the Jets with their own unanswered run that soon had them ahead again. Jets could have trailed into halftime until another set of strong drives from Dalton-Brown and Taylor drew fouls from Cavs and allowed them to tie up the score on free throws, 34-34 at the buzzer. 

Cavaliers' offence proved problematic for Jets as the third quarter got underway, Wolfendale and Boyle opening up from the three-point line while Minay cleaned up inside. Jets struggled to find a reply, Dalton-Brown providing from the wing and Mears on the free throw line but neither was enough to shorten the deficit, and Cavaliers soon had their biggest lead of the game, standing at nine-points. Jets eventually found some reply in the final minutes, Taylor and Mears on the drive while Paul Kilic sank a three-pointer. It narrowed the gap a little but Cavaliers still held the lead, 57-50 going into the final quarter.

Afterburners were on full for Jets at the start of the final quarter as Glover, Mears and Dalton-Brown led the charge in an 11-point flurry that changed the face of the game and saw Jets snatch the lead, 57-61. 

A timeout from Cavaliers helped them to stop the Jets momentum and start a fight back as Boyle and Minay picked up points and saw the ninth lead change of the game. The game stayed close into the final minute, and scores stood tied, 65-65, with less than 30-seconds to go.

A steal and quick push from Jets caught Cavaliers in transition and a strong drive from Glover cut through the defence to push Jets out ahead by two-points with only 13 seconds remaining. Cavs hit the timeout to talk strategy and advanced the ball to the front court for their inbounds. 

Solid Jets defence caused some trouble but Cavaliers managed to get the ball into the hands of Wolfendale who launched a challenged three-pointer from well outside the arc. It looked wide of the mark but banked off the backboard and dropped through the hoop to cheers from the Cavs bench and gasps from the Jets fans. With only five seconds remaining Jets pushed the ball down the court quickly and tried for a shot but fell short of the mark, Cavaliers taking the win 68-67 and Wolfendale banking Man of the Match for his shooting efforts.

The other games of the night saw Wolves A take on Hoops while Southern Phoenix had a close match up against Cheldan Property Pirates. 

Hoops ran some solid perimeter moves and inside plays, Gemma Kirkham finding success at the mid-range while Mairi Harrison sniped buckets from outside the arc. It wasn’t enough to overcome a strong Wolves performance though as they took the win 81-40, Jack Wilkinson claiming Man of the Match with a 32-point game.

Aggressive breaks down the court were a signature of the Phoenix offence against Pirates, as Michael Pardoe powered the ball down the floor. The pace was matched up with outside shooting from Vannin and Rowan Coulter, who between them racked up 30 points from outside the arc. Pirates’ offence saw plenty of aggressive drives and some nice hand offs to big men Ben Smith and Rhys Roberts, as well as a barrage of mid-range pull ups. The teams stayed within a few points until a breakout in the fourth saw Phoenix pull ahead, taking the game 80-66, while Vannin Coulter took man of the match.

Wolves A take on Cannons Elite in the first of three matches this tonight (12 November), with action tipping off at 7pm. 

The match-up will see Wolves rookies Jack Wilkinson and Oliver Hamilton take on their former teammates after transferring from Cannons at the end of last season. With an emphasis on fast breaks and outside shooting the game should prove to be a high-paced affair as Wolves A seek to maintain their unbroken record while Cannons hope to upset their former teammates.

The second game of the evening will see a derby between Southern Pheonix as both of the club’s teams take to the floor at 8.30pm. A revamped lined up for Phoenix sees brothers Vannin and Rowan Coulter leading the charge from outside the arc while Phoenix 2 rely on the quick pace of league newcomers Rohan Chandilya and Micah Clarricoats. 

DGU Jets will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Wolves B at the same time, as both teams take to Court 2 in the NSC Main Hall.