CELTIX have narrowly beaten Tigersharks Red in the first round of the Portland Basketball Association division one men’s finals, 49-43, on Wednesday night.

It was a return to play for basketball, after the three-week hiatus imposed by the coronavirus lockdown.

14-point performances from both Jackson Dunlop and Toby Oakley for Celtix, alongside 10 points from David Denboer and Will Hunter, were enough to see off Tigersharks Red.

Darcy Campbell put in a shift for Tigerharks Red, scoring 16 points, while Rufus Punton also scored 10, but it was not enough.

Celtix will now play first-placed Tigersharks Gold next week for a place in the grand final, while Tigersharks Red will play Shawnee Black, who also won on Wednesday.

Shawnee Black made short work of intra-club rivals Shawnee Gold in the elimination final, 61-44.

Over half of Shawnee Black’s points were scored by a dominant Sam Peters, who scored 31 points in an entertaining battle with Shawnee Gold’s Aiden Rogers, who scored 27.

Flynn Chapman was Black’s second top scorer, with 13, while Levi Chapman scored 9 points.

Tim Huppatz was second top scorer for Shawnee Gold, with 8 points.

Division one women

The PBA division one women’s competition played the final round of its regular season on Wednesday night,  confirming finals places for when they start next weekend.

A 22-point performance from Kate Gleeson saw Celtix Green easily defeat Tigersharks Red, 68-22, cementing their place in second spot.

Gleeson was helped along by double-digit performances from Jemma Nelson, Millie Jennings and Brodie McKinna, who scored 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Holly Lucas was Tigersharks Red’s best performer, scoring 12 points, while Makayla Brabham scored 8.

Tigersharks Red finished in fifth spot, below Tigersharks Gold, who they will take on in the first round of finals, while Celtix Green will play off against Celtix Blue.

Celtix Blue easily defeated Tigersharks Gold 51-34, thanks to a 24-point performance from Sarah Tunstall.

Tayla Stock also scored 11 points for Celtix Blue, on their way to a 17-point victory.

Lucy Burns was Tigersharks Gold’s top scorer, with 12 points, while Tayla Arnold scored 6.

Top-finishing Shawnee defeated Beavers via forfeit.