ST Mary’s Orange has moved into top spot on the Hamilton Basketball Association (HBA) Division One Men’s ladder after St Mary’s Black upset the Barber Boys in round 11 action to win by five points, 51-46.

Edward Koch was responsible for the upset on Wednesday night, as he worked hard for the Saints and got to the basket time and time again, converting on his shots to put up a game-high 21 points.

This is the second game Barber Boys has lost for the season and the side will be disappointed it let the opportunity to maintain its position at the top of the ladder slip.

St Mary’s Black only just sat inside the top five prior to the win and with it being the team’s fourth win for the year, the Saints will mark it as their best to date.

Bailey Baker dropped 10 points for the night in what was a breakout game for the youngster, including two three-pointers, this cameo performance helped to secure the win for the side.

It was the usual players scoring points for Barber Boys, as Nate Krause (13 points), Jakob Greaves (11 points) and Joel Le Roy (10 points) all contributed strongly, but the side required somebody to match Koch at both offensive and defensive ends.

St Mary’s Orange d. Minders White

IT was a tight tussle between St Mary’s Orange and Minders White, but it was the reigning premiers who managed to hold a 15-point lead when the final buzzer sounded, 53-38.

Both teams had the bare five players on their roster, so it was a battle of fitness and endurance as fatigue started to set in late in the game.

St Mary’s Orange overpowered the fighting Minders White team and with four players in the top 10 scorers in the league, the Saints’ offensive blast proved too much.

As we have seen plenty of times this season, Saints’ big man, Jacob Hill, was the most prolific scorer on the court with 18 points.

The most positive sign for St Mary’s Orange may just be the breakout game from Ethan Knight, who after averaging less than five points per game for the first six rounds, has scored 13, 13 and 16 in his last three outings.

Knight’s 16-point game was damaging as he caught fire from beyond the arc, making four shots to give his side what it needed, while Will Povey provided support with 11 points.

Josh Miller had his work cut out for him and managed to score 15 points, Jack Oswald also impressed on his way to 11 points for the night, but Minders White was no match for the top-placed Saints.

Minders Blue d. Tigers by forfeit.

Division 1-2 Women

St Mary’s Black d. Minders Blue

THE Saints recorded a massive percentage-boosting 39-point victory against the winless Minders Blue on Tuesday night in round 11 of the Division 1-2 Women’s competition.

Saskia Gould has been one of the most consistent performers across the competition for a side that sits in fourth position, as she had a standout game with 19 points and dropped three shots from outside the three-point line.

Gould has now scored 109 points for the season, placing her third in the league scoring standings, and one of three players to have reached triple figures this season.

St Mary’s Black sits at 5-5 for the season and has struggled to find continuity in win-loss results, and the side will hope this big win will carry some momentum into the next few rounds.

Casey Rook (11 points) had a great game which turned a regular win into an emphatic 43-4 victory.

Jasmine Smyth and Maddison Cotten scored two points each to make up Minders Blue’s total score.

Minders Blue will need to put up some better performances in coming weeks if it is to bring it up to any side and put an elusive first win on the board.

Tigers d. St Mary’s

IT was all one-way traffic, as Tigers proved far too strong for St Mary’s, winning 34-9 at the final buzzer to cement itself in second position.

It was expected to be a closer game than the 23-point margin with both sides sitting in second and third position.

Grace Cleaver (14 points) stood up for Tigers to ensure it would hold off St Mary’s and boost her team’s percentage up to 161.20.

Molly O’Brien (seven points) and Karoraina Karatau-Keightley (six points) played good supporting roles in the win.

There weren’t too many positives to take away from the game for St Mary’s, as Leesa Iredell led the way from a scoring perspective with five points.

The ball movement from the young and fast Tigers team was impressive and the pace of movement led to plenty of fast breaks which were the main way of hitting the scoreboard.

St Mary’s will look to get back on the winners list next week when it takes on Minders Blue, while Tigers have a big challenge against Sportscene Minders.

Sportscene Minders d. Monivae Dolphins

SPORTSCENE Minders made it 10 wins for the season, comfortably overcoming a challenge from Monivae Dolphins to win 38-14.

Paige Kissel was again the star of the show, scoring almost half of her team’s points to finish with 18, the vast majority of those from the paint.

Rhianne Lewis played an important role in the win, dictating play around the court and also hit the scoreboard with seven points to her name.

No Tahlia Ross meant there were a few fill-ins on the night and with this, the Dolphins fought hard and managed to build some cohesion on the offensive blast.

Maggie Doyle (five points) and Abbey Hill (four points) led the charge together, combining for nine of their team’s 14 points.

It was a gallant effort from Monivae considering it sits in fifth place, while Sportscene Minders is on top of the table, the scoring power from Minders was as prevalent as ever.

Monivae Dolphins will have a chance to take home its fourth win for the season when it takes on St Mary’s Black next round.