BASKETBALL players took to the courts for Hamilton Basketball Association round three action this week with a spread of margins across the Division 1 Men and Division 1 Women’s games.

Division 1 Women

St Mary’s Black d Tigers

ST Mary’s Black remains in the top two following its comfortable 12-point win against Tigers on Tuesday night.

The two teams faced off in the late game and it was Black which burst out of the blocks, dominating across the court and putting up 24 points in the first half.

Tigers could only manage 11, leaving plenty of work to do in the second half to reel in the deficit.

The second half was lower scoring and a tighter defensive effort from Tigers kept Black to 11 points, winning the half by one point, with the final score being 35-23.

Charlize Cooper put up nine points to be the standout for St Mary’s Black, while Molly O’Brien did her best to keep Tigers within striking distance with seven points at the other end.

St Mary’s Orange d Minders

THE early game was a much tighter contest, with both teams in contention to get the win in the final minutes, with Orange hanging on to win by four points.

The first half was a thrilling encounter with both teams showing glimpses of their best basketball, with Orange going into the main break with a one-point advantage.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Orange doing just enough to keep Minders at bay, recording a 26-22 victory.

Grace Cleaver put up nine points to top the winning scores, while Zoe Hill finished the game with seven points for Minders.

Division 1 Men

Barber Boys White d St Mary’s Orange

A DOMINANT first half set up a round three win for Barber Boys White, accounting for St Mary’s Orange by six points on Wednesday night.

Orange struggled to contain the White offence, going into half time trailing, 10-18.

The Saints rallied in the second half, edging out White by two points for the period, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap, losing 35-41.

Archie Porter was the only Orange player to reach double figures, putting up 11 points for the team.

Nate Krause led the way for the winners with 13 points, supported by 12 points from Nathan Hardingham.

Minders d Barber Boys Black

MINDERS put on a clinic in the late game, dominating from the outset to record the biggest winning margin of the season to date, at 56 points.

A 47-point first half put the game beyond reach for Black by the main break, and Minders extended the 36-point half time margin to win, 86-30 at the final buzzer.

Angus Hayden-Simpson put up a game-high 26 points for the winners, while Sam English was Black’s best scorer with 11 points.