TEAMS are starting to build momentum, with gaps opening up on the ladder, with Hamilton Basketball Association round three games played this week.
Women’s Division 1-2
St Mary’s Black d Barber Babes
ST Mary’s Black made light work of Barber Babes in the early game on Tuesday, winning by 33 points.
The first half set the tone for the contest, as Black created plenty of scoring opportunities, while also defending strongly, to go into the main break leading, 28-13.
There was plenty of work to do for Barber Babes to try and get back into the contest, but the second-placed St Mary’s team replicated its effort in offence in the second half, putting up another 28 points to Barber Babes’ 10, to claim a 56-23 victory.
Lily Raymond shot a game-high 21 points for the winners, supported by 18 points from Elise Thurman, while Amy Pepper was Barber Babes’ best with nine points.
St Mary’s d Monivae
THE second game wasn’t as one-sided, but St Mary’s did get the better of Monivae, 50-31.
Monivae started positively, putting up the first four points of the game before the Saints responded, with St Mary’s pushing clear on the scoreboard in the final minutes of the first half to go into the main break leading, 19-14.
The second half was when the Saints flexed their muscles on court, as Monivae had no answer to match the output.
Only one player failed to score across both teams, showing the balance of both teams, but it was St Mary’s which dominated the second half to claim a 19-point victory.
Zoe Vankalken-Flack continued her strong season with 16 points for the Saints, while Danielle Tooley put up 15 points in support.
Molly Sevior and Lucy Jennings led the way for Monivae, each scoring six points.
Tigers d St Mary’s Orange
THE late game was the closest game of the division, with Tigers holding off St Mary’s Orange by nine points.
It was a defensive contest, with just 31 points scored in the first half, as Tigers took a one-point advantage into the main break, 16-15.
The second half saw Tigers edge clear of Orange, eventually winning, 31-22.
Grace Cleaver put up 11 points for Orange, while Rhianne Lewis matched that effort for Tigers.
Men’s Division 1
Minders d GT Storm
MINDERS retained its spot atop the premiership ladder with a solid performance against GT Storm on Wednesday night winning, 39-31.
The first half was subdued as both teams stifled the opposition with their defence and at the long break Minders held a six-point lead, 14-8.
The second half was the reverse of the first as both teams gained open spaces on court and the ball dropped through the net as Josh Miller (16) and Austin Mayfield (12) dominated for Minders.
The was no dominant player for GT Storm as six players returned single figure scores.
St Mary’s Black d Barber Boys
ST MARY’S BLACK opened its account with its first victory of the season against Barber Boys with a 17-point victory, 63-46 in the late time slot on Wednesday night.
The first half allowed St Mary’s Black to gain a 10-point advantage by the buzzer for half time to lead 28-10, but the second term saw both teams open the play at both ends of the court.
Craig Jackson (27) and jack Roberts (16) were the avenues to the hoop for St Mary’s Black, while Barber Boys was well served by Joel Le Roy (17) and Aaron Glare (12) in reply.
