MINDERS has retained the ladder lead in the division one men’s Hamilton Basketball Association competition even though the team had the bye for round seven.

Barber Boys d St Mary’s Black

BARBER BOYS has closed the ladder deficit to Minders by defeating St Mary’s Black, 54-26 in a lop-sided game on Wednesday night at Hamilton Indoor Leisure and Aquatic Centre (HILAC).

Barber Boys were never threatened by St Mary’s Black, as the team held a 14-point lead at the half time break and then returned to the court for the second period and doubled the margin, despite St Mary’s Black scoring better in the second half.

Angus Hayden-Simpson (17), Aaron Glare (15), and Joel Le Roy (11) led the way for Barber Boys, while Craig Jackson (seven) was the top-scorer for St Mary’s Black.

St Mary’s Orange d GT Storm

ST Mary’s Orange has broken its duck by defeating third-placed GT Storm, 50-35, in the late game on Wednesday night.

GT Storm would have been forgiven for entering the game with victory already in their sights after St Mary’s Orange had been beaten in every round, but they were soon brought back to reality in the first half when the teams went point for point.

The buzzer sounded for half time and the teams couldn’t be split with 19 points each at the break.

Come the second half and St Mary’s Orange exploded with 12 points to three in the first five minutes of the term, which broke the back of the GT Storm, as Charlie Alexander (16) held the hot hand.

The final margin was an indication of the dominance the St Mary’s Orange team had for that second half, and with one round remaining before the Christmas holiday break, it’s to be hoped this form continues.

Women’s Division 1

St Mary’s Orange d Tigers

TUESDAY night saw St Mary’s Orange overtake Tigers on the premiership ladder with a resounding 14-point victory in the late game at HILAC.

Tigers took it right up to St Mary’s Orange in the first half to trail by only four points at the half time buzzer, but the second half was all one-way traffic, as the margin ballooned out to 14 by the final buzzer to end the game.

Clare Crawford put up 16 points to lead the way for St Mary’s Orange, while Bailey Ryan held the hot hand for Tigers with 12 points.

The loss saw Tigers fall to the bottom of the ladder, but the team is only one point adrift of second-placed St Mary’s Orange, which occupied the bottom rung of the ladder before the game but can easily reach second spot again before finals.

St Mary’s Black d Minders

THE momentum continues for the undefeated St Mary’s Black atop the premiership ladder, taking care of business against Minders in the early game on Tuesday night, 37-20.

St Mary’s Black was untroubled, opening a 10-point gap on the scoreboard in the first half, 19-9, before the team increased the margin to 17 points at the final buzzer.

Credit to Minders though, as the side did score more points in the second period than it did in the first and held St Mary’s Black to less than it scored in the first term.

Lily Raymond (12) and Saskia Gould (11) found their range to the hoop for St Mary’s Black, and Makayla Hutchins top-scored for Minders with seven points.