Basketball: Pirates sink Cannons in Hop-tu-Naa thriller

It was a night of terror and excitement in Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Senior League as Pirates and Cannons delivered a Hop-tu-Naa thriller that was settled by a single point in the dying seconds.

Lance Davidas was quick on the drive for Pirates from the opening jump ball. He followed that with a fast break less than a minute later.

Cannons were slower to start but soon found the mark as Dylan Evans, Samson Shimmin, and Kyle Furlong fired a salvo of three-pointers that sank the Pirates’ lead.

The teams traded baskets for much of the remaining quarter, Pirates favouring quick drives and inside play while Cannons relied more switching the play from side to side and outside shots.

A foul on the shot by Yohanan Batugal allowed Darwin Gilmore to extend Cannons’ slender lead to three points at the end of the first, 17-20.

A mid-range jumper opened the scoring in the second quarter as Evans extended Cannons’ lead by two. But it didn’t dampen Pirates’ spirits and they soon found a return in the form of rookie Ben Smith, who made a solid inside play and was soon followed up with two swish free throws that pulled them to within a single point.

Shimmin and Gilmore swished inside the arc to keep Cannons ahead but it was short-lived as Batugal joined Louis Walker for a duo of three-pointers that Walker then coupled with two mid-rangers which cemented a lead for Pirates.

A frantic final two minutes saw Cannons push hard to regain the lead but Pirates held their nerve and closed out the half ahead, 35-30.

A strong opening to the second half saw Pirates extend the lead to double digits as Smith, Walker and Batugal all hit the mark.

Cannons struggled to convert in the first part of the third quarter and relied on fouls on the shot to provide free-throws which Gilmore and Shimmin sank to keep them in contention.

It was that pair who made the breakthrough for Cannons late in the quarter as they continued to drive to the hoop for lay-ups and mid-range shots, which slashed the lead in half.

Momentum had shifted and it seemed Cannons could have the Pirates’ plunder until a trio of fast breaks from Davidas in the final two minutes secured the lead, 59-51 at the end of the third.

Cannons’ defence stepped up in the final quarter, denying the drive and challenging outside shots from Pirates which impacted their success rate. The lockdown was coupled with a stronger offensive showing as John Long found routes through the defence for easy layups.

Fouls from the Pirates’ defenders helped Long pick up some bonus free-throw points and a fast break in the final minute pushed the Cannons into a tie, 69-69.

The last minute was a frantic affair as an immediate return from Batugal pushed Pirates ahead by two only for over enthusiastic defence to give the Cannons a total of six free-throws, Gilmore and Shimmin hitting three to push their side ahead again, 71-72 with six seconds on the clock.

A long pass on the inbound saw a quick shot from Pirates, which pinged off the rim. Jon Russell crashed the boards though and scored a buzzer-beating putback to steal the win for Pirates, 73-72, to an explosion of cheers from the bench.

Russell also stole man-of-the-match honours for his never quit attitude and game-changing offensive board.

Hoops faced off against Wolves B in the second game of the evening, with strong performances from the returning Ollie Smith and Brayden Roche helping Wolves win out the day.

The first half saw quick pace down the court from Smith and Roche putting the Hoops’ defence under pressure in transition, while Evan O’Dea found routes to the basket for some quick buckets.

Hoops found success on the outside as quick swings round the perimeter and drive-and-dish actions found Danielle Murphy and Mairi Harrison open for splash three-pointers.

Pace again defined the second half for Wolves, although stronger inside defence from Hoops saw double teams close the lane on several offensive drives.

Pivoting to outside shots helped to keep Wolves ticking over as O’Dea and Roche hit the mark, while Shane Collins posted up strong for offensive boards.

Hoops shifted to a larger focus on inside play and drives through the defence, Gemma Kirkham and Oksana Fedorovych providing the goods.

They couldn’t overcome Wolves’ relentless pushes though and a fast break from O’Dea, who picked up the man-of-the-match award, saw Wolves B claim their second victory of the season, 79-37.

The final game saw a dominant performance from Wolves A against Southern Phoenix 2. Slow to start, Wolves eventually found form through solid defensive efforts and quick movement round the perimeter.

Drives from Seb Smith and Jack Wilkinson paired with outside shooting from Viktor Capkanovski and Oliver Hamilton as Wolves built a solid early lead.

Phoenix were not without reply though, young rookie Rohan Chandilya proving an effective shooter with five splash three-pointers.

The Southern offence couldn’t break down a solid Wolves defence, Smith joined by Oscar Lace in locking down the ball handler and so Wolves continued to build their lead, with Cameron Scott dominating offensive boards and put backs.

A final inside play by Scott took Wolves to a 100-32 victory and he shared the man of the match honours with Smith for powering Wolves on both ends of the floor.

Action continues in the Senior League this Thursday night with six teams battling it out in the main hall of the NSC.

Southern Phoenix will be hoping for their first win of the 2026/27 campaign as they face Cheldan Property Pirates in the early game tipping off at 7pm.

Then there is a double header at 8.30pm as Hoops take on Wolves A and Cavaliers face old rivals DGU Jets.

Good crowds have attended the opening weeks of the basketball league and spectators are encouraged courtside where free seating is available.

MARTIN DUNNE