There were solid wins for Cannons Elite, DGU Jets and Wolves in the latest round of the 2025/26 basketball season at the NSC on Thursday evening.

Cannons were first on the docket against a solid Hoops squad. Many of the Hoops players featured in the gold medal-winning women’s team at the Anglesey inter-island basketball tournament during the summer.

Their success has translated to improved performances throughout this season, posting some of their best scorelines of recent years.

Becky Dunne opened the scoring with a swish three-pointer from well outside the arc and was quickly followed up by a strong inside move from Gemma Kirkham for two.

They held the lead until the third minute when a mid-range from Oliver Hamilton started Cannons’ scoring, while a quick drive drew a foul that saw Rowan Coulter seal a three-point play from the free-throw line.

Coulter was decisive to Cannons’ efforts in the first, a further couple of outside shots and solid mid-range helping to power them ahead 25-17 at the quarter.

Another deep three-pointer opened for Hoops, Mairi Harrison providing this time, but it was the defensive efforts that defined a lower scoring second quarter.

Good transition down the court limited fast-break opportunities to both sides and they were forced to move the ball in the hunt for offensive breakthroughs.

Evan O’Dea was the most effective for Cannons with a combination of quick moves and solid shooting – an impressive 69 percent from the mid-range - allowing him to break down the Hoops defence and extend his side’s lead.

Daniella Kravela and Gemma Kirkham kept Hoops ticking over from the mid-range but at half-time Cannons were up by 13 points, 39-26.

The third quarter saw a tight battle between the two teams as O’Dea continued to perform on the drive for Cannons, while Kravela and Kirkham were joined by Danielle Murphy who sank some nice jump shots under pressure.

Tiredness started to impact the Cannons defence and reaching on shots saw a series of foul free-throws awarded to Hoops which helped them to stay ahead for much of the quarter.

Cannons held steady throughout the quarter as the team’s traded baskets but Hoops managed an edge, keeping slightly ahead in quarter scoring.

It looked like they were on to win the quarter until Dylan Evans combined a quick drive lay-up with a final minute transition three-pointer to push Cannons ahead by four in the quarter and 17 points overall, with the score standing 58-41 going into the fourth.

Quicker pace paid off for Cannons in the final quarter as a series of breaks down the court saw Evans and O’Dea build solid momentum.

Hoops were not without reply as Murphy swished another deep three and Kirkham continued to pick up points from the post and mid-range.

It wasn’t enough to turn the tide of the game though and a final run by Darwin Gilmore, Raf Turla and Alfie Garrett further extended the Cannons lead 78-54 at the final buzzer.

Player of the match was awarded to Evan O’Dea who proved devastating on the drive and mid-range.

- The other games of the evening saw convincing wins for title holders Jets and former champions Wolves.

Jets’ strong inside play and solid shooting proved too much for Southern Phoenix as Mattie Jennings dominated the opening quarter, while Tom Crosbie and Tom Dalton-Brown swished a flurry of mid-range and outside shots.

Phoenix struggled as the fast break of Matt Jones was contained and couldn’t match Jets’ shooting, falling 117-39 at full-time.

Wolves gave a good display of solid team play to emerge victorious over Pirates in the second game of the evening, new head coach Ben Campbell running his bench efficiently to keep the momentum going.

Quick ball movement and spread scoring proved difficult for Pirates to contain while Luke Geneza continued to impress on his league return as Wolves took the game 84-35.

Cavaliers will be hoping that Jets are grounded this Thursday as the two teams face off in the latest round of the basketball league.

There’s an old rivalry between the two clubs and, with both teams dominating this season’s top scorer rankings, the 8.30pm game is sure to be an exciting match-up.

On court two a youthful Cannons will take aim at Pirates as the young team seek to advance to third place in the league rankings, while Pirates hope to pick up their first win of the season.

Preceding both matches at 7pm, Southern Phoenix will play Wolves in what should be a fast-paced affair.

Phoenix was founded by former Wolves guard Michael Pardoe and he will be keen to prove the mettle of his new club, while his former team-mates will seek to continue their unbeaten run thus far.

All games are played in the NSC main hall with courtside seating available for spectators.

This season has seen the association capture a number of statistics from each game, with key details available on the basketball website www.isleofmanbasketball.com Building on this, the website now features a player rankings page which collates the key statistics for every player this season – allowing them to compare their performance as the season progresses.

The rankings have already highlighted some of the top offensive performers this season, with players from Jets and Cavaliers dominating the top five scorers.

Andy Cregeen takes fifth spot with 55 points, using quick pace on the break to rack up open lay-ups and is just behind Cavaliers team-mate Dave Minay (58) whose inside presence has taken fourth place.

Jets tie up third and second with both Jake Glover and Tom Dalton-Brown on 59 points, the former with solid drives and breaks while the latter has shown impressive form outside the arc.

Top spot goes to Southern Phoenix guard Matthew Jones who has an impressive total of 73 points from four games, again relying on quick pace down the court to rack up easy fast break buckets.

Only time will tell if fast breaks continue to dominate the game of this season’s top scorers.

MARTIN DUNNE