The second week of Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Senior League tipped off with a speedy affair between Ravens and Microgaming Cavaliers on Thursday evening.

Ronan Thompson swished a three-pointer in the opening minutes to give Ravens the lead, before extending it further with a nice lay-up from Vannin Coulter.

An early timeout by Cavaliers coach Dave Minay settled their game and created some nice opportunities for Lez Winnicki, James Capelan and Andy Cregeen to put them on top.

The game stayed balanced for most of the first quarter, Ravens’ speed matching up against their opponents’ experience until Lorenz Freno found his form and sank a slew of shots to build a solid Cavs lead 19-11 at the end of the first.

Cavaliers maintained their consistency from the start of the second period, Baxter Chamberlain and Sergio Arboleya both creating on offence.

Ravens suffered from a series of unforced errors with some carry calls and several turnovers which Cavaliers were happy to capitalise on.

A more settled performance developed as the quarter progressed, with an aggressive defence disrupting Cavs’ offence and stalling their advance.

Ravens narrowed the margin, with Jake Kinrade finding the sweet spot outside the arc and being joined on the scoresheet by Zak Mitchell and Leon Evans in the dying minutes.

Cavaliers still held the advantage at half-time though, leading 33-22, with consistency and patience on offence keeping them in control.

Consistency and patience proved to be the defining element of the second half, Cavaliers controlling the ball well and finding opportunities for baskets and offensive boards as they broke down the defence.

Ravens started well, with Coulter and Mitchell featuring again, but too much haste continued to cost them in turnovers and interceptions. Better form saw Ravens win the final quarter but it wasn’t enough to overturn the Cavaliers lead, the score standing 68-53 at the buzzer.

FORGET ME NOT JETS

V PWC HOOPS

The second senior game of the night pitted a relentless Forget Me Not Jets against a reduced-strength PwC Hoops.

The early parts of the game saw Hoops contain Jets well, disrupting their offence and forcing contested shots. Jets took a few minutes but found the right adjustments and inside man Peter Boussougou raked up several baskets.

The three-out Jets offence proved devastating as the game progressed, Boussougou being joined by Danny Harrison on the inside game while Jake Glover used his trademark speed to dominate fast breaks.

Baskets came from Danielle Murphy and Lauren Ellison for Hoops but there were plenty of nice looks and solid shots opened by their offensive plays.

Unfortunately the rings at the NSC can be cruel masters sometimes and it was Hoops who suffered as many solid shots were rejected.

Jets’ combination of fast breaks and inside play continued to produce throughout though, extending a significant lead that saw them take the game 86-22.

JUNIOR LEAGUE

This Thursday sees more action for the Junior League with a 3v3 competition followed by some offence coaching and 5v5 selection games.

The junior league runs 6-8pm every Thursday at the NSC and is open to all players in school year 7 and above.

SENIOR LEAGUE

Another duo of games will be held on the Senior League courts as PsC Hoops take on Wolves and Turkeys play Ravens.

Both games top off at 8pm in the NSC Main Hall and courtside seating is available for any spectators who wish to attend.