There was a dramatic finish to a nail-biting game as Wolves played Microgaming Cavaliers in Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Senior League at the NSC on Thursday.

Cavaliers took an early lead with a trio of quick baskets from Phil Evans which gave them a six-point advantage.

Wolves’ offence took longer to settle, creating some opportunities that failed to drop. Relief came in the form of two swish three-pointers - one from Kyle Mills, the other Ross Wilson - that opened the scoring in the latter part of the quarter.

But with both teams playing a physical, active defence, the scores stayed low and at the end of the first period it was 11-10 to Cavaliers, not the last time the game would rest on a single point.

The second and third quarters saw a battle of wills between the teams, Sergio Arboleya opening strongly for the Cavs in the second quarter and extending their lead with a quick drive followed by an outside three-pointer.

Wolves piled on pressure in the back court that created chances which Michael Pardoe and Ben Campbell were swift to capitalise on.

Jack Murray again made his presence felt for Wolves, stepping up inside the paint on both offence and defence, while rookie Oscar Lace executed a perfect pass and cut for a sweet lay-up through the middle of the defence.

As the game wore on, Cavs relied more on big man Dave Minay but it was not enough to stop the Wolves advance, the third quarter ending on another one-point difference this time in the latter side’s favour 38-39.

In the final quarter, Wolves built some offensive momentum that saw them initially pull further ahead with a slick three from Corey Pinder and baskets from Campbell and Wilson. Their lead was kept close with some outside shots, including a bank three-pointer from Arboleya, that saw Cavs snapping at their opponents’ heels.

Evans pushed Cavs ahead with another three and an additional point from a foul free-throw. As the clock hit the final seconds it was an agonisingly close game, 54-52 to Cavaliers.

With less than 10 seconds left, Wolves called for a timeout and advanced the ball into the front court for the inbound.

A quick double-down screen saw Wilson get free to receive the pass outside the three-point line and he quickly released a shot that fell short but drew a crucial foul from the Cavaliers defence.

With all eyes on him, Wilson stepped to the free-throw line for three single-point shots. He swished the first, second and then third to draw cheers from the assembled crowd and put the Wolves ahead by one with just over a second left on the game clock.

An intercept on the Cavaliers inbound allowed Wolves to run out the time and claim the win, 54-55 in the tightest game of the season.

l The second match of the evening sawTurkeys attempting to turn round their recent slump as they faced Douglas Basketball Club in a game that saw the return of two veteran players to the league, Ste Christian for Turkeys and Revi Del Rosario for Douglas.

Chris Wolfendale and Wig Bregazzi made their presence known from early on, racking up a selection of nice shots and lay-ups for Turkeys.

It was not until the second quarter that Douglas really found form, Joel and Marco Garmino hitting a series of nice breaks that propelled them into the lead.

Turkeys struggled to reply, Allan Walkingshaw managing to keep them in contention with some strong inside play but it was not enough to turn the tide. At the end of the half, it was Douglas in the lead, 28-22.

The start of the second half again saw a flurry of quick-break baskets from Douglas, this time from Luke Geneza and RB Gomez, which extended the lead to 15 points.

Turkeys replied with a defensive switch that stopped the Douglas advance but again struggled to find their offensive opportunities. The effort kept up though, Rumen Valev working both ends of the court and being rewarded with a string of baskets for Turkeys while Walkingshaw again stepped up inside.

As the fourth quarter got underway, Turkeys’ grind paid dividends and brought them level at 50-50 with three minutes to go.

With all to play for, it was Amu Hikwa who stepped up with two nice moves that were complimented by a basket from Del Rosario and put Douglas ahead at the buzzer 55-52.

l The other games of the evening saw Eagles take on PokerStars and PwC Hoops play Forget Me Not Jets.

Eagles were in full flight for their match-up, Jack Coates and Jack Elliot both impressing with some nice moves to the hoop, the former also getting cheers from the crowd for a series of impressive blocks.

Stars hit some nice fast breaks but struggled against the athletic Eagles who took the win, 80-38.

It was a difficult night for PwC Hoops in their loss to Forget Me Not Jets. Hoops moved the ball quickly and effectively, building on the offensive system that has paid off so far this season, but the basketball stubbornly refused to drop on the chances they created.

Jets powered forward with their quick breaks and inside game, notching up the win 81-18, and taking the top spot in the league table.

l This Thursday sees an extended Junior League running from 6-8pm which is open to all secondary school age players looking to play.

The Senior League will then feature two games as Microgaming Cavaliers take on PokerStars and Douglas Basketball Club battle Forget Me Not Jets for the top of the table ahead of the play-offs.