The final matches in the group stages of the Isle of Man Basketball Association Cup were played at the NSC on Thursday evening.

Action began with a hard-fought contest between Turkeys and Microgaming Cavaliers. James Capelan and Sergio Arboleya started the scoring for Cavs with a swish three-pointer and quick drive to the basket in the opening minutes.

A three-pointer from Rumen Valev and a lay-up from David Boyle evened the scores and the teams remained balanced for much of the first quarter, trading baskets but never more than a point or two away.

It was the last two minutes of the quarter when Turkeys found an opening, Boyle again hitting the lanes while Chris Wolfendale and Krum Gogov sank threes, pushing Turkeys into a 22-16 lead at the buzzer.

The second quarter saw tighter defence from Cavaliers that kept Wolfendale and Boyle under control, stalling the Turkeys advance. Baskets from Andrew Cregeen and Lez Winnicki put Cavs back on top but with only a slender single-point lead.

Turkeys recovered from the initial shock and fought back during the mid-quarter, Boyle and Wolfendale again proving key.

It seemed Turkeys would lead going into the half, but the final two minutes saw a turning of the tide with a flurry of baskets from Cavaliers sneaking them ahead 34-36.

Again Cavs came out strong to start the third, Arboleya and Cregeen leading the charge. Turkeys struggled to finish initially but were kept close with some outside shooting from Wolfendale.

As the game went on, Turkeys found better form though and started to close the gap before building a small lead, which was slashed to a single point by a swish three-pointer from Arboleya in the final seconds of the third quarter.

The fourth period was a different story, Boyle and Wolfendale putting Turkeys on a run from the get-go. Hitting lanes, mid-range shots and swish three-pointers, Turkeys’ lead and confidence grew with the game looking increasingly settled.

Cavaliers struggled to stop the bleeding and it wasn’t until late in the fourth that they managed to slow the advancing Turkeys. A spate of baskets gave some hope of a revival, but it came too late to change the outcome, Turkeys holding on to their lead and booking a win, 67-63.

The second game of the evening was a solid demonstration of run-and-gun basketball by Forget Me Not Jets as they pushed the break against Ravens.

The first half was dominated by speed and efficiency, with Marco Garmino, Jake Glover and Wayne Mears proving a devastating combo against the Ravens defence.

The latter struggled to find baskets, pressure on the inside forcing them to rely mainly on outside shooting for points. Jets’ pace was relentless though and by half-time they were well ahead, 40-16.

The second half ran in a similar vein, Jets’ speed and efficiency at pushing the break leading to plenty of baskets as they caught Ravens defence on the hop. Baskets flowed for Garmino and Mears, with Peter Boussougou and Conor Moughtin adding to the total.

Ravens did have some highlights in the second half, Vannin Coulter and Cormac Ewan finding some holes in the Jets defence while Michael Provatakis shot from outside the arc.

It was Jets who were in control throughout though and with the final whistle had a convincing win, 88-40.

As a result of player shortage, the third game of the evening was a friendly between Eagles and Wolves.

The latter side took an early lead with an opener from Oscar Lace and a flurry from Michael Connolly and Harry Brindle.

Eagles were snapping at the heels of Wolves in the mid-game though, Jack Coates and Michael Provatakis powering the surge. But Wolves tidied up in the late game, shutting down on defence and finishing better on offence to take the win, 51-38.

l This week sees a return to the regular season games, with six of the seven teams seeing action in the NSC on Thursday.

At 7pm Ravens will face Microgaming Cavaliers, then at 8.30pm Eagles play Forget Me Not Jets while PwC Hoops take on Turkeys. Seating is available courtside and spectators are welcome to attend.