Turkeys and Wolves went head-to-head in the opening game of Isle of Man Basketball Association’s latest Senior League fixtures at the NSC on Thursday evening.

A swish three-pointer from Krum Gogov got proceedings underway, giving the former a first-minute lead and striking the tone for a game that would be defined by pace and outside shooting.

The first quarter was a shooting gallery as Chris Wolfendale extended the Turkeys’ lead, only to find Wolves snapping back with three-pointers from Ross Wilson and Ben Campbell.

It was in the second period that Wolves found some momentum, Campbell powering ahead with a string of quick breaks and mid-range shots while Kyle Mills joined the game’s three-pointer club.

The spurt from Wolves left Turkeys trailing and the frustration showed in some unforced errors.

Never ones to stay down for long though, Turkeys leaned into their experience with a fightback led by Dave Boyle and Wig Bregazzi that soon had them hot on the heels of their opponents.

Wolves held the lead into the dying seconds of the half until a rushed offence led to a turnover and gave Wolfendale a shot on the buzzer, banking the three to put Turkeys in the lead 20-19.

The end of the first half stood as a marker of what was to come in a punishing third quarter for Wolves.

At the start of the period, Turkeys fell back to the tried-and-trusted screening strategy, getting Wolfendale free for a series of outside shots that extended the Turkeys’ lead to 12-points in a matter of minutes.

Frustration built on Wolves as Turkeys hit their shots and it showed as the pace dropped and offences became increasingly forced, allowing Turkeys to keep the margin for most of the rest of the game.

It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Wolves found some measure of reply, picking up the pace and hitting outside shots to quickly slash the Turkeys lead from 13 to seven points.

It was too late in the game to change the result though as Turkeys looked to slow the pace on their offences, denying Wolves the chance to catch up.

A final basket from Gogov added to the Turkeys lead and capped off the game, sealing the win 56-47.

CAVS v Hoops

The other games of the evening saw Cavaliers take on PwC Hoops, while Forget Me Not Jets played Ravens.

Cavs were quick to take a lead in their game against Hoops, outside shooting from Martin French and Phil Evans proving decisive in the early game.

Hoops weren’t without response though, Daniella Kravela and Holly Hennssey finding their mark while Stephen Mulhern was quick on the break. But it was Cavaliers who took the win, 64-35.

Jets v Ravens

Pace won the day for Jets on court B, as Wayne Mears and Jake Glover ran the floor while Pete Boussougou mopped up on the inside against Ravens.

Only four games into their first season, Ravens put on an impressive show with greater control of their offence and fewer mistakes against the experienced Jets side.

Matthew Jones and Vannin Coulter kept the scoring going for the young side, but solid defensive pressure from the Jets was enough to keep them contained and grant Jets the win, 83-41.

The season resumes on Thursday, November 25 with full fixtures to be published shortly.