The Manx basketball season drew to a close last Thursday, as Cavaliers faced Turkeys in the grand finale of the 2017-18 campaign.

Following on from some great junior league games beforehand, the music was blaring and the NSC arena court was set for a clash of the titans in front of an eager crowd.

Last year’s league champions Cavaliers were keen to keep the crown having found better form after a rocky start to the season, while Turkeys still held high hopes for the championship despite losing their unbeaten record to Eagles a few weeks ago.

The opening of the game demonstrated the fine balance between the two teams, each probing the other’s defence but not quite managing to post points on the board.

It was Cavaliers who ended the drought after four minutes, with some great movement breaching the Turkeys’ weak side defence and leading to a run of eight points from under the basket by Dave Minay and Wayne Mears.

With Cavs racing away, Turkeys needed a shift of gear to stay in the game and that came in the form of great fast-break play and free-throw shooting from Chris Wolfendale and Sean Doyle, the quarter ending 10-12 to Cavaliers.

The slow start to the first quarter was a distant memory as the second period opened with a flurry of baskets, including a three-pointer from Doyle for Turkeys in the opening seconds against his former club.

Cavaliers’ Tom Dalton-Brown responded in kind, only to find Wolfendale hit another three-pointer for Turkeys on the next offence.

The second quarter saw each team steal the lead, only to lose it moments later as the other responded in kind. As the quarter progressed it was Turkeys who managed to take a slender lead of only three points, edging the game 30-27 at half-time.

The second half could have told a similar story but, during the half-time break, something clicked on the Turkeys side.

Coming into the third quarter they blew a hole in the game, playing quick breaks complemented by great ball movement as Wolfendale and Doyle hit four three-pointers in seven offences, with Dave Boyle and Wig Bregazzi also picking up some jump shots for good measure.

Basketball is a game of momentum and each successful basket spurred the Turkeys on defence, leading to some impressive steals and blocks giving them more possession and opportunities to score.

A 17-point lead at the end of the third quarter allowed Turkeys to relax more into the fourth, still working hard but not quite matching their previous pace.

Cavaliers did what they could but when a team clicks in the manner Turkeys did, there is little that can be done to stop them.

With the final whistle blown the score stood at 69-48 and Turkeys had taken the game and the title from Cavaliers, to be crowned champions of the 2017-18 basketball season.

Special mention goes to Paul Kilic (Cavaliers) and Sean Doyle (Turkeys) who both shot 100 per cent from the free-throw line.

Isle of Man Basketball Association would also like to extend its thanks to the officials for the evening, referees Graham Bassett and Carl Potenciano, as well as table officials Becky Dunne, Amber Carridge, Jessie Carridge and Steven Mulhern.

The annual general meeting of the basketball association will be happening in the coming weeks, as planning now begins for the 2018-19 season. To keep up-to-date on basketball happenings over the summer, follow on Facebook by searching Isle of Man Basketball Association.

MARTIN DUNNE