The Echuca Moama Basketball Association’s 2024 domestic competition is well under way, with teams approaching the halfway point of the season.
All teams have completed six rounds after the latest batch of fixtures held this past Thursday and Monday.
In the open A/B-grade, McBuckets was chasing its first win against the team that defeated it in round one, Allsorts.
It got off to a hot start thanks to the work of Dylan Payne, who put up the first six points of the game with a trio of scores in the opening minutes.
Allsorts got on the board through James Curnow, but McBuckets continued to get shots to fall, an 8-0 run giving it an early 14-2 lead.
The teams traded scores for the remainder of the half and at the break McBuckets held a 22-11 lead.
Allsorts looked to close the gap at the start of the second, with Curnow scoring the first four points after the break.
However, Payne once again took control, scoring his team’s first nine points of the half and restoring McBuckets’ advantage.
The lead stretched beyond 20 at times but a late Allsorts run reduced the final margin to 17, McBuckets earning its first victory 55-38.
All McBuckets players reached double figures with Payne leading the way for his team with 19 points.
All seven Allsorts players got themselves on the board but none could crack double figures, with Francis Lias’ nine the best on his team.
Also in A-B-grade, undefeated B2B faced off with 89 Pistons. B2B would have been a heavy favourite but the Pistons took it to the league leader throughout the contest.
The Pistons led at several points in the second half, including with under three minutes to go.
The teams were neck and neck in the final seconds, and with the game tied at 58, Max Hagan scored the winning basket for B2B, keeping its record perfect for another week.
Hagan’s 20 points led all scorers, while Mitchell Markby and Maddex Fimmel each put up 15 to lead 89 Pistons.
In the remaining A/B-grade fixture, Da Mandem was awarded a win over Travla.
B2B remains on top of the table at 6-0, while Jett ‘n em (5-0) is also undefeated.
C-grade
Magic defeated Winbi Warriors 35-33, while Runner-Up and Big Ballerz could not be separated 37-37.
Falcons prevailed over The Plumbers 36-27, while Mustangs had a big win over Silly Signals 37-8 and The Cods had the bye.
Under-17 boys
In the Campaspe competition, the Warriors defeated the Celtics 40-27 and the Magic were awarded a forfeit over the Suns
In the Murray competition, the Lakers pulled out a win over the Clippers, 44-41, and the 76ers defeated the Bucks 64-56.
The Breakers were too strong for the JackJumpers 54-43 and The 36ers got by the Bullets 57-51.
14-16 girls
The Liberty defeated the Aces 30-23, The Lynx won over the Wings 33-29 and the Sparks were too much for the Storm 49-21. The Fever had the bye
Under-14 boys
In the East division, the Hawks overcame the 36ers 54-31, and the Phoenix were victorious over the Bullets 56-34.
The Wizards took down the Taipans 64-40 and the Wildcats defeated United 53-46.
In the West division, the Jazz snuck by the Raptors 31-30, and the Blazers were just good enough to get past the Magic, 32-31.
Under-12 boys
In the Adelaide division, the Pacers overcame the Mavs 8-7, the Celtics defeated the Pistons 19-12 and the Rockets were too strong for the Giants 24-6. The Nuggets had the bye.
In the Pevensey division, the Hornets sneaked past the Bulls 25-24, the Kings scored a big win over Warma Turtles 55-11 and the Warriors beat the Nets 41-32. The Cavs had the bye.
Under-12 girls
The Phoenix had a close win over the Boomers 27-25, the Sky defeated the Suns 23-12, and the Spirit won over the Stars 15-7. The Dream had the bye.