Basketball News

The first of those game brought the long awaited first clash between the pupils, Middlesbrough College Academy, and their mentors, Teesside Huskies. Fireworks were expected and delivered and in the end it was Huskies who won a tremendous game 97-91.

Tony Hanson was Huskies match-winner as he turned back the clock to conjure up a victory over the raw Academy talent. Both sides play a fast running game and entertainment was the order of the day. Huskies started the better and the first quarter finished at 29-17. Carl Henry and Wayne Robinson sparked an Academy revival and by half-time Huskies lead was down to just one point at 42-41. The third quarter was basketball at its best. Both sides were scoring freely, Academy through Kieron Achara and Marlian Henry and Huskies thanks to Hanson, Rob Harland and Leon Gabbidon and the ten minutes garnered an amazing 62 point aggregate to leave Huskies just ahead at 74-71. The pace just had to slacken a bit in the final quarter and it scored 23-20 to Huskies as this time Hanson and John Anderson did the damage to lead Huskies home in a game which matched its billing.

Hanson hit his best solo score of the season so far with 36 points for Teesside Huskies, whilst Gabbidon added 27 and Harland and Anderson finished with 18 apiece. Best for Middlesbrough College Academy was Carl Henry on 21, Marlian Henry and Robinson also collected 18 each.

The second of the two cup derbies gave Middlesbrough Mavericks a comprehensive 100-52 success over an University of Teesside.

Both sides took time to settle. Phil Hale and Michael Bouclas were working hard for University, but the first chinks in the students armour began to appear early in the second quarter as Marek Pawlak and Matt Ellis began to find space inside an expanding zone. By half-time Mavericks had opened up a 52-33 advantage and things were looking ominous for University. The flood gates opened in the third quarter which scored 32-12 and which was rounded off by an Ellis two-handed slam-dunk to leave University trailing 74-45.

Pawlak topped the Middlesbrough Mavericks scoring with 26 points, Ellis and Andy Reid managed 12 and 11. Hale and Bouclas scored 14 points each for Teesside.

Second division sides were involved in quarter-final ties of the Division Two Cup. The closest match of the round gave Belmont A a nail-biting 51-50 triumph at Durham against Shildon Strollers.

As the score suggests, this fascinating contest could have gone either way. The second quarter was a disaster for Belmont as they unbelievably hit the target only once. Strollers meanwhile were helping themselves to 18 points and took the break 30-11 up. Belmont did find their shooting boots and slowly but surely reined Strollers in so that with 20 seconds left the sides were all square at 49-49. Parsons hit one from two, Strollers up 50-49. Gary Simpson grabbed the rebound as the second shot missed, swept down court and hit the winning basket on the buzzer to leave Strollers out of the cup.

Simpson was the only Belmont player in double figures with 23 points, Pattison and Malcolm Turnbull added 13 and 10 each to the 23 scored by Parsons for Shildon Strollers.

Hartlepool Hornets reached the semi-final at the expense of Peterlee Video, winning 83-79.

Hornets fielded only five players, but thanks to Dan Bailey they took an early lead and held the advantage throughout. The first quarter scored 21-14 to the Hartlepudlians. Peterlee were better in the second quarter and Sean Percival hit a trio of three point baskets which helped cut the deficit to just 39-35 with 20 minutes gone. Most importantly though Hornets still had the lead, because the rest of the game could have gone either way.

Graham Ord just pipped Bailey with 21 and 20 points respectively for Hartlepool Hornets. Percival was the pick for Peterlee Video with 24 points, three other players hit double figures for them; Trevor James (14), Alan Jacques (13) and Ivor James (12).

Trimdon Community College Association had a comfortable win in their quarter-final tie, beating the luckless Durham Knights 90-59

The battle was won and lost in the first quarter. Lee Armstrong, Ian Harrison and Chris Elliott shared most of the baskets in a ten minute phase which scored 20-4 and which left the Durham University students down and just about out. Half-time arrived at 31-19 to Trimdon as Harit Intakanok led a Knights fight-back, but when Wayne Oliver and Lol Mojer opened the second half with a 12-0 burst any hopes that the students harboured were killed off with the score at 43-19.

Oliver topped the scoring with 22 for Trimdon Community College Association, Harrison netted 19. Intakanok and Fred Bjellend led the scoring for Durham Knights with 20 and 17 points apiece.

The Womens County Cup also reached its quarter-final stage.

One game was not played when Tyne and Wear Cadettes conceded their game to Sunderland Nissan because several of their players were involved in a training camp with the England Under-16 side.

Tyneside cruised to a 100-53 win over hosts Northumbria at Newcastle thanks to 38 and 28 points respectively from Taacha Brown and Deirdre Hayes. Tyneside were hitting shots from all parts of the court and their 82-34 advantage with ten minutes left was way beyond Northumbria.

Rebecca Rodgers and Elin Carlsson scraped into double figures for Northumbria with 13 and 11.

East Durham and Houghall Academy also had players missing because of England training, but they still managed to beat Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 86-78 at Middlesbrough.

Nunthorpe had the upper hand and a 41-30 cushion by the end of the first twenty minutes. All changed on the second half restart.

Tamsin Vicary ran into a rich vein of shooting form and with fourteen minutes of the contest left it was a basket from her which tied the game at 50-50. Academy were now into their stride and four minutes later had taken a 63-56 lead.

Vicary finished with her best ever Durham solo total of 40 points, Gillian Walker netted 13. Hindmarch once again top scored for Nunthorpe Boro Bruins with 37, 'H' Wappet added 17.

The third of the ties which was played gave Newcastle College a 62-54 success at Middlesbrough against University of Teesside.

University controlled the first half of another game of two halves thanks to Gillian McKimm, Helle Harby-Owrenn and Shonagh Fullarton. The second half belonged to the visitors. Sally McLure, Emma McMillan and Sharron Cairns all hit baskets in a 15-2 College 'purple-patch' in the middle of the third quarter and from struggling they were now just one point down at 42-41. University did recover though and with four minutes left they still led 52-49. Those closing moments were all College though as a 13-2 finish took them into the semi-finals.

Division One League Cup: Middlesbrough College Academy 91 Teesside Huskies 97; University of Teesside 52 Middlesbrough Mavericks 100.

Division Two: Durham Knights 34 Belmont A 105.

Division Two Cup Quarter-Finals: Belmont A 51 Shildon Strollers 50; Trimdon Community College Association 90 Durham Knights 59; Peterlee Video 79 Hartlepool Hornets 83.

Division Three League Cup: East Durham and Houghall College C 65 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 84; Hartlepool Hawks 89 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 98; Norton B 70 Belmont B 67; Young Houghtonians 87 Spennymoor Exiles 46.

Womens Division: Tyne and Wear Cadettes 86 Durham Knights 25.

Womens County Cup Quarter-Finals: University of Teesside 54 Newcastle College 62; Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 78 East Durham and Houghall Academy 86; Northumbria 53 Tyneside 100.