BASKETBALL

Academy set up the win with a great spell at the back end of the first quarter. Carl Latham-Henry started the run with a three-point basket, Pete Osei kept it going with two more and, following a couple of field goals, it was finished with a brace of three-pointers from Latham-Henry and with nine minutes gone Academy led 26-12. A shell shocked Hornets did recover and the rest of the contest, and in particular the second half, was more or less even, but the champions elect were very much in charge at 56-37 as the half-time whistle blew. The third and fourth periods scored 29-29 and 15-14, although any hopes which Hornets may have had about a recovery were ended when Latham-Henry and Eric Milambo shared a 10-2 burst in the middle of the third quarter to give Academy total control at 75-51.

Likewise in the women's division Tyneside wrapped up their championship winning season, their fourth in a row, and their eighth in the last nine seasons, with a 89-64 success at Middlesbrough against Nunthorpe Boro Bruins.

Deirdre Hayes and Zoe Vickers began to turn up the power for Tyneside in the second quarter and they took the half-time break with a comfortable 47-32 cushion. Not for the first time this season the third quarter proved to be Nunthorpe's downfall. Sarah Thomson took up the lead which Hayes and Vickers had set and she collected 13 points as the Tyneside half of the scoreboard rattled round to 68. At the other end of court the Nunthorpe offence was foundering on the rock which is the Tyneside defence and a measly nine points left them trailing at 68-41 down with the last quarter still to play.

Back in the men's first division there were wins for both Willington Wasps and Norton.

Willington Wasps finished their campaign with a 79-59 win against a surprisingly poor Nissan. Victory meant that Wasps leapfrogged over Nissan to clinch third place in the division one table in their first season in Durham League competition.

The first eight minutes scored 16-15 to Nissan as Gary Simpson started well. Ben Scorer was then at the heart of a 8-2 Wasps finish to the quarter which put them 23-18 up. That pattern was repeated in the next period and with Nissan scoring just nine points the interval arrived with Wasps buzzing at 41-27. The restart brought only slight improvement from Nissan. This time six minutes of the quarter scored 10-9 to Wasps before once again the Nissan offence stalled. Campbell was again their tormentor and when the period closed Wasps were virtually home with a lead of 62-44.

A total of 42 and 40 points apiece from Steve Butler and Liam O'Donohue formed the basis of a 108-68 derby victory for Norton at Middlesbrough against University of Teesside.

John Stonebridge and Chris Harnish had started well for University, but it was Norton who had just edged ahead at 29-16 by the end of the first quarter. Norton began to establish a greater measure of control during the next period thanks to the metronomic shooting of Butler and O'Donohue and when half-time came their side was further ahead at 51-42. The second half scored 57-36 to Norton which belied the fact that they lost Ian Nicholson early on and, having travelled with only four players, had to play most of the second 20 minutes with just four players.

Just two seasons ago Trimdon Community College Association were a run-of-the-mill division three side. All that changed when they won the third division title in 2001 and after just two seasons in the second division they this week became Division Two champions with a 101-90 win at home to Durham Saints.

As the score suggests offence was the order of the day and both sides benefited from some 'lax' defence. Saints were first to show through Phil Bailey and Chris Plummer, but Martyn Longstaff and Lee Norton initiated a Trimdon fight-back and by the time the opening quarter closed they led 34-32. The second quarter was more of the same, free, flowing basketball and half-time arrived at 55-50 to Trimdon.

A great game was almost spoilt in the third minute of the second half. Norton was fouled, but reacted by throwing the ball into the face of his opponent. Mark Johnson decided to add his weight to the argument and both received their marching orders. Sanity then returned, but a 13-4 run gave Trimdon a match-winning edge at 74-58 with 12 minutes left.

Consett Steelers took the bridesmaid's spot in division two with a 117-70 success over Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A.

Hydraulics have had a torrid season, but they rounded off their campaign with their best performance for sometime and only in the last quarter did Steelers height advantage take its toll.

Three-point baskets from brothers Matt and Dan Patterson gave Steelers the better start and a 21-8 cushion after six minutes. Gary Keith and Jonathan Osborne signalled a Hydraulics recovery and by the end of the opening period the gap was down to 28-19. Eleven points without reply covering the third, fourth and fifth minutes stretched Steelers lead to 46-26, but once again Hydraulics hit back to cut the deficit to just 56-47 by the interval and hold Steelers to 77-62 with ten minutes left. The last quarter was something else as Matt Patterson hit 20 points in a 39-8 final ten minutes.

East Durham and Houghall College A finished their season off on a high with a 73-58 victory at home to Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves.

Success was set up with a devastating College start. Full court press was the order of the day and Wolves turnovers gave Colin Dockerell and Andrew Bains eight and seven points apiece in a 16-3 six minute opening. Sam Attah finally woke Wolves up, but it was College who were crowing at 26-9 as the ten minute phase ended. The second quarter was decisive. It started evenly enough as the first five minutes scored 6-5 and College led 32-14. The last five minutes of the first half was College at their best as everyone on court hit baskets in a run of 14 points without reply which took College into half-time with a 46-14 lead, a position from which Wolves could never hope to recover.

Middlesbrough College Academy B have turned their season around since the Christmas break and they picked up their sixth league win with a 75-72 scoreline against Old Houghtonians at Acklam.

Houghtonians led 17-14 with ten minutes gone. An injury to Houghtonians 'big-man', Ian Burlison then put them on the back foot and Ben Robson, Sloane Francis and Mathew Kreczak all rounded off some well organised offence which took Academy into the interval with a 38-30 cushion. Geoff Hill opened the second half with four baskets in a 10-0 run which increased the Academy lead to 48-30. Anthony Burdis then belatedly found his three-point range and although the visitors still trailed at 63-46 as the third break passed a further five three-pointers from him in the last quarter meant that Academy could never relax.

Shildon Strollers rounded off their season with a 78-70 win at home to Hartlepool Hawks ND.

The contest opened on a see-saw as Luke Thompson hit three baskets in a 10-0 Hawks start. Craig Lowe and Terry Fell then tipped the see-saw Strollers way with a hand-full of baskets each in a 19-2 surge which gave them a 23-17 lead as the first quarter closed. In the end it was that six point cushion which was just enough to give Strollers the winning edge, because try as they might, and Luke and Leon Thompson certainly did with match scores of 30 and 15 apiece, Hawks could never get back on terms.

The remaining three periods were all keenly contested at 20-15 to Strollers, 18-18 each and 20-17 to Hawks, but it was the experience of Mal Turnbull with 31 points, Lowe with 17 and Fell and Steve Pattison on 11 each which saw Shildon Strollers safely home.

Belmont made their own little piece of history by finishing the Division Three championship as the only team to win all of their league fixtures. They did that with a 97-44 win over East Durham and Houghall College B, their 14th league success in a row.

Wayne Dunn and Keith Hockaday gave College a good start, but only the opening quarter was even at 20-18 to Belmont. The next 30 minutes was an exhibition of controlled, all-consuming basketball which gave College little chance and which finished with 29 unanswered points from six different players as Belmont charged home.

Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards finished their season off by beating guests Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 53-36.

Baskets were hard to come by at both ends of court and the half and three-quarter marks had passed at 18-17 and 36-26 to Wizards. Hydraulics had cut the deficit to just 38-30 when Ian Hirst finally connected with four baskets in a row which swept Wizards to victory.

Division One: Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 81 Middlesbrough College Academy A 99; University of Teesside 78 Norton 108; Nissan 59 Willington Wasps 79.

Division Two: East Durham and Houghall College A 73 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 58; Middlesbrough College Academy B 75 Old Houghtonians 72; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 70 Consett Steelers 117; Shildon Strollers 78 Hartlepool Hawks ND 70; Trimdon Community College Association 101 Durham Saints 90.

Division Three: Belmont 97 East Durham and Houghall College B 44; Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 53 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 36.

Womens Division: Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 64 Tyneside 89.