DURHAM WILDCATS’ season may have ended in defeat at the hands of the Manchester Giants on Sunday, but they can hold their heads high after a much-improved league campaign.

In only their second season as a franchise in the British Basketball League (BBL), the Wildcats proved that they belong at the top table of the British game, even if they narrowly missed out on a place in the play-offs.

Racking up ten league victories compared to just three in their debut BBL campaign helped Durham achieve an accomplished tenthplaced finish, just two places and six points shy of the play-off places.

Head coach Dave Elderkin looked back on the season, saying: “I think we’re positive about the season, we’ve taken big steps forward and are quite comfortable using the word ‘success’ to describe our season.

“The most important thing of all when trying to build a successful programme is that you’ve got to become harder to beat, and seven more wins than last season shows our improvement.”

Durham missed out on the eight play-off places by six points, but were in the hunt from the off after an 82- 76 victory over the Worcester Wolves on the opening day, which promised a successful season ahead.

However, that excellent start was followed by a run of five straight defeats, with the Wildcats on the wrong end of some very tight matches, typified by a 79-76 reverse at the hands of London Lions in the first round of the BBL Cup.

The young Durham side ended the poor run in style with two straight wins against the struggling Mersey Tigers and then the Manchester Giants, with a spectacular third quarter comeback proving one of the highlights of the Wildcats’ season.

After a poor first half from Durham that allowed the visitors to rack up a commanding 12-point lead going into the locker rooms, the Wildcats came out fighting, winning the third quarter 22-13 to set up a tense finish.

A quick-fire double from Mike Baldarelli and Paul Elderkin, son of head coach Dave, in the final quarter completed the comeback in style, causing the home crowd to erupt in celebration, and Durham managed to hold on to claim a superb win, with the final score standing at 69-64.

Following that victory on November 4, however, the remainder of the festive period didn’t provide much joy on the court for the Wildcats, with Durham having to wait until December 23 before recording their next win.

But the turn of the year saw a newly-invigorated Durham turn their season around once more, with the Wildcats winning three of their five games in a hectic January schedule to propel themselves back into the hunt for one of the eight play-off places.

Elderkin said: “We had a good period, and got in some good training over the festive period, but unfortunately it was followed by a run of about six games in ten days which cost us.”

Despite the mounting fixture list, the last weekend in January was a particular high for the Wildcats, with two convincing victories in three days, with wins over the Plymouth Raiders and the Cheshire Phoenix respectively setting up a tantalisingly tight race to the finish line.

The competitiveness of the BBL was highlighted following Durham’s 89-84 victory over the London Lions on February 10, which meant the Wildcats were one of three teams tied for ninth place, with just ten games remaining.

But despite a solid run-in for Durham, a number of close-run defeats proved costly, and a 93-70 defeat versus the Leicester Riders on March 30 ended their play-off hopes with two matches to play.

The Wildcats put their disappointment to one side to defeat the winless Mersey Tigers 100-87 with an impressive offensive display, but they weren’t able to end the campaign with a win in front of their home crowd, as the Manchester Giants’ 114-92 victory last week meant they leapfrogged Durham to finish in ninth place.

Elderkin said: “There are very fine margins in this league, on any given night any teams can beat each other.

Consistency is the key, and something we must improve.”

Elderkin is also keen to improve Durham’s performances in the BBL cup competitions, as first-round defeats in both the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy ended his side’s hopes of silverware.

He said: “Although we have a goal for the season, we just take it one game at a time, whether it is a cup game or a league game we still go out to win.”

The fact that the Wildcats are disappointed to miss out on the play-off places shows just how far the club have come since their debut BBL season, in which they finished rock-bottom, winning just three of their 30 matches.

A young but talented roster showed their ability this year, combining much-improved performances with an ability to compete with the best teams in the division, and hopes are already high for next season’s competition, as Durham seek to further establish their presence in the BBL.

Elderkin said: “Recruitment is the buzz-word now. If we can get recruitment right there is no reason why we can’t give the top teams a game.

“There is an impatience about us to get to the top, but we need to have patience, and the building blocks to succeed.”

Durham may have missed out on their play-off dreams this season, but with an ambitious setup and the vital experience of a second year in the BBL behind them, as well as a growing number of dedicated fans cheering them on home and away, the future is looking very bright for Elderkin and his Wildcats.