DURHAM WILDCATS will stick to their guns as they aim to halt a three-game skid against a resurgent Cheshire Phoenix on Sunday.

Wildcats pushed Glasgow Rocks all the way last weekend behind a strong second half effort but couldn't prevent a third straight loss.

Coach Lee Davie isn't panicking however, he feels it is just a case of sticking together and being more consistent.

"We need to put longer periods of that standard of play together," he said.

"We plan on staying the course with our core principles, and just to tighten up on everything and do it that little bit better."

Phoenix have been doing a lot better of late, winning each of their last three, and Davie can see where they are strong.

"We need to control the key and not let their starters into the middle of the floor and get anything easy around the rim," Davie added.

"Reggie Middleton and Dominique Coleman will be trying to get out and run in transition and then in the half court we'll be trying to deal with post presence of Victor Moses and Donatas Visockis.

"Once the ball goes up we need to hold them to one contested shot and make sure we box out and get out and run off our stops."

Rocks wasted a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter last weekend, but held on to take a 76-70 win against Wildcats.

Rocks had the lead for the majority of the game, with Wildcats jumping ahead for only for short stretches in the first and second quarters.

Jonny Bunyan hit a three-pointer with the sound of the buzzer at the end of the opening period to push the gap to 23-16.

Having finished the first half with a 38-32 lead, Rocks increased the margin to double digits before the final period, as Fran Urli's basket capped off a 7-0 run to make it 57-46.

The hosts seemed to be cruising to a convincing victory, with Antonio DiMaria's three-pointer making it a 15-point game at 66-51, but Wildcats started making a comeback.

Durham made three three-pointers in what turned out to be a 15-0 to tie things up at 66-66 with 1:44 left on the clock.

However, Sterling Davis ended the visitors' run with a three-pointer and, although Kirk Crecco answered with a basket on the other end, Rocks got a couple of crucial stops and went on to seal the win at the charity stripe.

Gareth Murray went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc for a team-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds, as Daniel Northern collected 13 points and six boards for the home side. Alex Marcotullio and Jonny Bunyan chipped in with 11 points apiece.

For the visitors, Devin Ginty had 19 points and dished out six assists, while Mike Allison was one rebound short of a double-double with 17 points and nine boards in his account.

Tip-off against Cheshire is 4pm at the Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre. Tickets are £7 for adults, £5 for children and £20 for a family of four with two children. Visit godurhamwildcats.com for more information.