Durham Wildcats back in the play-off hunt with double victory

After enjoying a 102-55 victory over Surrey United on Friday, behind a 22-point haul from Kirk Crecco, the Wildcats became just the second team to win in London this season when they handed the Lions an 83-72 defeat on Sunday.

Wildcats head coach Lee Davie felt a positive atmosphere at Durham’s base last week set them up well for a successful weekend.

"Last week we had a great week of practice, we had all twelve guys fit and available," said Davie.

"It was great preparation and the atmosphere was really good in the camp all week, which transferred really well into Friday's game and I think that the performance we put in, with everybody contributing, carried over [to Sunday].

"We got a lot of respect for the Lions and they've put together a lot of wins since last time we saw them.

"They've changed their personnel and are a lot stronger and deeper than last time, but our guys went in there and had a good game plan, and stuck to it. We did what we needed to do to come away with the win."

Wildcats’ mauling of Surrey represented their first home win since November with Kirk Crecco scoring 22 points and RJ Evans adding 17.

The damage was done from the outset with a storming first quarter as, after managing only one basket in the opening three minutes and trailing 2-6, Devin Ginty's three-pointer sparked an irrepressible 20-3 surge, in which he went on to score eight points.

They held their visitors scoreless for the last 6.38 of the first quarter, allowing them only five shots from the field as they forced four turnovers, Mike Allison proving particularly disruptive with a steal and a block.

United bounced back in the second, getting the deficit down to single digits at 31-22 on Patterson's three-pointer. But Danny Huffor responded in kind to halt any momentum, Allison connected from the inside and United failed to register for another three minutes. With Allison adding a dunk before the quarter was out, the Wildcats led 42-24 by the half.

Crecco put the game beyond any doubt after the break as he scored eight points in a 15-6 opening to the second half, helping the score out to 60-32, and they went on to win the third period by 31-14.

Mark Elderkin sent them through the century with the last four points, meaning that Durham had recorded their second highest points tally of the season, and fewest points against.

Sunday’s victory was even more impressive, seeing off fifth-placed Lions, who had won three in a row leading up to the early game on Sunday.

Neither side managed to break away in the first half, but having won both quarters by a slight margin Wildcats had built a 35-32 advantage, converting from inside most of the time.

The visitors from Durham jumped out to a 54-42 lead in the third quarter after a 12-2 run, with four points from Devin Ginty igniting the spark.

However, the double-digit gap was erased just as quickly as it was built in the first place. Lions scored nine points in quick succession to enter the final period down only by a single point.

Perry Lawson had actually given the London club a 55-54 lead with a jumper to start the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats swiftly jumped back in front.

With 4:16 remaining in the game, a free-throw by Rod Brown had made it a one-point game again, but Danny Huffor answered with a two points on the other end, as Wildcats went on to wrap it all up with calm play down the stretch and precision from the free-throw line.

A well-rounded team performance did the job for the Durham club, with Mike Allison and Danny Huffor pacing the team with 19 and 18 points respectively.

Kirk Crecco and RJ Evans had a sold output from the bench, with Crecco scoring 15 points and Evans chipping in with 14.

Meanwhile, Lions didn't receive much of a contribution from the second unit, as Chez Marks, with 30 points, and Rod Brown, with 24, were left to carry the scoring load on their own.

Durham travel to Leicester Riders on Saturday, then Manchester Giants the following day.