BASKETBALL: Durham League

A tremendous 27-23 first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, Mavericks playing to their inside strength only to be pegged back by the fast passing and running of their hosts and when half-time came the sides were locked together at 41-41. There was no let-up of the tempo in the second half which started with the inside strength of Marek Pawlak and controlled shooting from Ian Viveash which gave Mavericks a 58-51 lead after seven minutes. This time Robert Shanks brought Academy back to 64-62 on the third buzzer. Mavericks had the edge at 77-75 with two minutes left on the clock, before five points from Latham-Henry swung the game to Academy at 80-79 as the seconds counted down. A foul then gave Andy Reid the chance of glory from the line, but one from two put the game into overtime at 80-80.

Five points from Pawlak gave Mavericks the better start and a 85-81 cushion after two of the extra five minutes, but crucially Viveash and Bailey had both fouled out and without their strength Mavericks could not hold on as a 16-3 run swept Academy to victory.

Latham-Henry was exceptional for Middlesbrough College Academy with 39 points. Shanks gave him all the support he needed with 27 and Daley chipped in with 12. Pawlak was at his brilliant best with 35 for Middlesbrough Mavericks as Bailey, Viveash and Swanson netted 14, 13 and 10.

Norton followed up last week's win over Belmont Reds with a 79-70 success at home to Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets.

Hornets led 15-8 after six minutes, before Mark Winter rallied his troops to cut the gap to 21-16 by the end of the first period. The next eight minutes proved decisive as Hornets netted just two free-shots in reply to the 24 which Liam O'Donohue and Paul Jenkins were scoring for Norton and when the half-time whistle blew Norton were in charge at 42-31. Hornets were on a roll though and the next six minutes saw them cut the deficit to just 54-52. This time it was Norton who regained their composure and O'Donohue, Jenkins and Gareth Wood shared 13 unanswered points to put Hornets firmly in their place at 67-52 down with ten minutes to play.

O'Donohue was the Norton match-winner with 36 points as Jenkins and Winters scored 15 and 10. Luke Thompson did best for Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets with 30 to which three players; Leon Thompson, Sean Ward and Anthony Robinson each added 10.

Trimdon Community College Association had both a step forward and a stumble backwards this week as two games in three days jut about wrapped up the Division Two title. The step nearer the championship came first, a 86-81 success at Willington against Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves.

Lee Norton opened on fire with 19 of the 22 points which gave Trimdon their 22-18 tenth minute cushion and when John Anderson and Martyn Longstaff picked up his lead during the second quarter Trimdon had eased away to 45-35 by half-time. A great second half was yet more 'basketball at its best' as David Storey, Craig Dawson and Sam Attah all had good spell for Wolves only to be answered Norton and Anderson for Trimdon. The visitors did passed the third break 65-58 up, but seemed to have lost it when a brace of three-point baskets from Mark Robinson put Wolves ahead at 78-77 with just ninety seconds left on the clock. A minute and a half is a long time in basketball and a time-out settled the Trimdon jitters before Longstaff and Norton steered them home with a 9-3 run-in.

Norton bagged himself 39 points as Anderson and Longstaff netted 17 and 16 for Trimdon CCA. Attah led the Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves chase with 27 points as Storey and Dawson collected 17 and 15.

The hiccup in the Trimdon CCA second division title bid came a couple of days later when Old Houghtonians sent them packing with a 98-84 reverse.

There was nothing between the teams for 35 of the 40 minute game. Five different players hit the baskets which gave Trimdon the lead at 27-24 after ten minutes before Houghtonians cut the deficit to 48-45 by the interval. A 12-2 restart in which Paul Carr and Ian Burlison led the way stretched Houghtonians lead to 60-49 after five minutes, but that was down to just 78-76 with five minutes left thanks to Longstaff and Ian Harrison. Unfortunately for Trimdon, that was to be as close as they got as Burlison did most to ease Houghtonians away again.

Burlison finished with 31 points for Old Houghtonians to which Carr and Anthony Burdis added 23. Six players shared almost all of the Trimdon CCA points; Longstaff led the way with 22 and Jamie Paul added 15 as Wayne Oliver, John Anderson and Harrison all finished with 10 points apiece.

Consett Steelers will finish their campaign as division two runners-up. They made sure of that with a 89-76 win at home to guests Shildon Strollers.

Steve Pattison and Craig Lowe gave Strollers the better start and a 19-13 cushion after nine minutes. Steelers came to life in those final sixty seconds and nine points without reply, shared between Matt Patterson and Brendan McNeaney, gave them a first break lead of 22-19. Steelers made what effectively became the match winning break with a 16-0 run in the middle of the second quarter and their 38-25 cushion was more or less the same at 64-54 as the last ten minutes started. A trio of Chris Telford three-point baskets was merely icing on the cake.

Five players shared most of Consett Steelers points; Matt Patterson (22), McNeaney (19), Mark Ewen (15), Dan Patterson (14) and Telford (12). Similarly four players did so for Shildon Strollers as Ballard got 26 and Pattison, Steve Troman and Craig Lowe hit 20, 16 and 11 respectively.

The Hartlepool Hawks ND 163-58 demolition job on guests Middlesbrough College Academy B at Hartlepool VI Form College was all about records.

Hawks 163 point match total beat the previous record of 160. The 221 points aggregate tops the 216 set only last season. And although Luke Thompson netted a staggering 86 individual points that left him still six points shy of the 98 points record for 'most points in a game' which was set in 1981. Those 86 points did however put Thompson on track to beat the division two 'seasons best total' of 578 which was set way back in 1975. He has already got 573 and Hawks still have two games to play.

Belmont are the only un-beaten team in the Durham League and they extended their winning run against third division sides to 22 games with a 81-53 success away to Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors.

Three-point baskets from Liam Haggerty and Craig McManus set the ball rolling for Belmont, but it was superb defence, which restricted Warriors to just seven points in the first quarter, which made the difference. By the time that opening period closed Belmont were 29-7 up and although James Anderson and Adam Ballard rekindled Warriors fire in an even second quarter, they were still down 45-22 at half-time. Any hopes of a Warriors revival were shot down as Haggerty and Ian Hewitt did most of the damage in a five minute, 17-1 run to give Belmont a 62-23 cushion with fifteen minutes to play.

Haggerty and Mark Elderkin topped the Belmont scoring with 18 points apiece as Hewitt and McManus collected 16 and 11 respectively. Four players did manage to edge into double figures for Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors; Anderson (12), Jonathan Hirst (11), Alan Scott (11) and Ballard (10).

Later in the week Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors cheered themselves up a little with a 58-54 win away to Teesside Huskies.

Warriors set up the win with a storming start which netted them 13 points before Huskies had troubled the scorer. Huskies recovered to take the lead at 26-20 just two minutes before the interval and with three minutes left were just down at 50-48 before a great finish shared by James Anderson, Martyn Hirst and James Hall took Warriors away again.

Anderson and Hirst shared the lead scorers role for Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors with 21 and 16 as Michael Wassell did most for Teesside Huskies with 17.

Only in the last quarter did East Durham and Houghall College B manage to exert their authority over guests Young Houghtonians to clock up their 63-47 division three victory.

Ron Anderson and Paul Carr matched all that College threw at them in the opening stages and as each of the first two quarters scored 11-10 it was Houghtonians who took the half-time break with a 22-20 advantage. All began to change in the third quarter as Paul Cassell took the game by the scruff of the neck to score 10 of the 19 points which gave College 39-31 lead as it finished. The final period was all College as James Officer and Wayne Dunn guided them home.

Officer led the East Durham and Houghall College B scoring with 17 points as Tony Swallow, Cassell and Dunn collected 14, 12 and 10 respectively. Carr, Colin Robinson and Anderson shared most of the Young Houghtonians points with 21, 14 and 10.

Nunthorpe Boro Bruins followed up their Womens Handicap Cup win with a 99-74 win at Newcastle against Northumbria, a victory based on a great team effort in which all ten of their players scored and which was set up with a 29-12 opening quarter.

Sarah Hindmarch and Rebecca Blake did the early damage and although Pam Donnelly did most to rally Northumbria in a much better second quarter, it was Nunthorpe who reached the interval with a comfortable 51-30 cushion. The second half was even, free-flowing, entertaining basketball which everyone enjoyed and which Nunthorpe just edged at 48-44.

Hindmarch finished the game for Nunthorpe Boro Bruins with 35 points as four others notched double figures; Ruth Barron (19), Blake (12), Lisa Roughley (10) and Kendra Rogers (10). Four players shared most of the Northumbria points; Janice Brewis (22), Jane Scott (16), Donnelly (15) and Jenni Little (13).

University of Teesside proved to be too strong for visitors Tyne and Wear Juniors and ran out as 68-49 winners of their womens league fixture thanks to an inspired shooting display from Gillian McKimm who collected 34 points.

McKimm hit 16 of those points in a 21-7 second quarter which gave University the impetus they needed and when the first half closed they led 31-22 and Tyne and Wear were beginning to flag. Sarah Bentley and Hermione Taylor did well in a 13-3 restart to the second half and with fifteen minutes left University were in charge at 44-25.

Taylor added 13 points to the 34 which McKimm scored for University of Teesside. Lauren Young with 25 and Charis Younger on 13 did best for Tyne and Wear Juniors.

Division One: Middlesbrough College Academy A 97 Middlesbrough Mavericks 88; Norton 79 Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 70.

Division Two: Wear Valley Wolves 81 Trimdon Community College Association 86; Hartlepool Hawks ND 163 Middlesbrough College Academy B 58; Consett Steelers 89 Shildon Strollers 76; Old Houghtonians 98 Trimdon Community College Association 84.

Division Three: East Durham and Houghall College B 63 Young Houghtonians 47; Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors 53 Belmont 81; Teesside Huskies 54 Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors 58.

Womens Division: University of Teesside 68 Tyne and Wear Juniors 49; Northumbria 74 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 99.