It was time to blow off the cobwebs and run off the turkey as the second half of the Durham League basketball season sparked into action this week.

All three of the top teams were in action, all three won.

Nissan enjoyed a comfortable 72-59 success at Durham against hosts Belmont Reds.

Reds started well enough thanks to Simon Whittaker and Steven Graham, but a run of nine points from 14 free-throws helped Nissan to recover and as the first quarter ended Reds lead was down to 19-15. Again Belmont started the better before all five players on court hit shots to bring Nissan back to 29-28 as the last minute of the half started. Geoff Pollard, Barry Fenwick and Lee Davie then hit baskets to take Nissan into the interval with a 34-29 advantage. The first half pattern was repeated at the start of the second and the scores were tied at 39-39 after five minutes. Then came the telling moment of the game as a Davie drive to basket added two points to the Nissan score and also drew a fifth foul from Knox. As he left the game, so Steve Johnson and Ian Barrow took charge for Nissan and just three minutes later the visitors were purring with a 53-39 cushion and basically that was that.

Davie, Barrow and Johnson were the Nissan match-winners with 20, 19 and 15 points respectively as Graham and Whittaker got 12 each to add to the ten scored by Huntley for Belmont Reds.

Steve Whithead Joinery and Double Glazing Middlebrough Mavericks had to work hard for their 83-75 victory at Wallsend over Willington Wasps.

Wasps had the initiative for three-quarters of the contest. Simon Lloyd, Sam Scorer and Paul Campbell combined to give Wasps the lead at 26-22 and then 42-36 by half-time. Mark Pawlak and Wayne Bailey had done most to keep Mavericks in the game during the opening 20 minutes, but it was points from Ian Viveash and Andy Buchanan which closed the gap to 58-56 as the third quarter closed. Two baskets from Buchanan put Mavericks in front for the first time at 62-60 with seven minutes to play and when Pawlak and Bailey shared three unanswered baskets in the thirty-sixth minute of the game Mavericks were suddenly in charge at 74-66. Two time-outs and some desperate defence from Wasps failed to turn the tide as Pawlak guided Mavericks home.

Pawlak was the Middlesbrough Mavericks match-winner with 35 points as Viveash and Bailey joined him in double figures with 13 and 12. Four players shared all but four of Willington Wasps points; Sam Scorer (25), Campbell (19), Lloyd (15) and Ben Scorer (12).

Middlesbrough College Academy A sneaked home as 92-86 winners in their derby with Norton at Stockton.

With a minute and a half left on the clock a great second half charge led by Liam O'Donohue and Paul Jenkins had brought Norton back to just 84-82 behind and as the seconds counted down Robert Shanks popped in a brace of three-point baskets to win the game and save the Academy blushes.

Latham-Henry and Shanks were excellent with 25 and 22 points apiece for Middlesbrough College Academy as O'Donohue and Jenkins responded with 32 and 30 points apiece for Norton.

The top second division game of the week was the clash between Consett Steelers, top of the table at Christmas, and Trimdon Community College Association, unbeaten title favourites, and in the end it was Steelers who were crowing with a 94-82 win.

Matt Patterson gave Steelers a 19-17 edge in the first quarter. A switch to box and one by Trimdon stopped the threat from him, but Garry Gowans and Brendan McNeaney took up the mantle to share 10 of their next 13 points and give Steelers a 35-24 cushion five minutes before the interval and then increase the lead to 51-38 as the whistle blew. The second half was even. Patterson started well for Steelers and Lee Norton and Jamie Paul responded for Trimdon and with five minutes left Steelers were 85-73 up and after a quiet spell a 10-4 run from the home side made the game safe at 94-79.

Patterson was the Consett Steelers match-winner with 34 points, although Gowans and McNeaney added 15 each as Mark Ewan chipped in with 13. Norton, Paul and Longstaff all hit double figures for Trimdon CCA with 26, 20 and 17 respectively.

Hartlepool Hawks ND demolished neighbours Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 129-74 in their second division derby at Brinkburn.

That demolition came courtesy of Luke Thompson who amassed a staggering 64 points. Inside, outside, under and over; Thompson was in a different class from everyone else on court, he was simply un-stoppable. The Luke and Leon Thompson show netted 95 of Hawks points as younger brother Leon added 31 to the 64 which Luke scored. Keith was excellent for CJ Hydraulics A with 32 points as MacDonald, Pearce and Jonathan Osborne collected 13, 12 and 11 apiece.

Shildon Strollers had a comfortable 82-47 triumph at Middlesbrough College Academy. The Academy youngsters started well as Dean Hanson and Mathew Standring countered Strollers physical threat and the first quarter closed at just 21-14 to the visitors. Mal Ballard and Malcolm Turnbull began to establish the Strollers dominance in the second quarter as they outscored their hosts by two baskets to one and as the half-time whistle blew the Shildon outfit had opened up a 42-25 advantage. Steve Troman and Steve Pattison got in on the act for Strollers in the second half as the Academy youngsters heads went down and by the end it was a stroll in the park for the visitors.

Turnbull led the way for Shildon Strollers with 19 points and Ballard collected 17 as Troman and Pattison hit 13 each. Only Hanson scraped into double figures for Middlesbrough College Academy with 11.

Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves notched a surprise 75-66 win at Houghton-le-Spring against Old Houghtonians, but only after five minutes of extra-time.

With ten minutes of normal time left Wolves seemed to have done enough to win the game and led 48-38. A Paul Carr three-pointer sparked a Houghtonians revival and with four minutes left on the clock the deficit was down to just 54-51. Three points from Craig Dawson then stretched Wolves lead to 57-51. Carr hit another three-pointer and slowly but surely the home side closed the gap until a pair of free-shots from Anthony Burdis with seconds left tied the game at 57-57 and overtime was on.

A three-point basket from Ian Hirst gave Wolves the early initiative and as the last of the extra five minutes started the visitors had inflated a match-winning 70-61 cushion and so held on.

Team-work was the key to Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves win as five players netted double-figure scores; Liam Holliday (15), Dawson (14), Hirst (12), Ian Bunnett (12) and Dave Storey (10).

East Durham and Houghall College A were far too good for Durham Saints and returned to Peterlee as 81-64 winners.

After an even first quarter had scored 17-15 to College, the second restart effectively won them the game as Andrew Bains and David Wylie combined to net 13 points without reply and match control at 30-15. A belated riposte initiated be Colin Lisham and picked up by Richard Kippin did managed to cut the deficit to 37-27 as the half-time buzzer sounded, but College picked up the pace again through Andrew Bains in the last ten minutes after an even third quarter had scored 17-16.

Bains finished as the games leading scorer with 29 points for East Durham and Houghall College A as John Harding, Vickers and Wylie hit 18, 13 and 11. Lisham did all he could for Durham Saints with 26 points to which Chris Woodcock and Bailey added 13 and 11 apiece.

In the womens division East Durham and Houghall Academy clocked up a comprehensive 91-58 win against the team above them at the top of the table, Nunthorpe Boro Bruins.

As befits a clash between two of the strongest teams in the division the opening quarter was all-out action and great shooting from Alex Hall and Laura Calder was countered by Ruth Barron and Sarah Hindmarch who gave Nunthorpe the lead, but just at 24-23. Academy took control in the second quarter with a 14-4 start in which Calder, Joella Lynch and Tamsin Vicary shared the spoils and when the interval whistle blew it was they who were celebrating a 40-33 cushion. Academy were now into their stride and when Calder hit four baskets in a row and Vicary landed two three-point baskets their cushion had inflated to 57-39 and there was no way back for a game Nunthorpe who never gave up trying.

Team-work once again gave East Durham and Houghall Academy the edge as five players shared all but six of their points; Vicary (25), Calder (20), Lynch (18), Hall (12) and Ruth Cass (10). Hindmarch and Barron collected 23 and 16 each for Nunthorpe Boro Bruins.

Results, week 15, beginning January 5 - Division One: Belmont Reds 59 Nissan 72; Norton 86 Middlesbrough College Academy A 92; Willington Wasps 75 Middlesbrough Mavericks 83.

Division Two: Hartlepool Hawks ND 129 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 74; Middlesbrough College Academy B 47 Shildon Strollers 82; Old Houghtonians 66 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 75; Durham Saints 64 East Durham and Houghall College A 81; Consett Steelers 94 Trimdon Community College Association 82.

Division Three Cup: Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors 77 Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 59; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 40 Belmont 97.

Womens Division: East Durham and Houghall Academy 91 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 58.