ABA 2023-24: Barking Owls book decider berth after toppling undefeated Sonics, Denmark end Ambassadors season

A clinical first half from Barking Owls handed a shocked Sonics their first loss of the season in the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade qualifying final on Tuesday night. Sonics entered the fixture having won all 16 regular season matches, but it was the Owls who booked a spot in the decider after soaring to a 55-44 victory. Owls did most of the damage early with a devastating 34-15 first half before Sonics adopted their hallmark full-court trap to reel in the final margin to a more respectable 11 points. Owls had the hot hand early and were dead-eye from the field while Sonics uncharacteristically struggled for offensive rhythm through the first 20 minutes. Evan Delbene (14 points) had his running floater on-song for the Owls with 10 first-half points and teammate James Watters (16) relentlessly slashed to the hoop for eight points. Sonics’ David Arthur was tremendous all night with 24 points and gave his side a much-needed boost at the start of the second half after converting a spectacular three-point play. Sonics smothered the Owls with their frantic pressure applied through their full-court trap, led by an active Mark Elentorio (12) and rapid Arthur, cutting the margin to seven points with 30 seconds on the clock. However, Sonics left themselves too much to recover and were forced to foul in the dying seconds of the game. Harry Watters was at his lethal best from beyond the arc with three triples on his way to 11 points. In the elimination final, an electrifying second half from Denmark sent them into the preliminary final against Sonics next week, after ending Ambassadors’ season. In a game played with two polar opposite styles, Ambassadors’ game plan was built on finding open looks while Denmark crashed the basket. Denmark were trailing six points at the break and with their season on the line they stormed home to a four-point victory. They began the second half with a crushing 12-2 run to snatch back the lead before holding on to the 45-41 win. Skilful guard Kye Griffiths (15) scored 10 second-half points and veteran big man Luke Wilson (13) contributed eight points while Jackson Shaw bullied his way under the basket on his way to 10 points. Earlier, Ambassadors found numerous open looks through their plethora of perimeter shooters while clamping Denmark’s ability to hit the paint. Ambassadors’ Caleb Carman hit two threes on his way to a team-high 13 points while Zac Beeck and Todd Knuiman each contributed eight.