ABA 2025: Malcolm van Burgel dominates with 30-point haul as Sonics Grey power to second A-grade victory

Sonics Grey bounced back from their opening defeat to club rivals Blue with a 16-point victory over Raiders in round two of the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition. Malcolm van Burgel bagged an impressive haul of 30 points, and Raiders had no answer to his speed and power as Grey triumphed 50-34. Grey were 5-0 up before Raiders got on the board but they kept within touching distance with Harrison Sedgwick and Andre De Giambattista converting baskets to take them to just three points adrift with six minutes gone. As Grey pulled away to lead 17-10, William Jefferies and Triston Amigo dragged Raiders back into the game and then Sedgwick converted two penalty shots to leave them just 23-19 down at halftime. Van Burgel got Grey off to a good start after the break with a basket 15 seconds into the second half and was the go-to man as his side edged clear again. A Raiders time out with 11 minutes left was an attempt to stop the rot as they trailed 36-25, and a Charlie McGregor basket, plus a free throw, gave them three points and some impetus. But there was no stopping Van Burgel who capped his performance with the last word – with two baskets for four points at the death. Callum van Garderen (seven points) and Jaylen Beattie (six) were Grey’s other main contributors while Sedgwick was Raiders’ top scorer with eight points. Charlie McGregor also helped the Raiders’ cause with five points. Denmark Magpies won their second game to start the season with maximum points. They defeated Barking Owls 54-42 with Kye Griffiths top-scoring with 18 points. All-round sportsman Ryan Hick and tall Luke Wilson bagged 13 points apiece. The Owls’ squad featured only six players with Raiders’ Sedgwick playing his second game of the night after featuring in the under-18s’ contest against Sonics. John Santia and Sedgwick, with a three-pointer, got the Owls off to a decent start but they were quickly overhauled as Hick, Griffiths and Jackson Shaw found their range. However, Justin Benson took up the fight for the Owls who battled back in a thrilling closing spell to lead 20-19 at halftime. After the break, although the contest continued to be nip and tuck, a basket from Hick levelled the scores at 36-36 with nine minutes to go and then Griffiths bagged five points to give Magpies a lead they never relinquished. In the other men’s game, Sonics Blue defeated Railways Tigers, 37-31, for their second victory. Mason Tion, with eight points, was Blue’s top man although he was outshone by Beauden East who bagged 15 for the Tigers in a losing cause. In the women’s A-grade, Barking Owls are already the only team with maximum points after beating Sonics, 47-37. In the other contest Denmark Magpies beat Railways Tigers, 38-30. Rebecca Benson’s 17 points was key for the Owls while Aleesha Narkle’s 18-point effort for Sonics was ultimately in vain. The points were shared among the Magpies with Ashlee Kerr and Dani Karne each grabbing nine, and Matilda McHenry close behind on eight. Brodie Dixon was on fire for Sonics with a personal haul of 14 points, with Sophie Pearson next best with nine.