Denmark Magpies outlast Barking Owls to consolidate second spot in the Albany Basketball men’s A-grade comp

Barking Owls failed to extend their unbeaten streak to five games after going down to Denmark Magpies in round eight of the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition on Tuesday night. The Magpies made it six wins in the A-grade competition to consolidate second spot at the halfway point of the regular season. In a superb team performance six Magpies players contributed to their scoring with the Owls failing to take the lead at any point throughout the contest. Despite levelling scores in the early stages of the second half, the Owls were left reeling as the Magpies’ strong rebounding and rapid ball movement proved the difference in the 10-point victory. Gus Brampton had the opposition on high alert early, knocking down two triples and a clean slam-dunk with the opening baskets of the game. Owls’ Lucas Ravenhill chipped in with a timely lay-up to get his side off the mark but the Magpies kept finding answers. Reagan Hutchinson and Cody Kerr worked in tandem to add to the scoring pressure while Luke Wilson provided great drive. Sharpshooter Evan Delbene was the driving force behind all the Owls’ offensive possessions, scoring 12 first-half points in a balanced display. Delbene rattled in two three-pointers and three field goals including a tough floater at the baseline to drag the margin back to two points. Magpies’ Hutchinson buried a three before Owls’ Billy McRae bobbed up for his first points of the game but his side trailed 17-20 at the break. Both sides traded baskets in the early stages, a Delbene triple and a tough lay-up in the paint from Ravenhill had both sides locked at 27 apiece at the 10-minute mark. But the Owls’ momentum was halted after Brampton converted a three-point play and another calmly taken three-pointer by Hutchinson put the Owls on the back foot. Flynn Wauters converted a layup in the process of getting fouled and sunk both his free-throw attempts to push the lead out to eight. The Magpies never faltered from that point, holding on to finish convincing 42-32 winners. Brampton (11 points) and Hutchinson (9) both had two triples to their names while Wauters added eight points of his own. Delbene (23 points) was the shining light for the Owls with three triples and three-field goals in a valiant display while Ravenhill (5) provided solid rim protection on the defensive end. Meanwhile the Infernos kept their season rolling with a 30-point win over Railways Tigers as Kye Griffiths (20) dominated with eight field goals. Yero Elliott (11) was also a strong contributor in the 56-26 victory. Adrian Hardy returned from injury for the Tigers to put up 10 points while Lachlan Cale (9) also chipped in. Sonics remain on top of the A-grade ladder, cruising to their sixth win of the season against Griffins with a 56-26 victory. David Arthur (15) had hot hands from out deep with three triples while Tyreice Brown (13) provided a strong presence down low with five field goals.