Denmark secure fourth straight win after withstanding resilient Railways in ABA men’s A-grade competition

Denmark held off a persistent Railways to keep their winning streak alive in the Albany Basketball Association A-grade men’s competition on Tuesday.

The Tigers got within three points with just over five minutes left in the second half but a clinical Magpies outfit showed resilience in the face of a persistent opposition to win by eight points.

The Magpies looked a level above early, racing to a 7-0 run to start the game before Lachlan Cale broke the drought for the Tigers with an important layup.

Late in the period, Reagan Hutchinson got to the basket and finished in traffic, being fouled in the process.

Hutchinson could not convert his free-throw attempt, but Magpies’ Luke Wilson ripped down the rebound and drained the second-chance bucket to push the margin out to eight points.

A timely three-pointer from Tigers’ Adrian Hardy dragged it back to five and the agile guard then hit one of his two free-throw attempts to cut the buffer to four points as they headed into the break trailing 23-19.

Magpies Hutchinson and Sam Finigan sunk two quick lay-ups in the opening minutes of the second half to stamp their authority on the contest before the Tigers were dealt a cruel blow as Hardy was forced to exit the contest with a leg injury five minutes into the half.

Both sides traded baskets in the last 15 minutes and despite the Magpies’ relentless attack on the paint, the lead never stretched beyond eight points.

A Tigers three-pointer cut the lead back to four but Magpie Cody Kerr hit back with one of his own before Augustus Brampton all but sealed the game for the Magpies with a layup.

The Magpies had to ward off a late push but they held on to sink the Tigers and retain their undefeated status with a 44-36 win.

Magpies’ Finigan (12 points) was terrific as the game-high scorer and he was well supported by Luke Wilson (8) and his dogged offensive rebounding.

Brampton (9) was also electric with a seven-point first half before adding two more points and assisting well in the second period.

Hardy (eight points) provided most of the offensive drive for the Tigers to finish as their top-scorer despite his early injury.

Reigning premiers Barking Owls recorded their first win of the season over Griffins with a 12-point win to climb the table.

Evan Delbene continued his stellar form, hitting a stunning six three-pointers on his way to 24 points while big man Lucas Ravenhill (13) got busy down low and Billy McRae (11 points) also chipped in.

Infernos played out another thriller, outlasting Sonics by a point.

Kye Griffiths was a man possessed in the key, repeatedly finding his way to the basket on his way to 23 points as the Infernos’ consolidated third place.