Fight on for top-four spot

Crabs and Ambassadors will both be looking to cement their spot in the Albany Basketball Association’s men’s A-grade top four when the sides meet tonight at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.

There’s five games left in the season and both teams are locked on three wins, with Crabs ahead in fourth position because of an extra bye.

However, Ambassadors hold a superior percentage and a win would see them jump ahead of Crabs into fourth spot.

Ambassadors claimed a victory when the sides met in round 4, notching a 12-point win off the back of strong contributions from Ryan Barber, Caleb Carmen and Simon Clarendon.

In the competition’s other fixtures, Barking Owls will be hopeful of maintaining their buffer at the top of the table with a win over Dugites, while Tigers and Raiders under-18 development squad will also face off. Raiders sit in third position, three wins behind Tigers, and can close the gap with a win tonight.

The last time the two sides met Tigers exposed the Raiders’ lack of height to win a tight contest by four points; however, Raiders have recently welcomed back centre Hamish McMorran and will be confident they can match Tigers in that department this time around.

In the women’s A-grade competition, Magpies and Flames are separated by percentage at the top of the standings and both will be looking to gain some separation in their matches tonight.

Magpies face last-placed Panthers, while Flames are up against Sparks.

In the other fixture, Grammar Griffins take on Raiders, with Grammar sitting five points clear of the fourth-placed Raiders.

The round 6 clash between the two sides saw Grammar overcome a half-time deficit to claim a three-point win, as Anita Onions top-scored with 13 points.