Infernos notch first win of the season in thriller against Barking Owls in Albany Basketball Association

The Infernos have bounced back from their loss to Denmark last week, outlasting the Barking Owls in a thrilling one-point win in round two of the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition on Tuesday. Kye Griffiths was a dominant force across both halves, racking up 17 points for the Infernos in a game-changing offensive display. The Owls had a three-point lead at half-time and maintained their ascendency for most of the contest, but a late charge from the Infernos handed them a gripping 39-38 victory. The Owls’ Evan Delbene, Billy McRae and Tristan Mackenzie were lively in the first half but a resilient Infernos outfit kept finding answers to everything thrown their way. With the Owls five points ahead in the late stages of the contest, Griffiths caught fire, crashing his way to the basket to help drag his side back into contention. A contested lay-up followed by a mid-range jump-shot helped him trim the margin back to two points before the Owls’ McKenzie fouled him on a shot attempt in the key. Griffiths made his first free throw but missed his second and the Infernos still needed a late bucket to snatch the win. With less than 20 seconds left, the Infernos’ Austin Beeck drove straight to the baseline and flicked a clever pass into the path of Zeppelin Evans-Deere,who converted a close-range go-ahead basket. The Owls had a chance to win the game but came up short as the Infernos held on for a spirited victory. Griffiths finished as the game’s highest scorer and was well supported by Beeck (six points) and Tamuka Bandi (five). Delbene provided most of the scoring drive in a losing affair (15), while McRae (nine) and Justin Benson (eight) made an impact. Meanwhile, the Sonics easily accounted for the Railways in a 35-point victory, with scores finishing 62-27. Denmark also continued their perfect start to the season with a dominant 32-point win over the Griffins. Denmark had an even spread of scorers through Luke Wilson (14 points), Jackson Shaw (11), Flynn Wauters (10) and Sam Finigan (10).