Teen trio lead Railways past Knights

For the second time this season reigning premiers Knights have been undone by Railways, as young trio Kyle Smith, Henrick Alforque and Cyrus Upson starred in offence on Tuesday to guide the new franchise to another strong victory in the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition.

Railways have turned their fortunes around in the past fortnight, securing big wins over last season’s grand finalists Barking Owls and now Knights.

The 12-point win over Knights came on the back of teenagers Smith, Alforque and Upson, who combined for more points that Knights managed as a whole team.

Smith was on fire in the opening half as he dropped 16 points but the defending premiers had the better of the first 20 minutes as they led by two points at the break.

Upson and Alforque took over in the second half, Upson netting three early triples in the first five shots to help Railways open up a seven-point advantage.

Knights big man Flynn Wauters added two points with a clever spin move but Railways hit the next 13 points, seven of which came through the zippy Alforque as the margin got out to double figures.

When Upson hit his fourth three-pointer his side were 16 points ahead and it continued to grow, getting to as much as 19 points with eight minutes to play.

Knights were able to trim the margin somewhat and Luke McGuire hit a three pointer to reduce the margin to nine points with three minutes left on the clock.

Railways however stood firm as big man Shane Braimbridge ensured his side emerged winners, 62-50.

Alforque produced a dazzling display against his former side, knocking down 15 second half points to partner Upson perfectly in the last 25 minutes.

Smith top-scored with 20 points and he was ably supported by Alforque (18 points) and Upson (14).

Knights were well led by Kye Griffiths, who finished with 15 points, but it could not prevent them from losing a second game of the season. Ambassadors moved to third position on the ladder after overcoming a half-time deficit against Raiders on Tuesday night.

Raiders led by six points at the main break and that turned into a nine-point buffer with 13 minutes to play.

Ambassadors fought hard to get back on level terms and took the lead in the dying minutes of the game, going on to win, 50-44.

Caleb Carman led the way for the victors with 17 points while Louis Stratico top scored for Raiders with 14.

Barking Owls won their first game in five weeks after holding off a persistent Blazers outfit.

Blazers led 32-26 at half-time but the Owls were too strong in the second half as big men Justin Benson (13) and Sam Finigan (16) dominated in the six point win.

Tom Powell was a shining light for Blazers with 22 points, including three triples, as his side went down 49-55.