A five-man Cannons side put on a defiant performance against Wolves in the first of the Isle of Man Basketball Senior League games on Thursday evening at the NSC.

Half-term decimated Cannons’ bench and they faced a solid Wolves side without any substitutes for rotation and resting.

Despite this, the rookie team made some solid progress against Wolves’ defence in the opening quarter, with quick dribbles and cuts finding a path down the floor and creating solid scoring opportunities around the perimeter and through quick putbacks.

Wolves were initially slow to start but found their rhythm with some nice drives from Ross Wilson and solid shooting from Oscar Lace, giving them a 16-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tighter defence in the opening of the second saw Wolves pressure Cannons down the floor and pick up a string of fast breaks that Michael Pardoe capitalised on.

Cannons continued to push ahead though and some good takes from Jack Wilkinson were coupled with outside shooting by Gabe Thatcher to keep them in close contention for the quarter.

But Wolves managed to extend their lead slightly in the final minutes of the quarter with outside shooting from Lace coupled with foul-free throws for Kyle Mills to give them a 36-19 lead going into half-time.

Wolves had a solid shooting quarter in the third as Wilson and Lace continued to deliver outside the arc and were joined by rookie Max Edwards who hit a trio of three-pointers to supercharge the lead.

Cannons weren’t done firing though as Rowan Coulter cut up the inside lanes and fuelled several fast breaks, while Samson Shimming and Dylan Evans hit the mark for three.

Wolves’ pace was relentless though and, despite their youth, the understrength Cannons started to tire as the third quarter wore on, ending 64-36 to Wolves heading into the fourth.

New energy powered Cannons through the final quarter with two strong opening three-pointers from Shimmin quickly followed by solid drives from Wilkinson and capped by another three from Evans.

The efforts caught Wolves napping and they soon found themselves chasing to win the quarter.

It was Ben Campbell who gave them new momentum with a string of deep three-pointers that helped them to win out the fourth by a single point, 15-14, and take the game 79-50 at the final whistle.

A solid win for Wolves but there was still plenty for Cannons to be happy about, having run up a decent score against the league leaders despite lacking their bench.

- The second game of the evening pitted Cavaliers against Hoops in a quick-paced affair. Hoops took an early lead as Daniella Kravela hit the mid-range, while Gemma Kirkham found success on the inside.

Strong defence and solid boxing also held Cavaliers at bay for much of the first, but they started to break through in the latter half of the quarter. Daniel Dunajewski opened their scoring with a nice jump shot and was soon joined on the scoresheet through drives from James Capelan and Les Winnicki.

The quarter was on course for level-pegging until some last minute three-pointers from Martin French and Phil Evans pushed Cavs ahead, 16-7 going into the second.

It stayed close in the opening minutes of the second quarter, baskets from Andy Cregeen and David Boyle pushing Cavs further ahead, only for them to be dragged back with quick replies from Danielle Murphy and Kirkham.

Again, it was a late shift that changed the momentum of the game as a string of drives from Capelan coupled with an outside shot from Evans to extend the lead.

Hoops had the final baskets of the half, Kirkham picking up two foul free-throws that she sank with cool precision, but as half-time arrived it was Cavaliers who were on top, 29-13.

A more settled Cavaliers started to pull further ahead in the early stages of the second half, quick movement and solid cuts creating lanes that were exploited by Capelan and Cregeen.

Hoops’ shooting suffered somewhat against a stronger Cavs defence, although Rhi Evans joined Kirkham and Kravela in finding a route to the hoop.

It was a standout defensive performance from Evans that was the highlight of the half, some solid on-ball pressure coupled with great basketball IQ that allowed her to snatch multiple passes and set up a few nice breaks down the court.

Cavs’ momentum continued to gather pace though and as the game wore down their lead extended further.

A final run at the end of the fourth pushed them to a 73-33 victory, although Hoops will be happy with a more settled offence and a strong performance on defence.

- The final match of the evening saw Forget Me Not Jets claim a walkover victory, 20-0, against Ravens who failed to field a team because of injuries and personal commitments.

Both teams still managed a friendly as Ravens drafted some non-league and competing players to bolster their numbers.

Jets ran a solid half-court defence and a practiced offence that exploited some quick cuts down the middle and baseline drives to create good scoring opportunities.

The Ravens combi-team settled more for outside shooting which saw Sully Forfar and Zac Hand swish some nice three-pointers under pressure, impressive for newcomers to the league.

The friendly was played in a good spirit throughout, but Ravens’ combi team struggled with the pace of the Jets offence which brought them agonisingly close to their first century this season, 99-36 on the final buzzer.

- The latest round of fixtures also saw the first ‘Super Sunday’ of the season, with a key game between SOS Cannons and Pirates and a top-of-the-table clash as Wolves took on Forget Me Not Jets.

Full match reports and photos will be available in the Manx Independent, on sale Thursday morning.

- League action continues on Thursday night with three more games in the NSC Main Hall.

At 7pm Wolves take on Hoops, then at 8.30pm Ravens face Cannons and Jets play Pirates. Free courtside seating is available for any spectators who wish to attend.

MARTIN DUNNE