PwC Hoops stunned PokerStars in Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Senior League at the NSC on Thursday evening.

The women’s team were fired up for the match but it was Stars’ Michael Provatkis who got the first points of the night, a quick drive drawing the foul and gaining the young player free-throw shots.

Active challenging defence was the order of the night for Hoops and it paid off with plenty of steals for Lauren Ellison, Becky Dunne and Nefeli Protogeraki, each finding baskets on the return to take Hoops into the lead.

An explosive late run by Danielle Murphy, who racked up nine points in two minutes which was capped by a swish three-pointer, left Stars trailing by double digits at the end of the first quarter, 28-15.

Stars responded at the start of the second period with a three-pointer from Provatkis and a nice mid-range shot from Noah Tonks.

It was a short-lived revival though as Hoops hit back with an offence that ran like a well-oiled machine.

Quick passing around the outside combined with drives that collapsed the Stars defence and quick dish passes for a shot gave plenty of baskets to Protogeraki and Ellison.

Stars struggled to find gaps in the Hoops defence and, as the half ended, the women’s lead had extended to 22 points, 44-22.

Stars came into the second half with renewed determination and made inroads into the Hoops defence, with quick drives from Bernaldo Dadivas and several nice shots from Valerijs Djusko.

Hoops continued to work their offensive sets and played some great misdirection, with the drive drawing the attention of the defence only for the ball to be dished to players nobody saw coming.

Mid-range shots from Sarah Leitner and Holly Hennessy also found the mark and kept Hoops well in the lead heading into the fourth quarter, 59-38.

With a commanding advantage in the last period, Hoops were happy to play a controlled game, using the offensive clock to probe the defence and find the right opportunity.

Stars faced an uphill struggle and tried for swift shots and quick drives, Vannin Coulter hitting some nice gaps to rack up points.

But it wasn’t enough to turn the tide and the game ended with a decisive first league win for PwC Hoops in the men’s division, 71-52.

Other teams will take note that the real danger from Hoops in this game was their team play, with points well spread between many players including Dunne, Ellison, Daniella Kravela and Murphy. Offences that can spread the scoring so well are always difficult to tackle.

Player of the match was awarded to Dunne who played the full 40 minutes and was active for the Hoops win on both ends of the court.

Jets too strong for Eagles

The second game of the evening saw a blistering contest between Forget Me Not Jets and Eagles, the two athletic teams opting for a succession of fast breaks that was energising to watch.

The seasoned Jets found greater success on offence, Jacob Glover and Tom Dalton-Brown pushing quick runs and open lanes while Wayne Mears and Mattie Jennings worked the mid-range and inside for baskets.

Eagles tried but found it tough against a pressing defence and took only slight consolation in baskets from Ivan Hufana, Jack Coates and Lorenz Freno in what was a punishing first half.

The second half saw an improved offence from Eagles, Matteo Petza and Jack Elliott hitting the mark, but Jets continued to fly ahead with Glover zipping down the lanes and Jennings mopping up rebounds.

A highlight in the second half came from young rookie Connor Moughtin who pressured the Eagles ball handler down the court, managing to get a quick steal and setting up Dalton-Brown for an outside shot.

When all was said and done, Jets were flying high with a solid win, 78-29.