The Isle of Man national men’s basketball team travelled to Lancashire last weekend for a physical match-up against Preston Basketball Club.

The English side currently sit top of Championship Division of the Manchester Area Basketball League (MABL).

The game marked the first outing against off-island opponents for the Manx men’s team since the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey, and was a key test of how the squad is developing ahead of this summer’s inter-island competition in Anglesey.

With a quick pace and physical play, the game at Cardinal Newmann College proved to be a tough test for the island team.

Preston stated their intentions from the go, tipping the jump ball into the hands of Paulino Vasquez who powered down the court for a quick basket in the opening seconds.

The Manxmen weren’t rattled by the early setback and Viktor Capkanovski was swift to reply with a solid drive through the Preston defence to level the scores.

A defence that rotated between zone and man-press found some success for the island but the MABL stalwarts were well versed in press breaks and adjusted to push the ball down the floor.

The teams stayed toe-to-toe throughout the first quarter, Peter Boussougou hitting outside the arc while Ross Wilson and Jake Glover drove the lanes to match Preston’s pace.

The efforts kept the Manx side within a single point of their hosts at the end of the first, 15-16.

Active half-court ball pressure and solid skip passes saw Preston open up a strong lead in the second quarter, with key players David Howard and Vasquez left free on the wings as the island’s defence shifted to cover strong drives and baseline cuts.

The improved offence from Preston played in tandem with their more solid defence as the high ball pressure disrupted the flow of the Manx team and saw scoring opportunities dry up.

There were still some good plays though, solid drives giving kick-out threes to Oscar Lace and Ben Takken while Wilson and Capkanovski picked up foul-free throws to add to their total.

Despite the efforts Preston continued to pull away and had built a 10-point lead at the half, 28-38.

Momentum continued for Preston in the opening minutes of the third quarter, with quick breaks for Lincoln Martins and Craig Wright that pushed the hosts to their largest lead of the game at 16 points.

Change was needed on the Manx side and a shift to a full-court zone press stopped the Preston advance, while active switching on the half-court continued to deny them the easy three.

Strong defensive efforts from Logan Glover and Michael Pardoe were key to the momentum change, with Glover in particular securing a series of key boards and steals. As Preston faltered the Manxmen advanced, with a brace of outside shots from Pardoe, Capkanovski, and Wilson shifting the momentum.

A blistering end to the third caught Preston on the back foot and turned the game on its head as the Manx side stole the lead, 48-45.

It was a battle of wills in the final quarter as both sides went all out to secure victory. Preston again used their pace down the court and defensive prowess to pick up quick breaks and strong drives.

The Isle of Man continued to deploy a pressing zone defence that disrupted the Preston flow, while inside play by Takken helped to keep the Manx in contention.

More effective use of screens and solid crashing of boards helped the island side to keep an edge as the clock wore down, but a swish three from Zak Hussain had the teams level, 60-60, with less than a minute to go.

The draw didn’t last for long though as Jake Glover found his way to the basket to push the island ahead by two points with less than 20 seconds remaining.

A quick timeout from Preston saw them draw up a play and return to the floor seeking the three.

Despite the high intensity of the match and an early-morning start, the islanders dug deep to set a solid defensive wall that held the Preston team to the buzzer and granted the Isle of Man men’s side an impressive 62-60 victory at full-time.

Key highlights of the game were the solid performances from under-18s development players Jack Wilkinson and Oliver Hamilton, each on their first outing with the island’s senior men’s team.

Wilkinson showed good composure under pressure moving well to get free for some nice shot opportunities and playing a good boxing game that led to a key rebound for the team.

Hamilton showcased his solid decision making, exploiting his defender for a solid baseline drive which collapsed the Preston defence and allow a kick out to the waiting hands of Wilson who cooly swished the three.

With strong showings in this game as well as the local league, there seems to be a bright future for both players on the island’s men’s team.

The solid performance is a strong step on the developing road to this summer’s inter-island competition on Yns Mon, the local Anglesey Basketball Association hosting six islands – Anglesey, Jersey, Guernsey, Falkland, Faroe and the Isle of Man – for men’s and women’s basketball.

The Isle of Man have high hopes for a strong showing and a boost towards the 2029 Games to be held in the Isle of Man.

Further games are planned for the coming months as the team builds momentum towards the games.

In the interim, training resumes for the island u18s and men’s squad on Mondays at the Roundhouse, while the island women continue to train every Sunday at the same venue.

Full updates on the team’s progress toward the games is available on the association website www.isleofmanbasketball.com

- The Isle of Man Basketball Association wishes to thank Preston Basketball Club for hosting the island’s men’s team and to PBC player Shaun Hoyle for helping to organise the game.

The association hopes to host Preston Basketball Club on-island in the near future and to an ongoing partnership promoting the sport.

MARTIN DUNNE