There were only two games in Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Senior League at the NSC on Thursday evening.

This was as a result of Eagles being forced to forfeit their match against Turkeys because of a short bench.

The first game of the evening was a hard-fought contest between Forget Me Not Jets and Microgaming Cavaliers, with the latter taking the initiative early thanks to a quick hitter from Phil Evans and an outside shot from Dave Minay.

Jets’ offence struggled to find form in the opening quarter, although baskets from Tom Dalton-Brown and Michael Baker attempted to slow the Cavaliers advance and compensate for several unforced errors in the offence.

As the clock ran down in the first quarter, a brace of three-pointers from Evans and Martin French secured Cavaliers a double-digit lead, 7-19.

The second period opened with more baskets from Cavaliers, this time Sergio Arboleya featuring, but it wasn’t long until Jets’ tighter defence and more controlled offence started to bear fruit.

Speed down the court put pressure on Cavaliers in the transition and swift ball movement opened opportunities for Jets in the shifting defence.

Jake Glover and Wayne Mears both found routes for the lay-up and mid-range while Paul Kilic sank a swish three-pointer, with another dropped by rookie Conor Moughtin.

The pressure was piled on Cavaliers as Jets racked up points and played an aggressive triangle-and-two defence that stopped their opponents’ offence in its tracks.

When half-time arrived, the momentum was with Jets who had outscored Cavaliers two-to-one (16 points to eight) and slashed their lead to four points, 23-27.

The third quarter saw Jets continue their run, Kilic raining down three-pointers while Mears cut the lanes for lay-ups and mid-range shots.

Hustle on both ends of the court paid dividends as well, with Peter Boussougou and Baker scooping up offensive boards while defensive pressure forced a five-second violation on the offensive baseline from Cavaliers.

It was a punishing quarter for Cavs as Jets overturned the lead and then started to pull away, but there were some highlights for the current title holders.

One key offence saw a quick swing to the corner put the ball into the hands of Les Winnicki who drove the baseline, collapsing the defence and opening a lane from the top for Minay to cut down for the easy dish and basket.

There was little to change the game though and, at the end of the third period, Jets were on top 41-33.

The start of the fourth quarter could have seen the game put to bed but two clutch shots by Daniel Dunajewski halved the Jets lead and put Cavaliers back in contention.

What followed was a tense battle of wills as both teams upped their defence and strived to gain the upper hand.

The breakthrough again came from the quick ball movement of Jets, shifting round the Cavaliers defence and giving Kilic just enough space to sink yet more clean three-pointers and put Jets back on the front foot.

Cavaliers couldn’t find a route through the Jets defence and, with the scoreline on their side, Jets moved to a more patient offence that ran down the clock and worked to find the right opportunities.

A nice block from Minay stopped a late baseline drive by Mears but it was of little consolation, coming in the final minute when the game was already sealed.

At the final buzzer, Jets took the win 56-47 and further cemented their position at the top of the league table.

The second game of the evening saw Ravens take on Wolves, with speed being the order of the day from both sides.

It was a rocky start for Wolves who stuttered on offence, leading to plenty of turnovers that Ravens were all too eager to capitalise on.

Outside shots from Ben Leith and Vannin Coulter were complimented by baskets on the break from Cormac Ewan and Michael Provatakis, and gave the Ravens a solid lead at the end of the first quarter, frustrating their opponents.

The second period saw a change of tack from Wolves with greater emphasis on quick transition and ball movement which opened the lanes for Ross Wilson and Michael Connolly while Kyle Mills zoned in on the outside shot.

Pressure defence up the court from Michael Pardoe led to several steals for Wolves and gave them a run of quick baskets.

That set the tone for the rest of the game and, while Coulter hit more from outside and Ewan was joined by Leon Evans on the inside, it wasn’t enough to turn the game around. When all was said and done, Wolves had the win 75-49.

l The league season continues to build towards the play-offs this week with three matches on the schedule for Thursday evening.

First to play at 7pm will be PwC and Eagles, then at 8.30pm there will be a double header as Forget Me Not Jets take on Wolves and Microgaming Cavaliers play Turkeys. All games are held in the NSC Main Hall with courtside seating available for spectators.

There will also be another session of the Junior League on Thursday, with coaching and games for all players in school years seven and above.

Training starts at 6pm in the NSC Main Hall and will run until 8.30pm with registration on the night.