A high-flying Forget Me Not Jets took on Edgewater Turkeys in the second week of the 2021-22 basketball season on Thursday evening.

Jets wasted no time in putting up points at the NSC, with Peter Boussougou working the inside while Jake Glover showed his athleticism with a flurry of fast breaks.

Turkeys kept neck-and-neck with Jets in the opening stages though, Wig Bregazzi finding his way to the basket while Dave Boyle and Chris Wolfendale swished mid-range shots.

But the scoring dried up for Turkeys in the latter stages of the first quarter which allowed Jets to edge out a 16-11 lead at the buzzer.

Bragazzi, Boyle and Wolfendale were again key for Turkeys in the second period, picking up points from early on with some solid screening opening the lanes or giving chances for a quick drive and dish.

It was Wayne Mears who responded for Jets with a trio of jump shots from just inside the key that kept his side ahead by a slender two points. The back end of the second quarter again saw scoring slow for Turkeys, while Jets kept their form and maintained a 32-25 lead going into half-time.

Turkeys struggled to score at the start of the second half, Boyle putting some points up but there was a long dry spell in the mid-quarter that opened a chance for Jets to pull even further away.

It was a difficult feat for the Jets team though, Turkeys applying fresh pressure on defence that made it more difficult for their opponents to find baskets that came easier in the first half.

Mears and Glover found some chances though, Mears in particular capitalising on any foul free-hrows that came his way. At the end of the third, Jets had extended their lead by two points to 48-37.

The final period saw more success for Turkeys’ offence, Krum Gogov finding the mark at mid-range and joining Bregazzi, Boyle and Wolfendale to power Turkeys forward.

Inside work from Boussougou paid some dividends for Jets but it was again the pace and shooting of Glover and Mears that kept them ahead throughout.

At the final buzzer Jets took the win 68-54, although it was the solid shooting and defence of Turkeys’ Boyle that saw him clinch player of the match.

l The second match of the evening saw an understrength PwC Hoops face Ravens in an energetic battle. Danielle Murphy opened scoring for Hoops with a nice shot that led from the jump ball.

But Ravens made good use of their speed to keep the pace high, Eoin Murphy and Matthew Jones picking up quick baskets from the lanes. The latter side pushed further ahead with a swish three-pointer from Vannin Coulter, the first of a quartet of threes from him, and ended the quarter up 13-4.

Hoops came out stronger in the next period with a tighter defence that led to plenty of steals, including one nice interception by Rhian Evans that resulted in a quick drive down the court and a nice lay-up from the rookie.

Ravens were forced outside the three-point line by the solid Hoops defence but managed to find success with some solid shots from Ben Leith and Coulter. At half-time Ravens held onto their lead, 30-18.

The second half followed a familiar pattern: solid Hoops defence disrupting Ravens’ game and leading to some nice opportunities for the Hoops side.

One highlight was a quick break from Holly Hennessy who, chased by Ravens defenders, threw a quick jump stop and shot fake that sent the defenders flying by and left her open to sink an easy shot.

The shorter bench for Hoops began to show though and Ravens used their numbers to keep the pace of the game high, with baskets coming more easily as fatigue took its toll on the defence.

At the final whistle Ravens had recorded their first win of the season, 61-47, in a game that may well have gone the other way had Hoops been at full strength.

l The third game of the evening was a slow-starting affair between Wolves and Eagles.

Despite plenty of opportunities in the opening minutes, neither team managed to hit their mark and it wasn’t until halfway through the first quarter that points were put on the board, with fast breaks for Wolves from Michael Pardoe and Ross Wilson.

That signalled the start of a punishing half for Eagles as Wolves’ defensive pressure kept them under control and led to plenty of chances on the break, leaving the half-time score 42-4 to Wolves.

The second half saw greater success for Eagles, with Lorenzo Reno and Sean Aherne finding routes to the basket. Scoring stayed low though, as shots refused to drop for the their side but some consolation came in the form of several offensive boards.

Wolves’ scoring switched from the fast break to outside shooting with thred-pointers from Kyle Mills and Jack Murray keeping them well in the lead to the end, leaving a final score of 67-13 to Wolves.

l The Junior League continues this Thursday, running from 6-8.30pm at the NSC main hall and open to all junior players in school years 7 and above.

Each session players are coached the core fundamentals of the game prior to playing round robin matches where they can utilise their skills. Training costs £2 per week after an initial £15 England Basketball registration fee.

On the senior side, there are three games this week with a battle of the birds starting proceedings as newcomers Ravens play Turkeys at 7pm, then at 8.30pm a double whammy of fixtures sees PwC Hoops face Wolves while Eagles take on Cavaliers.

All games are played in the NSC main hall and seating is available for any spectators who wish to attend.