Local basketball bounced back with a double whammy of fixtures in the Senior League at the NSC on Thursday evening.

First up on the roster was a closely-fought contest between PokerStars and PwC Hoops, with the former looking to avenge an unexpected loss from earlier in the season.

A mid-range shot from Lauren Ellison and two quick breaks by Stephen Mulhern put Hoops in the lead before the first minute was out. Stars struggled to muster a counter-attack, solid defence from Hoops denying any scoring opportunities.

It was late in the first quarter before Neil Domingo and Vannin Coulter found a route to the basket, picking up fouls and points with some solid drives to build momentum for PokerStars. A final shot from Danielle Murphy in the 10th minute extended Hoops advantage though, ending the quarter five points up, 15-10.

The second period saw a dry spell for Hoops while PokerStars continued to find a path for the drive, Domingo and Coulter drawing fouls and free-throws aided by some nice shooting by Noah Tonks.

Despite some solid opportunities, shots failed to drop consistently for PokerStars which allowed Oksana Fedorovych and Mulhern to clean up on the defensive boards for Hoops.

As the quarter wore on Hoops found their rhythm, with Becky Dunne and Daniella Kravela picking up points and, when half-time arrived, they still held the lead, 28-22.

The second half started slowly for both teams, neither quite finding the mark on offence at first. It was not until halfway through the third quarter before an opening was found and PokerStars capitalised, Domingo cutting through the defence and running down the fast-break on a storming 13-point run.

Heather Beck kept Hoops in the race with some nice shots but it was not enough to keep them ahead, with PokerStars leading for the first time at the end of the third, 37-40.

The momentum stayed with PokerStars at the start of the fourth quarter, Tonks finding the mark to extend his side’s lead to six points and prompt a time-out from Hoops.

Coach Dunne’s time-outs are famous in Manx basketball and after some direct instruction Hoops returned with new focus and determination.

Quick breaks, solid defence and clever ball movement saw them dominate the game for five full minutes, Dunne and Ellison each contributing to an 18-point swing that rocketed them back into the lead.

There was nothing left but the final buzzer and confirmation of Hoops’ second league win, 65-52.

The second Senior League game of the evening saw Forget Me Not Jets and Wolves take to the court, with the former - like PokerStars - looking to avenge a loss near the start of the campaign. Corey Pinder opened the game with a deep three-pointer for Wolves straight from the jump ball, but Wayne Mears and Jacob Glover were quick to reply and built a lead for Jets.

The teams were delicately balanced for the first quarter, with Ross Wilson, Michael Connolly and Kyle Mills hitting lay-ups and shots for Wolves while Mears and Glover were joined by Michael Baker on the scoresheet for Jets.

At the end of the quarter Jets had a slender lead 17-15.

The second and third quarters were similar affairs as Jets kept a disciplined offence and coupled some fast breaks with solid ball movement for open lanes and shots over the Wolves defence.

Baker and Glover again racked up points as Jets found their mark on offence while newcomer Conor Moughtin found some steals on defence.

Wolves were rustier after the extended break and it showed in the mid-game with an offence that ran static at times, finding paths into the paint but failing to convert at the same rate as Jets.

There were moments of flair though, including some nice fast breaks from Wilson, Connolly and Ben Campbell, while a particular highlight were two quick baskets by youngster Oscar Lace, Michael Pardoe threading the pass to him on the fast break.

Jets were the more successful team in the mid-game though and entered the fourth quarter with a solid lead, 49-33. Wolves again found form, an aggressive pressure defence paying dividends in steals and leading to some nice baskets by Connolly and Campbell.

It was not enough to change the outcome though, the final buzzer sounding a win for Forget Me Not Jets, 59-43.

Player of the match was a double award to Conor Moughtin and Oscar Lace, the two rookies continuing to impress in their first Senior League season.

l Basketball is back in full flight at the NSC with a return of both Junior and Senior League this Thursday.

Junior basketball is open to all players aged 12-18 and runs from 6-8pm in the NSC Main Hall, while Senior League games are played from 8pm onwards with spectators welcome to attend.

MARTIN DUNNE