Wolves took a bite out of Ravens as Isle of Man Basketball Association’s regular league season returned for 2025 at the NSC on Thursday evening.

It wasn't plain sailing for the current title holders though, as the younger side put up an impressive display.

A quick drive from the tip-off opened the scoring for Ravens and started an impressive run for Matt Jones who used his speed to devastating effect throughout the game.

Rust showed in Wolves’ offence as they struggled to hit the mark and gave a a series of turnovers because of unforced passing errors.

The problems stopped them from pulling away but mid-range shots from Vik Capkanovski and Kyle Mills were coupled with some aggressive drives by Ross Wilson to keep them at level pegging, 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.

Better form came from Wolves in the second period as shot selection improved and aggressive defence allowed them to pick up a series of steals and quick buckets.

Wilson and Capkanovski continued to play a leading role but were joined by the returning Harry Brindle who made a series of strong drives into the paint.

Scoring dried up for Ravens at the start of the second, but they improved as the quarter wore on, relying heavily on quick breaks down the court by Jones and Sully Forfar.

Miltos Provatakis found some routes through the man defence and onto the scoresheet, but the quarter belonged to Wolves who built a solid lead, 45-28 going into half-time.

The lead extended throughout the third and fourth quarters, Wolves continuing to find routes to the basket and sink some nice shots, but frustration in the stuttering flow of the offence was evident.

With a series of big games coming up in the next few weeks, there will be plenty of work for Wolves to knock off the new year rust and get back into full form.

Ravens suffered from flagging legs and struggled to break down the 2-3 zone defence, leading to contested shots and a drought in offensive boards.

Seb Smith continued to impress with some nice moves and solid challenges, while player/coach Torryn Jones sank his first three-pointer of the season to cheers from the sideline.

The result wasn't in doubt though and at the final buzzer Wolves had clipped Ravens’ wings, 82-51.

- The other games of the evening saw similar performances, tight in the early stages only for one team to grind out a solid victory as the minutes wore on.

Cannons fired an impressive broadside in the opening minutes of their encounter with Cavaliers as quick pace and movement saw Rowan Coulter and Oliver Hamilton crack open the defence.

The solid inside play was joined by some impressive outside shooting from power forward Jack Wilkinson, elevating Cannons to a 10-point lead.

It wasn't until near the mid-way mark that Cavaliers mustered a response, falling back on the tried and tested skills of centre Dave Minay who set up shop in the low post and quickly levelled the scores.

Tighter defence helped Cavaliers limit Cannons’ drives, although Gabe Thatcher kept them in contention with some swish threes, and at the buzzer it was the tightest of margins, Cavaliers leading by one point, 17-16.

- Cannons’ offence fell flat in the second quarter, movement and pace falling away to be replaced by early outside shots.

It provided fertile ground for Cavaliers as Minay scouped up every missed shot and launched the ball down range into the hands of his fast-break runners. Points came aplenty for Dave Boyle and Andy Cregeen and the Cavs soon had a commanding lead over the youthful Cannons.

Thatcher, Hamilton and Coulter all managed to pick up some points from deep three-pointers, but it was slim retort to Cavaliers’ relentless progress, 40-27 at half-time.

Cavs continued to pull away as the second half progressed, quick breaks and inside play dominating much of the third quarter.

Cannons’ offence continued to rely heavily on outside shots with limited success and scant second chances on the boards.

It could have been a comfortable coast to a solid win for Cavaliers, but a step change came in the fourth quarter as they switched to more of an outside shooting game.

Baskets came in droves with Martin French, Dan Dunajewski and Dave Boyle all delivering and within minutes Cavaliers lead had doubled to near 40 points.

It was a final blow for Cannons who struggled to convert at all during the fourth and lost out at the buzzer, 87-46 to Cavaliers.

- The final match-up of the evening saw Hoops leave Pirates stuck at port as Gemma Kirkham hit a series of mid-range shots to build a quick lead.

Pirates came back strong with Lance Davidas and Wig Bregazzi - who signed for the team over Christmas - leading the charge.

Hoops kept the energy high but were trailing going into half-time and struggled to match the pace of the Pirates at full sail who led 66-29 at the end of the third.

Pirates had banked on their solid lead giving them all an easy ride to the final whistle but were soon under pressure from an aggressive Hoops performance.

Solid defensive efforts and boxing-out denied Pirates any significant bounty on offence and left them scrambling to defend an energetic Hoops offence.

Outside shots from Mairi Harrison and Becky Dunne alongside nice mid-ranges from Daniella Kravela saw Hoops dominate the fourth, 27-15.

The renewed momentum wasn’t enough to overcome Pirates early lead though and they took the game, 81-56 at full-time.

- The latest batch of results see Cavaliers jump ahead of rivals Jets to take second place in the league table and sets up an exciting top-of-the-table clash against Wolves at 8.30pm in the NSC Main Hall on Thursday.

Ravens take on the Pirates at 7pm and Jets will return to action against Hoops at 8.30pm.

Courtside seating is available for any spectators wishing to attend and full details of the league schedule and teams are available on the association website www.isleofmanbasketball.com

MARTIN DUNNE