Bury St Edmunds Basketball Club notched their first Cambridge League win of the season against Mildenhall Pirates.
The Bulldogs’ high energy defending and fast paced offence quickly led to a double figure lead before the Pirates fought back with some fast break points of their own to reduce the deficit to 23-18 after one quarter.
The score remained close in the second, captain David Wise led the way for Bury with 8 points but good three point shooting kept the Pirates within five as the half closed 41-36.
Bury switched defensive tactics after half time in an effort to extend their lead and the impact was immediate. Mildenhall were allowed no time to settle on the ball and a 15 point scoring spree from Oliver Cowling saw Bury take control of the game, leading 72-53 with 10 minutes to go.
The Pirates kept battling in the final period but never threatened a comeback. Bury continued to add points until Wise scored the last 6 of the game to seal a 100-67 away win.
Coach Glenn Collins said “We’ve not done ourselves justice so far this season so it was great to finally get off the mark tonight. We were sloppy in patches and can definitely still play better, but when we played the way we want to we were excellent.”
The U15’s also got off the mark in their ABA campaign, as they won a pair of games against Great Yarmouth by a commanding margin.
The Suffolk side came out firing, as Captain Woody Jackson dominated inside to secure rebounds and turn slick ball movement into efficient scoring. Bulldogs lead 30-10 at half time and ended up 54-18 winners.
The teams then played the reverse fixture. The Bulldogs tightened their defensive intensity, holding Yarmouth to fewer points. However player of the day Joseph Franks led an equally seemless offence, organising his teammates and creating slick baskets.
The day saw debuts for Matthew Williamson and Oliver Moore, who both registered on the score sheet.
Coach Seb Benford added “I’m so pleased for the players whose effort is paying off - The more experienced players led both vocally and by example, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they’re developing.”
Meanwhile, the First Team joined the Senior Reserve side in the semi-finals of the Suffolk Cup, as Braintree forfeited their quarter final clash.
Up next for the club is a trip to face Leopards for the First Team, before the Reserves welcome Mildenhall to Skyliner on Sunday, at 6:15pm.
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