PORT Macquarie Dolphins bagged a double header victory over the weekend to continue their charge towards the Waratah State League basketball finals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Dolphins beat Newcastle Hunters 68-65 on Saturday before weathering the storm from the Tamworth Thunderbolts, 70-68, yesterday to shoot to the top of the pool with just three matches to go.
Yesterday’s match was as nail-biting as Saturday night’s. Development player Nick Jones stepped up to land two free throws in the last minute which were like gold to his team.
A three-point attempt at the other end missed just seconds earlier. Tamworth import Jonny Miller tried to miss a free throw to get the rebound and go for the two points, but he also missed the ring, giving the ball back to the hosts to wind down the clock.
Some good defence from Dolphins’ import Alex Desroches drew an offensive foul from Miller as he looked dangerous on a drive towards the basket.
Desroches was a standout at both ends of the court. He top scored with 25 points in yesterday’s game.
Beau Montgomery bagged 14.
The host team had overcome a dud second quarter in which the Dolphins scored just three points.
Dolphins coach Mark Champion was thrilled with the effort.
“Everyone dug in deep,” he said. Along with the usual suspects, Champion had plenty of praise for Jones in nailing his free throws in the pressure.
Jones had played just two minutes previously.
“That’s the good thing about our development players,” he said.
“We were confident enough to put him in.”
Descroches also scored the most points on Saturday night, with 3.
Lance Guild scored 13.
The Dolphins women weren’t as lucky as the men on the weekend.
The girls, who were short on numbers, were thrashed 86-37 by Newcastle.
They were back in action yesterday against Coffs Harbour.