ABA 2023-24: Luke Wilson returns with a bang to help Denmark record second straight win in title defence

Reigning men’s A-grade premiers Denmark notched consecutive wins in the new season, showing their class against a sloppy Griffins Crusaders outfit on Tuesday night. A loss and draw to start the 2023-24 Albany Basketball Association competition had Denmark behind the pack but they have got their title defence rolling with victories over Railways Tigers and now the Crusaders. Centre Luke Wilson remains the best big man in the competition, producing a dominant display off the glass in the 17-point result. He was potent early in the contest as Denmark skipped out to a 10-point lead and hauled in a stack of defensive rebounds. Wilson’s 12 first-half points along with the slick work of guard Reagan Hutchinson and new recruit Kye Griffiths had the Crusaders searching for answers. The Crusaders trailed by 13 at the main break but Denmark had found their groove and it quickly ballooned to 19 inside three minutes of the second period as Hutchinson went to work in three consecutive offensive plays. It sparked some action from Crusaders’ Sam Holmes, who nailed three consecutive triples to keep the game alive. The deficit had been trimmed to 12 but the Crusaders failed to tidy up their poor rebounding and regular fouling. The work of Wilson inside the keyway was decisive and despite the Crusaders hanging around for much of the second half they could never get within striking distance. The Crusaders’ offence was far more effective in the second, spreading the floor and getting good shots from outside. Holmes was well supported by youngster Jack Gleeson, who hit two from long range, as their side hit five of 15 long range attempts in the last half. The winners got to the free throw line regularly and Wilson and Griffiths were a handful while Hutchinson was again outstanding with both his defensive pressure and quality assists. Wilson top scored with 20 points on return, having not played since round one, and there was plenty of support from Jackson Shaw (15 points), Griffiths (14) and Hutchinson (nine). For the Crusaders, Holmes hit four triples on his way to 14 points while Gleeson (10) showed promising signs. Their side was left to rue a host of turnovers and only Blake Panizza had more than one basket to his name at half time. Ambassadors remain unbeaten after claiming a five-point triumph over North Albany Kangaroos in round four. Caleb Carmen and Jesse Carmen led the way for Ambassadors in the 49-45 win with 10 and 17 points respectively. The Kangaroos were best served by Drew Willcocks with 18 points. The Tigers got their first win of the season, holding out the Raiders under-18 development squad by two points. Jesse Carmen (12) and Natale Trichilo (nine) proved a strong combination for Raiders but the Tigers held their nerve late to win 36-34 as Kobi Doust-Pamplin led the way with 11 points. For the second straight week Sonics scored more than 60 points, their talented offensive unit downing Barking Owls in the other round-four contest. Kayden Collins was the standout with 20 points and teammates Benjamin Queay (14) and David Arthur (13) also stood tall. It was the first loss of the season for Owls despite the best efforts of James Watters (16) and Justin Benson (11).