Railways record fifth win in men’s A-grade comp after powerful second half against Denmark

Railways Tigers again proved they will be in the hunt for the men’s A-grade title after their fifth win from six matches of the Albany Basketball Association 2020-21 season.

Railways moved two points clear at the top of the standings after a dominant second half helped them defeat Denmark Magpies in round six on Tuesday night in a top-of-the-table clash.

Twin guards Henry and Henrick Alforque fired to get the Tigers clear of Infernos in second spot.

After trailing by four points at half-time, Railways outscored Denmark by 14 points in the second half to record a 10-point victory.

With scores level midway through the second period, Railways broke the game open as Kyle Smith hit a three-pointer before Kane Shephard stole the ball in the next play and found Henry Alforque on the wing as he knocked down a long bomb and converted his resulting free throw to hand Railways a seven-point advantage within 30 seconds of play.

Denmark trimmed the margin to four points with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but Railways pulled away again as they ran out 42-32 victors.

Henry Alforque finished with 15 points, his brother Henrick added 14, and Shephard (10 points) was also impressive on both ends of the floor causing a number of turnovers defensively.

Sam Finigan led the way for Denmark with 10 points as they suffered their second straight defeat.

Infernos continue to improve in their inaugural season, with their third consecutive big victory shooting them into second spot on the standings.

After leading by nine points at half-time they increased that margin in the final 25 minutes to record a 70-57 win over the Sharks with Tyler Willmore top-scoring with 20 points for the winners while Callum Bolsher added 18 for The Sharks.

Caleb Carman and Todd Knuiman helped push Ambassadors into the top four after dropping 20 and 19 points respectively on their way to an 18-point triumph over Raiders under-18s, 69-53.

A strong first half from Sonics helped them claim their biggest win in their first season, downing Barking Owls 72-57 and pushed Owls outside the top four as a result.

Narelle Humphries guided Valkyries to their fifth win of the season in round six of the women’s A-grade competition against Sonics.

Humphries dropped 18 points in the 47-40 win and Macy Lane added 11 for Valkyries while Ella Scamozzi top scored for Sonics with 11 points.

Crystal Blues, led by Casey Griffiths, prevailed narrowly over a brave Raiders under-18s.

Griffiths nailed 18 points in the 47-43 victory.