Star big man Hamish McMorran dominates in Barking Owls’ points feast as they jump to third on standings

A dominant 35-point performance from Hamish McMorran guided Barking Owls to their third straight victory in the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition on Tuesday night. McMorran had 12 points next to his name at the main break before going to another level in the final 25 minutes to propel his side to an emphatic 61-point victory over Raiders under-18s in round five. The Owls led by 20 points at half-time but were far too big and strong for their younger opponents in the second half, outscoring them by 41 points to jump to third on the ladder. Raiders matched it with the Owls in the opening 10 minutes of the contest and showed positive signs with the margin never stretching beyond six. However the Owls produced a dominant five-minute burst scoring the next 14 points, including six in a row from McMorran, to widen the gap to 20 points. In the final 10 minutes of the first half Raiders held their own with both sides trading baskets and netting seven points each, but the Owls still held a comfortable advantage. Coen Jackman netted the first six points of the second half as his side added 15 straight as they continued to extend their advantage. Jordan Hulm halted the momentum momentarily but Owls found another gear with 27 straight points across a 15-minute period. McMorran owned the second half as he went on a run of 16 straight points, with the margin blowing out to 60 points. The two sides traded baskets in the final couple of minutes but the Owls prevailed thumping 91-30 winners. McMorran’s 35 points included several slam-dunk highlights. Evan Delbene dropped three long range shots on his way to 17 points while Lucas Ravenhill added 14. Matthew Jerrard was gallant in defeat with 10 points but his side is still searching for its first win. Reigning premiers Sonics secured their first win of the season with a nine-point victory over Tigers. Sonics had lost their first four games but four triples and 22 points from Liam Murdock guided them to a 45-36 win. Corey Hill led the scoring for Tigers with 12 but they fell to a third straight loss. Ambassadors handed Denmark their first loss of the season as they prevailed by six points. Caleb Carman led from the front with 22 points and Calum Dixon added 10 in the 45-39 win. Angus Brampton and Jeff Fitzpatrick dropped 10 points each for Denmark.