Strong finish guides Sonics to fifth win of season downing Railways to move top of the men’s A-grade standings

A 31-point second half has helped Sonics move to top spot on the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade ladder after a hard-fought win over Railways Tigers on Tuesday night. After leading by just two points at half-time, Sonics found another gear, piling on the scoring late to emerge as 20-point winners in round seven and hand the Tigers their sixth loss of the season. A seesawing first term had all the markings of a nailbiting finish with both sides trading baskets in the early stages. The Tigers found the the net first through a Gerson Alforque triple before Sonics replied with eight unanswered points. Energetic guard Lachlan Cale stemmed the flow with two timely acrobatic lay-ups and a converted three-point play. Both sides went tit-for-tat before Cleve Humphries impeded Sonics’ David Arthur in the process of a three-point attempt. Arthur buried two of his free throws to put his side up 23-21 heading into the break. Tyreice Brown missed the first opportunity of the second half but his side quickly scored in transition twice from turnovers. With the game becoming more physical, Brown executed a clever pump-fake to drag the margin out to a game-high eight points. But Alforque found the chest of Humphries at the other end as he rattled in his first three of the contest, trimming the margin back to five points. A Liam Murdock triple followed by three consecutive lay-ups helped the Sonics storm ahead 38-24 as the Tigers were forced to call a timeout. Field goals to Cale, Ryan Barber, Humphries and Dean Newbold ensured the margin didn’t blow out beyond reach but the Sonics sunk the majority of the final baskets to emerge with a 54-34 win. Sonics’ Brown caused issues in the paint for the Tigers all night, notching 16 points while David Arthur chipped in with 14, including two from long range. Cale (9 points) and Humphries (9) were the standouts offensively for the Tigers. Meanwhile Barking Owls stretched their unbeaten streak to four games after a 56-50 win over Infernos. Justin Benson (20) and Evan Delbene (18) dominated on the offensive side of the floor, both hitting three triples apiece. Kye Griffiths (15) and Jordan Pansoy (15) were the shining lights for Infernos. An even team contribution helped Denmark Magpies edge Griffins 44-42 in the final A-grade fixture. Magpies’ Sam Finigan (10), Reagan Hutchinson (10) and Augustus Brampton all hit double-figures in the nailbiter.