Owls too classy in grand final rematch

Raiders’ under-18 development squad has crashed to its second consecutive defeat of the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition after getting outclassed by last year’s grand final rivals Barking Owls on Tuesday night.

In a rematch of last season’s historic decider, the Raiders struggled in several areas as they were dominated in the rebound count and gave away numerous possessions with errant passes.

That didn’t help the reigning premiers’ cause, and neither did their woeful shooting from three-point territory in the first half as they trailed 21-28 at the main break.

Raiders moved the ball through hands in offence but were hesitant to move inside given their lack of height and shot from long range at almost every opportunity, hitting a miserable two of 18 attempts.

Owls were hurting the young side on the fast break as they scored easy baskets at the other end, with Carwin Garcia (8 first-half points) and Hamish McMorran (8) feasting on the sloppy defence.

Raiders guard Matt Leary and reliable sidekick Taj Williams managed to keep their side within striking distance at half-time, with Leary hitting both triples to have 12 points and Williams adding 6.

Leary had four points in a matter of seconds early in the last half as his side got within a point on the back of a 6-0 run but it was as close as the Raiders would get.

Owls remained in control as the match went on, the depth of their squad on display as Tom Powell and Joel Bellinger-Brown ensured they kept the Raiders at bay.

Justin Benson put a slow start behind him to find his range late as Owls won the contest easily 58-49, to improve their record to 4-1.

It was the Owls’ scoring spread and stranglehold on the boards that was most impressive, Benson (13 points), Garcia (12), Bellinger-Brown (11) and Powell (10) all reaching double figures.

Leary was a shining light for the Raiders, finishing with a game-high 18 points, but he played a lone hand. Owls went at 45 per cent from the free throw line, while Raiders hit six of 29 three-point attempts for the match, made better by their four long-range baskets in the last 25 minutes.

Tigers continued their dream start to the new season with a fifth straight win, downing Dugites 40-23, with Ben Polette’s trio of three-pointers a vital part of the result.

Wolves kept in touch with the top four after their 50-35 triumph over Crabs, Leary dropping 21 points in his second game of the night.