MVP Paul Elderkin led the way with 26 points in a 115 – 69 Durham Wildcats victory against BBL new boys Birmingham Knights at Newton Aycliffe on Sunday afternoon. Securing their third league win of the season, the Wildcats moved to 7th in the BBL and have their eyes set on a mid-table showdown with Glasgow Rocks next weekend.
Durham went into Sunday’s game on the back of three straight defeats, but were confident of getting their season back on track against a Birmingham team that were still searching for their first ever BBL victory. Both teams traded baskets in the early stages of the contest, but when the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run half way through the first quarter, Coach Davie’s team never looked back. Wildcats guard Devin Ginty was on fine form from outside the arc, while big man Mike Allison picked up a string of rebounds inside the key. At the first quarter buzzer, Durham led the contest by a comfortable 18 points.
The second quarter saw Paul Elderkin dominate the floor, making crucial baskets from beyond the arc and hustling hard in the paint. The home team began to step up their defence to win loose balls and force the Knights into a number of turnovers. Danny Huffor and Devin Ginty both shot 100% in the first half, and that combined with Paul Elderkin’s 18 points, put the Wildcats well in control of the contest, leading 61 – 35 at the half time buzzer.
The Knights fought hard in the second half in an attempt to restrict any further damage with Brent Benson picking up a number of baskets for the away side. Elderkin however kept up his fine first half form with 5 points in the final minutes of the third quarter to extend the Wildcats lead to 27 going into the last 10. The home side continued to dominate in the final quarter, and when Kirk Crecco intercepted a Knights pass to make an easy lay-up with just over 3 minutes remaining, the Wildcats hit the big 100 for second time this season. Durham made the final baskets of the contest with a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining to seal a comfortable 115-69 victory.
Speaking after the game, Coach Davie was delighted to get back to winning ways, “I’m very happy with the result and performance tonight, Birmingham are an athletic team that are determined to get their first win so we knew we needed to put in a solid performance. We played some tough defence in spells and shot the ball very well. We gave a lot of energy, focus and commitment tonight, and it paid off.”
Durham Wildcats will host the Glasgow Rocks on Saturday 16th November tip off 7pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchesed online at www.godurhamwildcats.com
