Strong third quarter key to Varsity win

A strong third quarter has helped Varsity to its second win of the season in Dunedin club basketball.

It extended its lead from one to seven in that quarter and went on to beat the Andy Bay Falcons 81-74.

Scoring proved difficult for the Falcons during that period.

They turned over too much ball and struggled to get good looks inside.

Only four of their 16 points that quarter came inside the arc, all from Hamish Robertson, while only three players managed to score.

Varsity, in contrast, was able to pour in 22 points of its own, seven  players chipping in to open up a 59-52 lead.

It was the decisive period of the game.

Earlier it had been a tight battle, Varsity edging in front 18-17 at the end of the first quarter.It maintained that margin at the end of the second as a late Emerson Watson three-pointer put it up 37-36.

Robertson looked to have given the Falcons the lead back on the buzzer, but the basket was waved off.

Varsity was able to extend its lead to double digits in the fourth quarter, before the Falcons began to fight back, but they were unable to fully close the deficit.

Ben Ross was key for Varsity down the stretch, managing 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. Watson finished with 19 and several others made handy contributions.

Robertson finished with 37 points for the Falcons, which included 12 of their last 13, while Sean Duff had 16.

The Falcons remain in third place with a 3-4 record, while Varsity jumps to 2-5 to get off the bottom of the table.In the early game, the St Kilda Saints overcame a slow start to topple the City Rise Bombers.

They trailed 22-16 at the end of the first quarter before edging in front by two at halftime and extending that to a 66-56 lead at the end of the third.

James Ross had 22 points for Saints, while Liam Aston added 19 and Matt Gillan 12.

Olly Smith was classy for the Bombers, hitting six three-pointers on the way to 30 points.In the late game, the Mid City Magic beat the Mid City Magic Lions 73-67.