ABA 2023-24: Sonics pushed to the buzzer by Denmark & Owls bounced back to winning form in Indigenous Round

A panicked Sonics were pushed until the final buzzer by a spirited Denmark side in Indigenous Round of the Albany Basketball Association A-grade competition on Tuesday night. In a thrilling showdown blending precision perimeter shooting from Sonics and the gritty interior dominance by Denmark, it was Sonics’ relentless accuracy from beyond the arc that ultimately tipped the scales in their favour. With four minutes left on the clock, Sonics adopted a hard full-court press, strangling their opposition’s offensive ball movement to seal the seven-point victory. Sonics drained seven threes to nil in their 49-42 triumph to keep their impressive unbeaten season intact, having now won 14 straight games. Kayden Collins had the hot hand with three triples on his way to a game-high 18 points while Mark Elentorio (nine) hit two from the perimeter. Denmark’s Kye Griffiths (15) and Luke Wilson (10) crashed the boards in their side’s gallant defeat. The first half was a tense seesawing affair with six lead changes littering the opening 20 minutes. However, late in the half, Sonics turned to their trademark full-court press and scored six points to two to pinch a five-point lead heading into the main break. Barking Owls found their scoring groove and bounced back from last week’s upset loss, to smash Railways Tigers by 36 points. Owls’ Evan Delbene was at his talismanic best with a game-high 29 points including five from three-point land in their 77-41 win. James Watters scored 12 points while dead-eye brother Harry Watters (seven) hit one triple. Cleve Humphries played a lone hand for the Tigers hitting a team-high 18 points while James Penson’s nine points all came from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, North Albany Kangaroos took a 10-point win over Albany Raiders to remain in the hunt for a finals berth. Kangaroos’ Drew Willcocks scored a game-high 26 points in his side’s 56-46 victory while prolific three-point scorer Beauden East hit two triples on his way to 18 points. Khenneth Manalo was the Raiders’ main avenue to the hoop with 20 points. In the final game of the round, Ambassadors made it two wins on the trot with a commanding 21-point win over Griffins Crusaders. Ambassadors’ Manolo continued his form from earlier in the evening with the Raiders to score a game-high 23 points, including two three-pointers. Ryan Barber chipped in with nine points as Ambassadors’ other key contributor. Jayden-Paul Devenish led the way for the Crusaders with 12 points, with six of those points from long range.