WEYMOUTH COLLEGE TROPICS 21 SALISBURY SPIRES 19

WEYMOUTH COLLEGE TROPICS 23 DORSET STORM A 35

WEYMOUTH Tropics ended their winless run when they claimed their first victory of the season in Poole.

In their first game of the evening, they faced title-chasing Salisbury Spires and got off to a poor start and were unable to score as the Spires too an eight-point lead.

There was no change as the second period with the Tropics only finding three points from the free-throw line and the Spires maintained their eight-point lead at half-time.

Coach Fuhrmann had choice words for his team in the break and elected to put full court pressure on the Spires who previous had shown trouble dealing with the full court press.

Weymouth were ignited for the second half as they created steal after steal and found scoring success from Max Gilmartin and Jerry Thompson.

As the seconds ticked down, Weymouth closed in and with yet another steal on the press were able to seal the game with a Gilmartin three-point play to win 21-19.

In the Tropics’ second game they were quick to pick up on their success from the last game as they ran out to an 11-point lead, leaving the Storm a little shell-shocked.

With the second quarter underway, the Storm side were rejuvenated as they realised the reality of losing the league based on the result.

Weymouth maintained a lead going into the second half but this was short-lived as the fatigue from the previous game set in, alongside an injury to Jerry Thompson.

Starting guard Kim DeLeon then found success with an inspired three-pointer, however, the Storm’s pressure told as they claimed the points.

Coach Alex Fuhrmann said: “Salisbury would have claimed the league title had they beaten us.

“As of now, Dorset Storm A have two games in hand, requiring one win out of games against Weymouth and Dorset B next month “Although we might not be top of the league, it’s great to see the lads fighting for games and letting the top side know that there are no easy games up until the end of the season.”

Tropics: Max Gilmartin, Jerry Thompson, Ewan Goodwin, Tim Hendy, Joe Southcott, Kim DeLeon, Taine Mackay, Luke Strong

Weymouth MVP: Max Gilmartin