Solent League Division Two

WEYMOUTH BANDITS 105 PORTSMOUTH FURY 68

WEYMOUTH Tandoori Bandits broke the century barrier as they leap-frogged Portsmouth Fury in Solent League Division Two.

Entering the game on the back of a 77-61 win over Southsiders, the Bandits were feeling confident as the Fury came to town.

But it was the visitors who took control of the tip and opened the scoring.

The Bandits answered with Chris Canham taking a foul and converting both of his free-throws from the line.

The scoring proceeded to go from end to end, keeping the scoreline tight throughout the first quarter.

As the period drew to a close, the Bandits took a time-out in order to make some changes.

Now opting to push the ball up-court much quicker, catching Fury in transition, the home side began to score some easy points, taking the lead in the latter stages.

After the break there was no let-up for the Fury as the hosts continued to run the ball at their defence. And it was not long before the Weymouth side had forged a comfortable lead for themselves and gained positive momentum to feed from.

Some impressive perimeter shooting from the visitors kept them in the game but the Bandits were still scoring themselves.

And Dzintars Kalkis, Ian Man-ley and Julien Lawes all found the net to open up a 22-point advantage at half-time.

The third quarter began much the same as the first with baskets at both ends, but Portsmouth were looking more determined than ever.

Some strong inside play from Manley soon stopped them in their tracks to ensure Weymouth maintained a healthy lead.

The final period belonged to the hosts, with Kalkis leading the charge with 16 points – taking his match total to an impressive 47.

The fast pace was taking its toll on the seven-man squad from Hampshire and as the end drew closer, the gap slowly extended.

A final flurry of points could not prevent the Fury falling to a convincing defeat but serves as a warning to the home side ahead of the return fixture on April 27.

Bandits’ coach Che Osborne said: “I was pleased to see us contesting every shot taken by Fury – we really made them work for every point.

“The overall performance of the team was exceptional. We were tight on the defensive end while showing the ability to identify and exploit the weaknesses of our opposition. The finest performance of the season so far in my opinion.”

Bandits: Kalkis 47, Manley 20, Canham 10, Lawes 9, Dunster 7, Board 6, Steel 4, Heaman 2.