Depleted Oldham dig deep

BASKETBALL:

DEPLETED Oldham Titans enjoyed a 64-51 win at Mold Magic in the Division Four Mens North Conference.

Titans started on the front foot and went ahead in the first quarter but, after a time out, Mold improved and went into the second quarter with a 10-9 advantage.

By half-time the visitors trailed 26-21, but the third quarter was the turning point — Oldham plundered 24 points and restricted their opponents to just nine.

They took that momentum into the final quarter, which they edged by three points.

It was a mixed bag for the under-18s in the Mens North-West Conference, with an 83-60 triumph at Cheshire Jets followed 24 hours later by a 62-58 reverse at Bury Blue Devils.

Captain Chad Timmins top-scored with 14 points in the win against Cheshire, and a strong end to the first quarter earned a 19-14 lead.

The visitors had extended their lead by five points by half-time, prior to a low-scoring third quarter, which Titans won 18-8.

In the final quarter the Oldham outfit bagged three more points than their rivals to secure an impressive victory.

Timmins was also their highest scorer in the loss to Bury, with 18 points to his name.

Titans were made to pay for a slow start and they trailed 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.

An Aiden Kelly basket put Oldham in front by a point early in the second quarter, but Bury hit back and matched their opponents’ points total.

Titans were 41-40 down heading into the final quarter, and failed to keep up with their rivals.