Glee for last-gasp Oldham

BASKETBALL:

OLDHAM Titans earned a narrow 82-81 home victory over Bradford Maroons in Division Four North Conference.

The win was thanks in no small part to Robert Mubiru, who notched 19 points.Mark Hamilton’s team started slowly and trailed 8-0 early on before narrowing the gap and they trailed Bradford 25-24 by the end of the first quarter.

The visitors retained their slender advantage at the halfway point after both sides scored 23 points in the second quarter.

Titans improved after the restart and shot into a 64-58 lead, which they took into the final quarter.

Their opponents piled the pressure on again and closed the gap to one point, and a tense last five minutes saw both sides go all out for victory.

With 30 seconds remaining Hamilton called a time-out. Skipper Luke Marston was awarded two free-throws, both of which were successful, only for Bradford to hit back with a basket.

However, Marston bagged a late winner, to the delight of the home contingent.

Titans under-18s saw off Cheshire Jets seconds 85-70 at home in the North-West Conference.

Elliot Buckley led the way for the Oldham outfit with 22 points.

Jets found themselves 24-22 in front at the end of the first quarter but the home team had the initiative at half-time and never gave it up. Jets closed the gap to five points in the third quarter, but Titans pulled away in the final period to earn the points.