“PERFECT TEN”

AS WILDCATS  GO TOP OF THE LEAGUE

Another double-header weekend saw Durham Wildcats make successful trips to two teams they had already visited, and beaten this season - Birmingham As and Team Northumbria.
The earlier victories had both come in the Patron’s Cup, as the Wildcats progressed to the semi-finals. This time two convincing wins took them to the top of the Division Two table, and into the Quarter Finals of the National Cup, as they stretched their unbeaten start to ten games.
Birmingham As          (14, 25, 36) 56 

Durham Wildcats       (26, 43, 63) 79

Birmingham were full of confidence, following their twenty-point demolition of Plymouth a fortnight ago, but it was Durham’s combination of intense defence and flowing offence that dominated the opening exchanges.
Paul Elderkin and Stephen Jones both hit “3” pointers in an 8-2 burst in the first couple of minutes. A further runs of eight unanswered points gave the visitors a commanding 4-16 lead after just four minutes, and another 8-2 spurt to close the quarter saw them go into the first break with a 12 point lead.
The opening exchanges of the second quarter were much closer, but the Wildcats’ defence continued to do its job, and they still led by eleven, 32-21, going into the last four minutes of the half. Then, with Anthony Trigg and Notis Chalkidis offering an alternative inside threat, to take the pressure off the shooters, ten points without reply gave Durham a 21 point advantage, and it was still eighteen when the teams headed for the locker room at the half.
An early seven point run by the hosts, to start the third quarter, gave Birmingham hope of a recovery, but the Wildcats simply turned the defensive screw to set up a 9-0 run of their own to wrest back control of the game.
Scott Morton and Paul Elderkin have already formed a near telepathic understanding, and that spurt included a Morton steal to set Paul up for a fast-break “dunk”, and on Birmingham’s next offence it was Paul himself who picked their pocket before racing coast-to-coast for another emphatic slam.
When Chalkidis blocked Birmingham’s last shot of the quarter, on the buzzer, the Wildcats enjoyed a 27 point cushion going into the final stanza, and coach Elderkin was afforded the luxury of resting both Paul Elderkin and Scott Morton for the final ten minutes, in preparation for the next day’s exertions.
Even so, Durham continued to pull away, with their lead peaking at 32 points, and they were still 75-44 ahead with four minutes remaining, before inevitably the concentration began to wane and the home side were able to reduce the final margin to 23.
All the Wildcats players scored points, and they had four players in double figures, while their defence had ensured that no Birmingham player reached double digits.
Paul Elderkin led all scorers, with 25 (in just three quarters), while Anthony Trigg made three blocks, and Scott Morton took half a dozen steals.
“We were wary of their scorers,” commented coach Dave Elderkin, “and had to ensure there were no defensive lapses. In the first half that defence did its job, and set us up for a good win.”. 
Wildcats’ Scorers: Paul Elderkin 25; Anthony Trigg 11; Stephen Jones 11; Notis Chalkidis 10; Michael Davis 8; Tolis Apostolidis 7; Scott Morton 6; Sam Chambers 1.
Birmingham leading Scorers: R Grumyls 9; Dennis Preware 8; Miles Hesson 8.