ABA 2025-26: High fives for Sonics Blue as they trounce Raiders to top ladder with fifth A-grade win in a row

Sonics Blue made it five wins from five in the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition with a 60-34 win over Raiders on Tuesday night. The under-18 side were no match for their experienced opponents, though the opening exchanges were even until Blue found their range. Andre De Giambattista bagged Raiders’ only three-pointer of the evening to go 5-4 up, but Blue were soon in control with a flurry of scores which had them 33-22 ahead at the main break. Raiders’ Marley Cox landed the first blow of the second half, but David Arthur and Mason Tion struck back for Blue, and it wasn’t until midway through the period that Raiders scored again, when Sam O’Toole-Gardner’s two points cut the margin to 18 points. Tion was a man with a mission for Blue, top-scoring with 16 points, with Mark Elentorio scoring 15. David Arthur and Kayden Collins grabbed 10 points apiece. De Giambattista was Raiders’ best with seven points on a tricky night against the ladder leaders. The game of the round was the 48-48 humdinger between Sonics Grey and Barking Owls, with Corey Plug bagging one point from the free-throw line to draw Sonics level with 17 seconds left. It was a contest which ebbed and flowed as Owls clawed their way back after being well adrift midway through the second spell, only to be held at bay at the death. Thomas Phillips played a belter with 20 points for Grey, which included two three-pointers. Plug added nine points, and Aiden Clothier eight. Evan Delbene led the way for Owls with 11 points, and Samuel Holmes contributed nine. Grey looked to have the game under control at half-time as they led 29-21, pulling away after an even start. It was an advantage they increased to 11 points when Levi Clay popped in a basket for two points, and it still seemed done and dusted when David Houweling made it 44-35 with seven minutes to go. However, Delbene had other ideas as a routine basket was swiftly followed by a three-pointer which suddenly had the Owls hooting and just one point in arrears. It was Delbene who levelled matters at 46-46, and William Roocke who put Owls ahead. However, a free throw from Clothier pulled a point back before Plug had the last word. In the remaining men’s contest, Railways Tigers held off Denmark Magpies 39-30 to go second on the ladder behind the all-conquering Sonics Blue. The sides were level at 30 points each until Tigers ran amok with 10 minutes to go, with Nathan Lillicrap, Lachie Cale and Ryan Barber all scoring without reply in that late spell. Beauden East was the Tigers’ top scorer, nailing nine points, while Jackson Shaw’s eight was the best from the Magpies. In the women’s A-grade matches there were comfortable victories for Denmark Magpies and Barking Owls. Magpies’ 59-15 thumping of Railways Tigers put them top of the ladder on percentage over defending premiers Owls. The Tigers had no answers to the problems posed by Magpies’ Danielle Carne who fired 16 points, with Ali Judd and Matilda McHenry each chipping in with 10. Imogen Ireland’s six points was the top effort from the Tigers on a difficult night. It wasn’t quite such a stroll for the Owls against Sonics as a tight first half ended all square at 15-all. However, after Kaylee Arthur added two points for Sonics after the break, Owls bagged 15 of the next 17 to grab the contest by the scruff of the neck. Dakota Bremner top-scored for Owls with 21 points in the 46-31 victory. Aleesha Narkle’s 14 carried the torch for Sonics.