Palmerston powers through slow start to pull out tough win over Essington Cannons

PALMERSTON overcame a slow start to grind out a tough and tight 81-78 win over Essington in the fourth round of the 2020 Men’s Darwin Basketball Championship

Jesse Bell stood out for Palmerston in their win over Essington Cannons. Picture: Che Chorley

PALMERSTON overcame a slow start to grind out a tough and tight 81-78 win over Essington in the fourth round of the 2020 Men’s Darwin Basketball Championship.

The Cannons fired first, with captain Lachlan Shipway (six points) making the opening score, then pulled to an eight-point lead, before Travis Ellis (10 points) netted the first for Power.

A couple of three-pointers for Isiah Samson (eight points) and a controlled game from Raymond Jarrett (21 points) kept Essington ahead for much of the first half.

But the work of Palmerston’s Jesse Bell (12 points) and captain Tom Godwin (18 points) pulled the Power back into the contest.

Coming into the final quarter, the score was tied at 54-54, with Elijah Barbour (19 points) impressive for Cannons. The game was still locked up with a minute left on the clock, but Palmerston powered to a win, with only a three-pointer proving the difference.

Power captain Godwin was pleased with his side’s resilience, which allowed it to grind out the win despite being down early.

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“That was a good one,” Godwin told the NT News.

“It wasn’t overly pretty but the boys worked with each other and we were able to get the win.”

“We worked really hard in the three-week break and we just really wanted to get the win and grind it out.

“We were a bit slack at the start and our energy wasn’t there but instead of dropping our heads, we backed each other. They’re a great team, so we had to match their energy and skill.”

Cannons’ captain Shipway said the loss had been disappointing, but felt his side could take confidence in how close the contest was.

“It’s a deflating loss. It was a close game and we know we can beat them, so we will learn from this,” Shipway said.

“We know the areas we messed up in around our defensive lapses, that let them score too much. Team cohesion will be our major focus from now, particularly on the defensive end.”

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Meanwhile, in other Men’s League Championship action, Ansett (Fred Williams 28 points) soared to a 111-59 win over Lightning (Luca Tutty 18 points).