Vital victory for Derbyshire Arrows in push for the play-offs

Joseph Baugh, who was again in sparkling form for Derbyshire Arrows.

Arrows hit back from 26-17 down in the opening quarter to hold their nerve in the final seconds and win 82-77 to stay fifth in the North Division.

Kelly said: “This was a vital victory in our effort to reach the play-offs. Winning on the road is very challenging, but we got it done with a defensive effort by the whole team in the last quarter.

“I was particularly pleased with the debut of Adam Moore and the continued form of James Kelly. Also, in Joseph Baugh, we have an X-factor, three-dimensional star, who inspires others.”

Baugh topped the scoring charts with 19, ahead of Xavier McIntosh, who scored 18, and Mattz Mastalertz, who added ten.

But in the first quarter, Arrows struggled, and it took the introduction of experienced point-guard and club captain James Kelly to inject more organisation and direction.

By the halfway stage, Arrows had cut the deficit to 44-43 before continuing their improvement in the third quarter.

Kselly was the ideal foil for the dynamic scoring of Baugh and McIntosh, while Napthali Nembhard and Callam McKenzie excelled on the defensive end. Arrows duly closed the quarter with a lead of 67-61.

The final quarter was a tense affair and full of defensive intensity as Arrows fought for every inch of the court. But a towering rebound from Baugh was enough to secure the victory.

Arrows don’t have a fixture this weekend.