The reigning Division One champions came through their test against Gravity 78-48, which provided a welcome boost in their ongoing pursuit of leaders Savills – who have beaten them twice thus far.
As ever, Skipton’s balling brothers Harry Gent and Dan Marriott made a big impact on the scoreboard at Beau Sejour, racking up 25 and 15 points respectively.
But what truly stood out for captain Aaron Walden was how they had worked together to parry a team full of offensive firepower and restrict them to under 25 points each half.
‘While individuals could be named, the team effort on defence was the real standout,’ he said.
‘Holding a Division One team loaded with scoring potential to less than 50 points was a testament to the team’s effort, intensity and discipline and puts us in good shape to challenge for the title.’
Overall, his team’s efforts across four strong quarters led him to crown it their ‘most complete game of the season’.
Skipton came out hard and cashed in on a raft of early free throws to dominate quarter one 24-8.
Both sides had seven players available but in Gravity’s case they had to feel the absence of Max Hamon, their main three-point threat.
The purples nevertheless found their feet in the second quarter, led by big man Ciaran Hamilton scoring squarely half of their 16 points.
The whites could only muster 15 in retaliation but still led 39-24 at the half-time marker.
Skipton re-asserted their dominance in the third, including an impressive scoring display from Gent, building their lead to 60-38.
They did not rest on their laurels, though, and consolidated their lead further in the late stages.
Besides the Gent and Marriott double act, Paul Wilkes underlined his lasting quality with 11 points.
Hamilton remained Gravity’s top scorer on 17 points but a late flourish from James Alderton brought him into the double digits and up to 14.
n In the other match slot, Savills racked up a triple-digit score against the Guernsey U21s, though not without plenty of retaliation.
The current leaders prevailed 103-82 after their young opponents put in a big shift in quarter one, taking it 32-22.
Savills’ ‘super team’ – who were nevertheless without several star players in Jason Hooper, Kaine Hyde and Saul Falla – won the second quarter by six points but it was the following period where they really hit their stride, dominating 30-10.
The blues saw out the game strongly as big man Nico Robinson finished on a game-high 38 points, leaving Blake Carre’s 29 good only for second best.
For their young rivals, Dan Aviso top-scored with 21, edging out fellow three-point threat Theo Turton’s 19.
