DOUBLE wins were notched up by Salisbury Sparks Under 16s A team at the weekend.

Things started off with a 51-44 victory over Tres Barriles Predators.

In the highly-anticipated match between two of the league’s top scoring teams, the Sparks finished the second quarter with a 23-18 lead, despite missing free throws.

A great start to the third period saw the Predators go 23-26 up in the first four minutes.

The Predators held onto their 31-32 lead to the end of the quarter. The Sparks took control at the start of the fourth, using their defence to shut down the Predators while they scored nine of their own to go up to 40-32 with five minutes left.

The Predators threatened to come back but each time they got close, Ryan Payne scored a big basket to maintain the advantage.

The win was backed up with a 40-27 demolition of Invictus South. The Sparks kept the momentum of their earlier win going as they powered to 25-11 lead at the half. In the third period, Invictus started taking the ball to the hoop, scoring 14 points and cutting Salisbury’s lead to seven. In the fourth quarter, Salisbury upped their defensive intensity and moved to a 40-25 lead, holding Invictus scoreless for the first 91/2 minutes.

Elsewhere, Salisbury Sparks B went down 55-39 to Weymouth Tropics but romped to a 56-40 win over Winchester Royals.