Danum Eagles carried on where they left off prior to the festive break as they returned to action with a convincing 86-67 win at Birmingham Mets II.
The prolific Mathew Martin led all scorers with an incredible 40-point performance to help seal Eagles’ eighth win out of eight in National League Division Four (Midlands).
After losing George Colwill and Mark Baker to ankle injuries during training in the last few weeks, the Eagles squad was slightly stretched but still strong enough to overcome a young Birmingham side.
The first quarter was explosive, with both teams scoring at will.
Martin poured in 16 first quarter points but the Mets replied with five three-pointers to force a switch in defensive strategy from the Eagles who held a 32-25 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
The free-scoring first quarter forced both coaches to adjust and the second quarter was a cagey affair with neither team asserting themselves until Martin was able to finish a huge dunk from a great Arron Price pass.
The Eagles held a 45-35 lead at half time.
The third quarter featured some great basketball from the Eagles who at one point raced out to a 24-point lead before being pegged back by the hosts.
The game played out without further incident as the Eagles controlled the game and finished with an 86-67 victory to remain undefeated with three consecutive home games to come.
That trio of home fixtures starts on Saturday with City of Birmingham the visitors to Danum Academy (2pm). The Birmingham club are third in the table, behind Eagles and Loughborough Students.