TEAM Solent Kestrels got back to winning ways in the National Cup semi-final with a 102-72 victory over Barking Abbey London Lions II, writes Jack O'Keeffe.

The victory is the third time TSK have triumphed over the London side this season in all competitions and sees them reach a third successive National Cup final.

Kestrels got up 5-2 early on as Elliot Dadds and Travis Charles got the scoreboard ticking for the hosts, however Barking were also quick to respond as Stephen Asante put them ahead at 7-8.

A 7-0 run through the mid-point of the quarter, including five straight Orlan Jackman points, pushed the lead out to 14-8 for the hosts.

That would be short-lived though, as Bradley Kaboza came off the bench for the Lions to score seven of his own, to reinstate his sides one-point advantage.

Kestrels would outscore Lions 12-6 to bring the first 10 minutes to a close, with Elliott Sentance opening his account off the bench, TSK 26-21 after one.

It was Sentance once again who connected on a triple on the opening possession of the second quarter to push his sides lead to eight and despite a Jase Harrison jump shot in response from BA, Andre Arissol and Cole Gentry set about pushing the deficit to double digits, 33-23.

The Kestrels lead would stay out at 10 for long spells before Jackman and then Gentry helped increase the arrears to 15.

Lions would respond through Kaboza once again but Charles and Dadds scored late in the quarter, to ensure TSK held a 53-38 advantage at the break.

The hosts piled on the pressure early on in the second half as they pushed the gap to 19 points through a balanced scoring effort from the TSK starters.

An 11-2 run for the Kestrels blew the game wide open as defensive pressure went up a level for the home side, sparking a number of transition scores giving them a 68-43 lead.

Lions were not done yet though as Kaboza prompted a 7-0 run for the visitors to bring them back with 18 and despite a Sentance free throw late in the period, former Itchen College guard Rhys Sundimalt ensured the gap stayed at 18 to close the quarter, 73-55 TSK.

BA trimmed the gap to 14 points to open the final 10 minutes and showed just why they had made it all the way to the final four of the competition, with Brandon Tchouya finding his way to the hoop.

Coach Matt Guymon would use his first timeout of the half to settle his side down and although Dadds scored post timeout, Elijah Maynard knocked down a triple, to cut the arrears to 13 with a little over six minutes remaining. An 11-3 run, courtesy of seven Dadds points, saw Kestrels make arguably the game clinching run, pushing the advantage to 21 prompting a timeout from Lions coach, James Vear.

Brendan Okoronkwo scored nine straight post timeout to push the lead out to 30 with just over a minute remaining, capped off with a coast to coast dunk to lift the roof of the SSC. Kestrels taking a hard earned 102-72 victory to book their third consecutive National Cup final spot.

Head coach Guymon said: “I’m really pleased with the guys response, showing a grit and energy that has been missing over the last month.

"We had balanced contributions across the roster and a commitment to the defensive end that helped us build a lead across the second to fourth quarters. We look forward now to building momentum in the league and preparing for the final in two weeks' time.”

Kestrels were led by captain Dadds, who was immense for the hosts with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, whilst Jackman added 15 points and Sentance 13.

BA London Lions II American guard Maynard had 22 points to power his sides offence whilst Kaboza had 17 and Harrison 12.