THE Franklin Bulls have managed to keep up with the top-four pace, after taking down the Canterbury Rams to the tune of 10 points in the weekend’s New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) action on the weekend.

The two sides locked horns at Franklin Leisure and Pool Centre on Saturday night, in an important matchup for both teams. With the season drawing closer to conclusion by the week, each win for the Bulls and the Rams gathers more importance, and Saturday night reflected that. They each came out firing and desperate for the triumph, but it was Franklin that made the most of their opportunities. In the second term, the Bulls jumped out to a commanding lead and never looked back, producing an answer for any run Canterbury conjured. In the end, it was too much for the visitors, who fell by double-digits.

For the winning side, Isaac Davidson was the main offender with ball in hand, finishing with a game-high 22 points, making 10 of her 19 field goal attempts. He helped boost his side scoring, while fellow Bull Leon Henry controlled the skies with a whopping 18 rebounds to go with nine points.

For the Rams, Michael Karena fought hard to get his team over the line, pouring in 19 points, which is the most of anyone on Canterbury. He did all of his work inside the three-point line, with nine of his 18 field goals finding the bottom of the net.

Things were closely fought in the first term, which was to be expected given how even these sides have performed throughout the season. However, the Bulls took over in quarter number two, completely outplaying the opposition and moving the ball with ease. Their work in the halfcourt and in transition was terrific, as they took a significant half time lead.

While the Rams were able to stop the bleeding in the third and fourth quarters, they could not come within five points, and were always just out of reach of taking the lead. They ended up falling 10 points short of victory, which was their seventh loss of the year to go with six wins. On the other hand, the Bulls grabbed their sixth win of the season, which puts them on level pegging with the fourth placed Otago Nuggets.

The Bulls are next faced with taking down an in-form Airs side on Thursday night, in what is set to be a cracking contest. Canterbury will be looking to bounce back when they take on the Turatara next Sunday evening.