ABA 2025-25: Stage set for qualifying and elimination finals after big wins in men’s and women’s A-grade

North Albany will enter the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade finals series in red-hot form after winning their past six games, including dominating Albany Raiders in the final round of the season on Tuesday. The Kangas’ last loss was back in December, when they went down to Ambassadors, but since then the young squad has been in scintillating form, closing out the regular season with a 35-point win to finish three points clear on top of the ladder. Ahead of their qualifying final with Barking Owls, the Kangas recorded a thumping 57-22 win over the Raiders. The Kangas were fast in the opening minutes and the margin was 20 points at the end of the first half, with Drew Willcocks (17 points) and Nathan Lillicrap (15) putting in the work early on. The margin only widened in the second half despite the Raiders’ best efforts as the Kangas notched their 13th win of the season. Sonics’ top two hopes were already over but they tuned up for the elimination final with a strong 62-52 win over Ambassadors. The two sides will meet again in the first week of finals but the 10-point Sonics’ win came on the back of solid performances from David Arthur (17), Mason Tion (15) and Riley Robertson (10). Jesse Carman was a shining light for the Ambassadors, scoring an impressive 25 points, including four from long range. Owls lost their final game of the regular season and clung on to second spot by one point, going down to Denmark Magpies by 15 points. The Magpies closed their season with a 55-40 win as Jackson Shaw (13), Luke Wilson (12) and Kye Griffiths (10) all reached double figures. For Owls, Evan Delbene hit 13 points and his side will now prepare to face the Kangas for a chance at a grand final berth. In the women’s A-grade competition, Albany Raiders scraped through with a close win over Sonics Blue in the first game of the night, putting in the work early on but struggling to stay ahead in the second half. Sonics Blue came back after the half-time break with renewed vigour, with Indi Coates-Ahomiro scoring a crucial four points for the Sonics in the final seconds, but the Raiders managed to keep them on the defensive and come through with a six-point win. Keely Berry (8), Ruby Steele (7) and Hollie Jackman (7) stood out for Raiders in the 29-23 win. Barking Owls made it 15 wins in the regular season as they beat qualifying final opponent Denmark Magpies by 28 points. Rebecca Benson led the way again for the Owls this week with 27 points and had great help from Dakota Bremner (16) in the 68-40 victory. Railways Tigers proved their worth ahead of the elimination final with a clinical 54-38 win over Sonics Grey. Hollie Jackman was outstanding with 24, including two triples, while Shanaya Weeden backed her up with 12. Sonics Grey were well served by Sonics’ Brooke Hanlon (15) and Shianne Arthur (10).