WILTSHIRE went all the way to the final at the Under 15s Inter-Counties South West Basketball Tournament in Torbay.

The county side saw off Cornwall, Churston and Gloucestershire before missing out against hosts Devon in the last-two showdown.

Against Cornwall, strong defensive work from Wiltshire trio Ieuan Hughes and Ben Tanner gave the offence of Eddie Donmez, George Hill and Liam Beach the time they needed to open up an 11-point lead.

The second quarter saw Hamza Jama, Liam Swepson and David Skinner help increase the lead to 18 points, and by the end of the third period the advantage was increased to 25.

More of the same followed in the fourth with Max Curtis looking after the defence with some excellent rebounding. Donmez finished strongly with a three-pointer in the last minute as Wiltshire won by 32.

The victors then faced Churston, a team two years older who previously had made it through to the last 16 of the National Schools Competition.

Only three points separated the two teams at the end of the quarter with Wiltshire narrowly ahead, but that advantage disappeared at the start of the second.

Donmez and Beach hit back to ensure Wiltshire closed the half six points ahead.

In the third, even with Hill and Ben Tanner scoring, Churston clawed back the lead so that both teams were level with a quarter to go.

Wiltshire then upped their game with Curtis, Swepson and Hill defending well and scoring to give their side a nine-point win.

The semi-final was a tussle with local rivals Gloucestershire, and in a fast-paced first half Hill and Donmez dominated the scoring.

Wiltshire led by nine points after the first half and added to their lead in the third helped by some long-range shots from Aaron Penny.

Although Gloucestershire closed the gap in the latter stages, Wiltshire had already done enough to make the final.

Tiredness took hold in the last-two clash against Devon. Wiltshire missed some shots they would have made earlier in the day and went in all square at half time.

The third quarter proved decisive as Wiltshire failed to convert free throws and time and space allowed Devon to take a seven-point lead.

The advantage was reduced early in the final period but Devon bounced back as Wiltshire lost by seven points.

For further information on basketball opportunities, email Sarah at wsbba@wiltshirebasketball.co.uk or phone 01793 771388.