DEFENDING champions Urban Knights fought off a fierce challenge of Selassie Gardens to come out winners 58-53 in the 2013 FLOW/Southern Conference National Basketball League at the Stadium Courts last Thursday night.

The Oneil Brown-coached Knights were given a tough battle, but in the end went on to hold off Selassie’s late charge to chalk up their fifth consecutive win from as many games.

Fernando Young scored 15 points and had four rebounds and Andre Murray with 11 points, including four rebounds, four steals and four assists for the Knights, while Roger Chisholm scored 16 points for Selassie Gardens. The quarterly scores for the winners were 19-13, 32-22 (half time), 43-38 and 58-53.

Tivoli Wizards registered their third win from four starts by beating Majestic Gardens 66-62 points with the quarterly scores for winners being 14-9, 28-31 (half time), 52-46 and 66-62.

The principal scores for the winners were Duken Brown with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Deno Hibbert 13 points and seven rebounds, while for the losers, Havando Dunn got a game-high 26 points, including four rebounds and five steals and Baldon Todd with 20 points.

Jamaica Defence Force registered their first win from five games by beating Link-Up All-Stars 62-60, with quarterly scores of 19-10, 33-17 (half time), 50-42 and winning 62-60.

Keeble Wright got 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Stephen Spence with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Soldiers, while Jermaine Peart got 14 points, Garfield Campbell 13 with five rebounds, and Sheldon Little 13 points and four rebounds for the losers.

St George’s Slayers defeated St George’s Saints 66-56 with quarterly scorers of 14-14, 28-21 (half time), 42-36 and 66-56. Leon Chun scored 14 points and four rebounds and Michael Rodgers with 18 points for the winners, while Conroy Morgan got 15 points and six rebounds and Jason Moses with 14 points for the losers.