HUDDERSFIELD Heat produced their best performance of the season when it mattered most, hammering title rivals Bury Blue Devils 107-76.

The win puts Heat in touching distance of their first ever English Basketball League title in their history, with only one more league win from their remaining four games required to take Division IV North.

Heat started at an incredible pace, as Bury’s strategy to press from the start backfired, and Huddersfield’s players were able to score off the fast break repeatedly.

Within five minutes of the opening quarter, the Heat had opened up a 15-4 lead. The home team temporarily reduced the gap with four consecutive free throws from Sawyer.

The Blue Devils tried to impose their strength on the boards, but nothing worked for them and the Heat continued to dominate rebounding, with the score at the end of the first quarter being 26-16 to the visitors.

The game would effectively end in the second quarter, as the Heat added stifling defence to effective attack.

Heat started the period with a 17-2 run in just three minutes of play, leaving a partial score of 43-18 with five minutes to go to half time.

Guards Jason Swaine and Eduardo Perez combined for 21 of the Heat’s 31 points in the period to leave the score 57-32 at the interval.

The game resumed with the same pattern as a red hot Swaine got 11 more points towards his game-high 45, the Heat moving the ball well.

Contributions came from all the bench players, with Luke Stanger showing his best form of the season, and Huddersfield led 86-43 going into the last quarter.

With the outcome already decided, Heat gave some much-needed experience to some of their younger players, and although Bury did bring the scores closer the result was never in doubt.

Swaine led with 45 points and seven assists, backed up by three other double digit scorers and a balanced scoring attack from the bench.

Foward Kyle Styan got his eighth double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Coach Perez commented: “That was outstanding.

“All 12 players turned up with the right mentality and focus that was needed for a game of this importance.

“Quite simply, it was our most all-round performance of the year.

“That is what we are about, and what we have been striving to achieve all season. I am really pleased for the guys.”