Bury travelled to Chorlton having been convincingly beaten in their last three meetings.
Chris Stainton set the tempo with a three pointer followed by his brother Phil hitting another three and Graham Greene hitting on a lay up. Defensively Bury swarmed Chorlton hindering their attempts and held a 12 to 9 point lead after a quarter.
Bart Szereko verbally dominated, causing havoc defensively and boxing out the bigger Chorlton team, which spurred Bury on. Greene hit a combination of points outside and inside, much to the surprise and delight of his team-mates, after missing two months of practice. Connor Wilkinson, pictured, showed improvements with a blocked shot while Ergoli Togo used his experience to stifle the defence, helping Bury to a 32-23 half time lead.
Bury expected a run from Chorlton, but with player coach Mike Nichols drawing fouls and hitting the free throws, Chorlton struggled to find a way forward. Guards Jason Knowles and Paulo Ruflo piled on the pressure by getting steals and causing mayhem, which lead to easy baskets for Phil Stainton. Bury held a 51-32 lead after three quarters.
Veteran Stu Jackson played great defence, forcing the opposition into poor shots, while gathering many offensive rebounds. Chorlton showed signs of life hitting a three, only to be countered by a three from Phil Stainton.
Chorlton hit another three but Stainton hit again from three to negate their attempt in a mad sequence of 12 points combined in a minute.
Bury extended their lead, held composure and kept the pressure on Chorlton, finishing the game on a 14-2 run, winning the match 45-74.
Coach Mike Nichols said: “In the league we lost to this team by 20. Our focus since then was not to allow that to happen again.
“We made subtle changes and it showed tonight with a 29 point win. “I’m proud of the guys attitude and ability to step up and be counted.”
Bury face Bolton in the next round – a team they have already beaten in the league.
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