COACH Carl Wilson says he is “very proud” of his Cheshire Wire under 16s Premier side as they reached the play-off quarter finals.

After making the long trip to East London, Wire made the journey back having pulled off an excellent 68-64 victory over Eastside Eagles to book their place in the last eight.

They must return to the capital on Saturday to take on Hariney Hawks and Wilson reflected on a superb day’s work for his side.

“It was a fine win on the road against tough opponents who made it difficult for the entire game,” he said.

“Every player made important contributions. Our club is very proud of the achievement of our boys.”

Despite the hostile atmosphere created by the vocal home supporters, the Wire team showed exactly why they had lost only seven times in the regular season and were skilful and organised throughout.

The athleticism and aggression of the Eagles kept them in touch, but Wire got off to a strong start thanks to some fine shooting from Owen Ball, who finished the game with 21 points including four three-pointers.

Kaan Uzunali was under constant pressure from the hosts but was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points, while Danae Johnson’s 10-point contribution went with his valuable work at both ends of the court.

Dean Cousins was another good performer on his return from injury and repeatedly unsettled the Eagles guards, while Luke Spilsbury turned in his best performance of the season.

In defence, Thomas Elwood, Lee Broomhall and Ellis Evans battled hard to cope with the bigger and stronger Eagles forwards.

Meanwhile, the club’s under 18s squad have also made the play-offs of their national league competition.

Dave Price’s side face a trip to Durham Wildcats in the first round of their post-season challenge.