JASON Knowles played "out of his skin" to help Bury Blue Devils to an 11-point victory over Our Lady's and extend their winning run to four matches.

Coach Mike Nicholls highlighted the performance of Knowles at both ends of the court after he helped power the Blue Devils to an early lead before helping them to hold off a late surge from the visitors.

"Jason Knowles played out of his skin tonight and made a huge difference," said Nicholls.

"A mental adjustment at the start of the game allowed the players to play more relaxed.

"When players are relaxed they play more freely and openly, which gave us opportunity to score.

"The first half performance was all I could have asked for.

"I knew they (Our Lady's) would make a run with their two shooters, but I also knew we had the capabilities to close out the game."

Despite going into the game on a winning run, Bury remained wary of an Our Lady's side that gave them trouble in the Manchester Area Basketball League Championship last season.

Both sides started slowly, but after Bury moved into a 6-5 lead Knowles and Phil Stainton took control, with the pair adding eight unanswered points before Our Lady's stopped the rot.

Further scores by Mike Nichols, Kin Ming Lin and Chris Stainton stretched the Blue Devils lead to 21-11 by the end of the first quarter.

Bury's defence stifled the visitors at the start of the second quarter, while Stu Jackson, Chris Stainton, Nichols and Lin continued to hit the target with great ball movement and open shots.

The whole team showed great focus and a real intensity in their play to shut out Our Lady's as the score moved on to 35-12.

Bury's side's big men – Ergoli Togo and Bart Szareko – continued to hold sway over the visiting offence, while Elliot Smith finished well on the break to keep the 23-point lead at the break.

The second half began as the first half finished with Smith and Phil Stainton hitting the target to push Bury to a 28-point lead.

Knowles kept up his tough defence, adding plenty of steals to his credit.

But Our Lady's were not finished and found some good energy to close out the quarter on a 15-4 run, and bring them to within 15 points.

Bury continued to wobble as the visitors piled on the pressure, with defensive lapses allowing their opponents chance after chance to score.

But after Our Lady's pulled within nine points with two minutes remaining, Bury spread the floor and controlled the pace to run out the clock.