A mixture of illness, injury and unavailabilities meant a very depleted Southend Swifts under-18 boys team travelled to Bedford Bulls, still looking for their first win of the season.

And they returned home still looking for that elusive win after losing 102-72 to hosts who went into the fixture sitting in fifth place in the National League East Conference, with two wins from five games.

Bedford made a strong start but fine work from Benny Setordzi kept Swifts in the game until the Bulls extended their lead.

Southend kept their resolve and helped by a Brad Wood three-pointer, the deficit was just 32-21 at the end of the first quarter.

Setordzi and Daniel Okoh battled at both ends to reduce the deficit to 38-31.

But again Bedford re-took the initiative, scoring 13 of the last 18 points to lead 51-36 at halftime.

Swifts again came out strongly at the start of the third period but a 10-2 spell took the hosts 21 ahead and effectively settled the game.

Sam Read, Okoh and Setordzi kept the scoring going and with one quarter to play, Bulls led 73-54.

Okoh and Read continued to find the basket but Swifts’ lack of depth was certainly a major factor. Bedford reached the three figure mark to record a sell-deserved 102-72 win.

Setordzi ended with a career high 34 points, Okoh 19 and Wood 10.

Southend Swifts under-18 girls ventured to Buckinghamshire to take on Chiltern Pumas and won 62-58.

The teams had met in the cup two weeks previously, when Southend had a 20 point win, but they knew this would be a tough encounter against a very tall and athletic side.

Swifts overturned an early Chiltern lead as Amy Rodgers, Ellie Warden, Louise Corfield, Abbie Jones and Charlotte Bennett put the visitors 15-11up after the first period.

The Pumas closed the gap to one point but Bennett, Shannon Matthews and Kate Livermore ensured Swifts were 31-27 ahead at half time.

Another Rodgers three-pointer made it 36-29 but Chiltern would not be shaken off.

From 40-34 behind, they scored 12 straight on their way to a 47-41 lead with one stanza remaining; a 10 point turnaround in the quarter.

Southend found themselves 53-44 behind after two minutes but Beth Robson and Matthews put Swifts 56-53 ahead, before Jones and Robson wrapped up the win.

Warden with 13 points and Robson and Matthews with 11 each, helped Swifts to a fortunate win.

On Saturday the U13 girls have Eastern Counties games against Northants and Norfolk at Eastwood High School.

The U14 boys visit Milton Keynes.

On Sunday the U14 girls travel to Norfolk, the U16 boys to Reading and the U16 and 18 girls to Sevenoaks; the U16s for a league fixture and the U18s for a quarter-final National Cup tie.