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Wildcats claw out Magic win
Manchester Magic: 84 Kingston: 86
In the National Trophy pre-season competition, both teams had had mixed results and Kingston especially were looking for a win to restore their morale, but. the Magic were hoping that their improving form would see them through. In this first game of the Conference season, both sides started with plenty of individual enthusiasm, but lacking in shooting accuracy and a low-scoring first quarter ended with the Magic holding a slender lead, 17 – 16. The second quarter saw the Magic move into an 8 point lead, but the spirited Kingston squad showed their resilience in cutting the deficit to 38-34 at the half.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with the Magic scoring some spectacular baskets, notably from the hard-working Wayne Mulgrave, with Kingston coming back strongly when it mattered. Sergio Lara-Bercial - who scored ateam-best 21 - fired some baskets which kept his team in contention at crucial times. It was Mulgrave who put the Magic into a lead of 83-82 with less than a minute to go and it looked like a win for the home team, but Kingston’s Chris Jeremiah was fouled with seconds to go and won the game for the visitors. The lead had changed hands regularly throughout the game and the outcome had been in doubt for the whole of the second half. It was one of those nights when the luck just ran against the Magic, but if they can keep up their improvement, they should give their fans plenty to cheer about this season. Solomon Ayinia led the victors with 29
Teesside 105 Inter-Basket 82
The opening weekend of the Conference League season got off to the best possible start for TVL Teesside Mohawks who, with the biggest win, went straight to the top of the table with a win over Inter-Basket.
In an incredibly bad tempered game, three of the visiting players fouled out in the last quarter (along with Teesside’s Dennis Ley) and another was taken to hospital after dislocating a shoulder as play degenerated into a series of squabbles, elbowing and eyeball-to-eyeball posturing, with Mohawks’ James Nicholson a particularly unwise choice of target for the opposition.
Mohawks’ Steve Butler said that players anticipated a physical game. “InterBasket have always played that way – it’s like streetball. And when they are not getting their own way they tend to get physical, so we expected it.”
Amid the chaos, Mohawks, who fielded just eight players due to the absence of Jason Swaine, who was laid low with a virus and Jon Stonebridge (ankle), posted another hundred plus score and saw a top drawer performance from Steve Butler as the side ran out 105-82 winners.
Butler, the club’s longest serving player, entered play in time to see out the first quarter, where his side enjoyed a 28-17 lead thanks to good opening performances from Pete Knechtel, Neil Hopper, Ralph Bucci, Dennis Ley and EJ Harrison.
But when play resumed there was no stopping the 25 year old guard, who with 15 personal second quarter points – including a remarkable 12 in succession - outscored the entire InterBasket team, who added just 11 to their tally to help his side build up a 31 point lead by halfway. And with another 12 points before the end of play, Butler came out with a stunning game-high 29 to his name – his best total for almost 5 seasons.
Whatever was fed to InterBasket players in the dressing room certainly had them in the mood for a fight in more than one sense for the second half.
The Eston side were quicker out of the blocks and increased their lead by two through Bucci immediately from the tip off. But the visitors, who began to look menacing without ever looking like pushing Mohawks close, became increasingly physical as they battled back enough to win the third session by 8 points (30-22) and reduced the deficit to 23.
With four minutes of the fourth quarter gone Mohawks had added only 2 points, through Lijah Perkins, while the visitors notched 11 courtesy of captain Grant Ebanja, Junior Bashorun and Laurent Irish, whose game ended in agony as he was sidelined with a dislocated left shoulder. The unfortunate number 15 had only just returned to action after suffering exactly the same injury to his right shoulder.
When Mohawks did respond though, it was with runs of 6-0 and 9-0 that were broken only by 4 from InterBasket’s top scorer Ben Smart, who picked up an impressive 26, and Ebanja.
But the basketball was clearly now playing a bit-part to the odd rugby scrum. And it was only a matter of time before InterBasket players were called to book for their actions. Mansour Mybe was the first to go after 5 minutes, followed quickly by James Miller and Perry Lawson less than a minute later.
For Mohawks Dennis Ley got his marching orders in the ninth minute after accumulating five fouls, but on the whole Tony Hanson’s side showed a lot of restraint under extreme provocation and no-one else came close to being in foul trouble, which was remarkable under the circumstances.
Butler, who beat Bucci to the top-scorer’s tag by 2 points, sported a broad smile at the end of the game. “It was just one of the those games where, from the minute I stepped on court I couldn’t miss,” he said. “It’s great to get a score like that in the first league game of the season.”
Reading Rockets 76 Solent Stars 80
Reading's first ever National Conference League game ended in a narrow defeat at the Rivermead Leisure Complex last Saturday after a pulsating end to end encounter. Had Rockets not missed a number of easy lay-ups the result might have gone in their favour "In this calibre of basketball you cannot afford to make fundamental errors because they usually make the difference between winning and losing" commented a
disappointed Head Coach Dave Titmuss, "Having said that I thought we played well overall considering our squad injury and illness problems".Rockets sporting a brand new kit were without Jon Goode who hadn't trained all week, Neill Ricketts - not available, and Evan York away on business. They also still had injury worries on the not fully fit Adam
Kelly, John Hodds and Matt Johnson. Rockets started very well and clearly shocked Solent with their quality and intensity of play and thanks to Damon Cooper and John Hodds took an 11-10 lead half way
through the first quarter. Rockets then demonstrated their defensive abilitiy with a high work rate that prevented Solent from adding to their score for the whole of the remaining five minutes. Smith and Cooper continued to show their outstanding form and Rockets ended the first quarter 25-10 ahead.Solent Coach Mark Scott really took his team to task during the break and they scored first when the 2nd quarter started. Rockets responded with a scintillating passing move ending with Cooper scoring a long three pointer. Rockets then repeated the offensive move with Matt Eames finishing well inside for two. Solent suddenly upped a gear and scored eleven points without reply from Rockets to bring the score back
to 30-27. Pem Bristol made a superb interception only to miss an unchallenged lay-up on the break away. Rockets managed to hold a slender lead going into half time at 39-38 having weathered the Solent storm.Rockets increased the margin of their lead at the start of the third quarter as Damon Cooper shot a three and took one from two at the line when fouled on Rockets next offense. Solent took a time out and on the
re-start Rockets John Hodds made his fourth foul and went back to the bench. Ian Durrant having contributed well throughout the game inexplicably missed a regulation lay up and Rockets squandered
possession enabling Solent to take the lead at 47-45. But Rockets came fighting back and after some great defense, gained possession which Cooper converted into another three points. After a further exchange of baskets the quarter finished 56-55 in Rockets favour and it was anyone's game.Solent took first possession at the start of the final quarter and scored. Hodds replied for Rockets and the score moved to 62 each and Coach Titmuss called a time out. On the resumption in an incredibly even
contest Damon Cooper gave Rockets a one point lead after scoring two three pointers. But Solent came storming back and despite another Rockets time out showed their vast end game experience and held their
nerve at the free throw line to move four points ahead as Rockets ran out of time."I thought it was a very encouraging performance and when everyone is fit and we have a full squad we will definitely make an impression on this League" said an upbeat General Manager Gary Johnson.
Div 1: Derbyshire Arrows 83 North West London Wolverines 61
The Derbyshire Arrows, the only Division One side to advance to the quarter-finals of the National Trophy, with an exciting 83 – 61 victory over the North West London Wolverines in their opening League fixture of the season.
The Arrows began strongly with Rick Marsh “ blocking” 4 quick shots providing a barrier the Wolverines could not pass defensively. While offensively the Arrows had six different scorers led by Davidson & Bevington as they reached the break 25 – 6 ahead.
The Wolverines began to settle in the second quarter with Ugbana particularly impressive for the visitors who had an 11- 0 run to eat away at the Arrows advantage reaching the interval with only a 24 – 36 ahead.
In the third quarter the combination of Bevington & Davidson was impressive for the Arrows but some great shooting from Ataha saw the Arrows enter the final quarter only leading 53 – 45.
The large crowd at the Queens Park Sports Centre, were treated to a fourth quarter points feat, two “3 pointers” & two “Dunks”, from Shawn King scores from Bevington, Davidson, Gayle & Ellmer saw the Arrows take the deciding quarter 30 – 16 & begin their quest for League Honours on a wining note by 83 – 61.
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