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W/e 20th December 2009

WILDCATS’ UNBEATEN START ENDS IN LONDON

The Durham Wildcats suffered the double heartbreak of giving up winning positions in both of their matches in London at the weekend, as their winning start to the Division 2 campaign came to an end.

However, the team can take heart from the fact that they were competitive throughout, and played out of their skins at times.

Westminster Warriors  (21, 43, 57) 77

Durham Wildcats  (24, 44, 64) 75

The Wildcats’ unbeaten start ended on Saturday night, in a remarkable fashion at Westminster. Having led for most of the game, the visitors were ten points up with 5 ½ minutes to play, but failed to score in that remaining time, allowing the Warriors to snatch a narrow victory.

The game began well for Durham, with a 5-11 spurt, culminating in a Paul Elderkin “3” and the same player converting a massive “allez-oop” dunk, from a pass by Scott Morton, that had even the home crowd on their feet roaring approval.

With only Yannick Bulambwe really threatening the Wildcats’ defence, the margin stretched to nine, at 11-29, but when Westminster raised their intensity it knocked the visitors out of their rhythm, and the Warriors put together ten unanswered points to take the lead, 21-20.

Four successful free-throws from Scott Morton, however, put the Wildcats back ahead, and they led by three at the first break.

The second quarter was much more evenly contested, with never more than six points separating the teams, and the lead changing hands no less than eight times. Three “treys” from Scott Morton contributed much to Durham’s cause, but cheap turn-overs in the last four minutes ensured that the home side stayed well in contention, as the Wildcats took a slender 1 point cushion into the half time interval.

Durham opened the third quarter with Paul Elderkin’s third “3” of the game, and a basket from Mark Elderkin, to open a six point lead, and they held that lead for the next five minutes. A great spell of pressure by the visitors was then rewarded with six unanswered points from Mark for the biggest lead of the game, 50-62.

As the game became increasingly physical, the Wildcats’ errors returned to their game, but they still held a healthy seven point lead at the final break.

The margin hovered between seven and ten points early in the final stanza, and when Mark hit a “3” off a Morton assist, the 65-75 lead looked as though it had set up a potential victory.

The Warriors, however, had other ideas, and after calling a Time Out they set about closing the gap. Their key offensive player, as they did so, was Karolis Stepanavicius, who hit the next seven points, to take his tally for the quarter to nine, while the Wildcats contrived a series of errors from misplaced passes, to misjudged shots, fouls and travelling violations.

With a minute remaining the gap was down to two points, and the excellent crowd were roaring encouragement for the home side. As Durham continued their failure to find the basket, captain Junior Williams, who had had a quiet game thus far, hit consecutive baskets, and though he missed the bonus shot after the second, Westminster had the lead back, at 76-75, with 36 seconds to play.

There was still time for Durham to save the game, and with seven seconds to play Anthony Trigg, who earlier in the game had effortlessly slotted home a pair of free throws, found himself back at the line. This time, however, neither effort succeeded, and Westminster rebounded the ball, only to turn it over, with time running down. An off-balance Scott Morton put up a “Hail Mary”, which rimmed out, and when Stepanavicius was fouled on the rebound, as time expired, he extended the Warriors’ comeback run to 12 unanswered, with 1 of 2 from the stripe.

Wildcats’ scorers: Scott Morton 23; Paul Elderkin 14; Mark Elderkin 13; Steve Jones 9; Rafa Vilar-Franca 4; Michael Davies 4; Notis Chalkidis 4; Tolis Apostolidis 2; Anthony Trigg 2.

Westminster scorers: Karolis Stepanavicius 23; Yannick Bulambwe 16; Jonathan Johnson 10; Ola Ogidan 7; Henry Wilkins 6; Jr Williams 5; Marvin Addy 4; Ryan Martin 2; Jermaine Purcell 2; Jackson Gibbons 2; Patrick Orvarkliah.

 

Having given up the lead to lose a game once, the Wildcats were determined that it couldn’t, and wouldn’t happen again – but it did, in an even more incredible finish, as Brixton posted a 39-19 final quarter to snatch the game by five.

Brixton Topcats  (19, 49, 73) 112

Durham Wildcats (24, 47, 88) 107

This was a game that could clearly be divided into three distinct sequences. Twenty-five minutes in which neither side could firmly establish a significant lead was followed by a purple patch in which the visitors appeared to put the game out of reach, and finally an incredible fightback by the hosts.

The first quarter saw several lead changes, and then a 2-9 spurt by the visitors (with all nine of the Wildcats’ points coming from the impressive Scott Morton) put them ahead 9-13, which extended to 13-24, on a huge “3” pointer from Paul Elderkin followed by an allez-oop dunk from the same player, off a Scott Morton assist.

The expected breakaway, though, never happened, as, with Wildcats in the four-foul penalty, Karolis Petkus and Paul Mundy-Castle were able to convert six of six from the line as they narrowed the gap to just five at the break.

Rafa Vilar-Franca opened the second period with a “3”, and when Notis Chalkidis, Paul Elderkin (another “trey”) and Mike Davies put together an 0-7 run the lead was up to 13, at 21-34. Still Durham could pull no further away, and as foul trouble again reared its head, Brixton took full advantage to sink 11 of 13 from the line, as well as hitting 13 points from the field, as they pulled level again on 45.

Davies restored a slender advantage for the Wildcats, but Tom Adorian, with a put-back and a basket, had the final scores of the half, and it was the Topcats who took a 2-point cushion into the locker room.

This pattern continued into the third period, with the visitors posting an eight point spurt, to lead 51-57. This began with a “3” from Mark Elderkin; Steve Jones added a basket and then, when Petkus picked up a technical Foul, Scott Morton missed the ensuing free-throws, but Davies hit another “trey” from the “after-T” possession.

Six unanswered by Brixton, however, restored parity, and there was still little to choose between them at the mid-point of the quarter, at 60-64.

Despite captain Mark Elderkin already being “rested” on four fouls, this was the point at which the Wildcats hit the accelerator.

Three-pointers from Paul Elderkin and Morton (on the fast break) and a basket by Jones restored a double-digit advantage, and another eight-point surge followed soon afterwards, while Brixton’s Petkus fouled out with two Technical Fouls – one for being the wrong player to take a free throw, and one for arguing with the officials.

With Durham playing excellent ‘ball, especially on the offensive end, the lead peaked at 21 points, with a huge “allez-oop” dunk by Elderkin, again off a Scott Morton pass on the fast break. At 86-65 it seemed that the visitors were home and dry.

Even an 8-0 recovery by the hosts in the closing two minutes of the quarter did not seem too significant at the time, as Morton closed the period with a basket and the Wildcats still led by fifteen.

When Brixton edged back to within 12 early in the final stanza it raised some concerns, but Durham continued to keep their score ticking over, until consecutive “3”s by the impressive Mundy-Castle changed the complexion of the game at the mid-point of the quarter. At 88-94 the Topcats were suddenly right back in contention.

A controlled drive to the basket, for a score “and-1” by Paul Elderkin, gave some breathing space, but then came the first of a series of errors in the closing five minutes that cost the Wildcats dearly.

Brixton missed their shot on the next offence, and Jones rebounded, only to overhit the fast-break pass to turn the possession over again, and then, probably in frustration, committed his fifth foul, to join Anthony Trigg, already fouled out, on the bench.

Brixton scored from the line, and then stole the ball on a mid-court inbounds play to close the gap further, and as their confidence grew, so the Wildcats’ errors multiplied, with fouls and travelling violations, and with 2:45 to play the game was right back in the balance, at 100-101.

Davies kept cool, however, to drain a “3”, with 2:10 on the clock, and it looked as though the Wildcats could still hold on. James Miller pulled one back from the stripe, and when Durham were hustled into a back-court violation, the same played pulled back one more from the line, but more importantly Mark Elderkin joined the growing band on five fouls on the Wildcats’ bench.

Another Wildcats turnover followed, and Mundy-Castle took full advantage as he scored, drew a foul, and sank the “and-1” to complete a remarkable 22-point turnaround … and to take his personal tally for the quarter to 17 points.

This time the Wildcats did continue to fight back. One of two from the line by Paul Elderkin levelled the scores again, and with 46 seconds remaining a Morton drive to the basket for a score, and though he missed the foul bonus, the Wildcats led by two.

Desperate defence kept Brixton at briefly at bay, but when Morton became the fourth Durham player to foul out, and Adorian levelled the scores from the line, there were still thirty seconds to play. That was time enough for Wildcats to turn the ball over twice, and commit an “unsportsmanlike” foul, in their desperation, and for the home side to rattle off five more points to take a victory that put them clear at the top of the table.

Brixton deserved enormous credit for the way they held their game together and recovered for the victory, but there was no doubt that the Wildcats contributed considerably to their own downfall.

Wildcats’ scorers: Scott Morton 37; Paul Elderkin 25; Steve Jones 16; Michael Davies 15; Notis Chalkidis 7; Mark Elderkin 5; Rafa Vilar-Franca 3; Tolis Apostolidis 1; Anthony Trigg.

Brixton top scorers: Paul Mundy-Castle 28; Tom Adorian 18.

Jimmy Rogers, the legendary septuagenarian founder of the Brixton club, was effusive in his praise for the Wildcats’ performance. “You guys have got it right,” he said, “I really enjoyed watching you play today.”

That, though was no consolation to the distraught Durham players, nor to a disappointed coach Dave Elderkin. “These were two tough games, against our strongest opponents, and either side could have won in both matches” he reflected. “However, we lost a winning position in both, when we had more than enough chances to hold on. Decision making and finishing, along with unnecessary foul-trouble, contributed to the losses on both occasions”.

“I’ve always maintained that we’re still a work-in-progress, and if we work on those lessons, we’ll bounce back in the New Year”.

“However, the strongest message from the weekend is that the ‘forward line up’ of this squad has to be strengthened in some way, and that’s not going to be easy, because in the north east we don’t have anything like the pool of players available to the London teams … find the answer, and we can compete at the top level of National League Basketball, and Durham University, who have 11 Wildcats in their squad, can be a serious player in the BUCS Premiership”.

 

Topcats on top of the table.

After two wins in a double header weekend the LSBU Topcats sit on top of National Division Two.  

First up on Saturday was an away game against Kent Crusaders in Canterbury a game that was threatened by the snow until only a few hours before tip-off.  

In the first minute Kent went into a 6-0 lead which Topcats then answered with an 8-0 run of their own.  Topcats piled the pressure on defence which resulted in early team fouls and Kent went to the line 6 times converting all but one from the stripe.  The first quarter ended 21-17 in favour of the hosts and Brixton had to change defensive tactics to stop this continuing in the second quarter.  

Early in the second period Armand Anebo came to life scoring 5 quick points and 9 in total in this quarter.  Veteran point guard Paul Mundy-Castle hit two back to back threes to send Brixton into a lead they were never to relinquish.  

The half time score was 40-36 to Brixton and a rush of baskets early in the third quarter pushed the score out to 59-42.  Mundy-castle hit another pair of threes along with one from Laurie Lewis; this was backed up with strong inside play from Anebo and Tom Adorian.  However Kent regrouped and pulled back the score to within 5 with the score at 61-56 going into the final period.    

Kent started the period strongly and got the game back to 65-65 with two quick three pointers and then Mundy-Castle took the game over with 5 unanswered scores in succession followed by quick baskets from Adorian and Anebo to give Brixton an 11-0 run.  Mundy Castle scored 13 points in the final quarter and on the back of this Brixton ran out comfortable winners 86-75.

Top scorers for Brixton were Mundy-Castle with 33, Adorian 17 & Anebo 14 points.

 

The following day LSBU Brixton Topcats hosted the early league leaders Durham Wildcats in front of a packed crowd at the Brixton Recreation Centre.  

Brixton got off to a good start with a deep three in the corner from Karolis Petkus which was quickly answered with a three from Jones of Durham.  The first few minutes of game were intense and Brixton soon found themselves picking up early fouls in contrast to Durham who did not commit a single foul until the 8th minute of the game.  The first quarter ended up 19-24 in favour of Durham.  

Two early threes in the second quarter from Durham marked them out as a good shooting team and Brixton had to extend their man to man defense to beyond the three point arc.  Offensively Brixton began to attack the basket through Paul Mundy-Castle and Avelino Antonio and this caused Durham to pick up some individual fouls allowing the Topcats to creep back into the game slowly.  They re-took the lead at the half time buzzer on the back of 4 points from centre Tom Adorian leaving the score at 49-47 going into the break.

In the second half Durham came out firing hitting a massive total of 41 third quarter points including 6 three pointers (3 from Scott Morton) and 14 visits to the foul line in this period alone, and they led by a massive 21 points at one stage.  Brixton on the other hand could only score 24 in this period struggling from beyond the arc and from the foul line, scoring mostly from inside through Laurie Lewis and Adorian.  This left the score going into the final period 73-88 in favour of the visitors and Brixton’s charge to the top of the table looked in doubt.

In the final period Brixton’s defense took over and they challenged every shot, Durham only made one three in this quarter and seemed to have tightened up and were missing the baskets they had earlier made.  On the offensive end Brixton drove attacking the rim at every opportunity forcing Durham to foul.  This resulted in 19 foul shots of which Brixton converted 16.  Mundy- Castle hit a pair of deep back to back threes to hand the momentum to the Topcats and suddenly Brixton were back in the game at 98-99.  The crowd believed and so did the team and Brixton swept past Durham taking the lead 105-104 and running out winners in a tense last 90 seconds 112-107.  They had won the final quarter by 20 points to hand Durham only their second defeat of the league campaign.

Head Coach Andy Powlesland said; “I am proud of the way we played today, there was a never give up attitude and we just refused to lie down.  Paul Mundy-Castle changed the flow of the game, he got the crowd into it and the other players backed him up.  Antonio’s defense was great and Tom Adorian proved that he is danger under the basket.  All our guys played well and you can see from the score what an amazing offensive game of basketball that was.”

General Manager and Topcats owner Jimmy Rogers, who was 70 this week, said; “We are on top of the league now going into 2010 and it all bodes well for a promotion push to get into Division One.”

Topscorers were Mundy-Castle with 28, Adorian with 18, and Avelino with 16 points, for Durham, Morton had 37 supported by Paul Elderkin with 25.

 

W/e 13th December 2009

Giants get Storm warning

Mansfield Giants 74 – 83 Edmonton Storm

Mansfield’s 3 game winning streak came to an abrupt end at the hands of their north London opponents on Saturday night, as Edmonton gained revenge for last season’s playoff quarter final loss to the Giants.

Like Mansfield Edmonton were promoted from Division 3 and went into this encounter having won half of their initial 6 league encounters.

It was the hosts who started the brighter with Eric Milambo hitting the first 4 points of the game before Edmonton’s midweek new signing from BBL club Essex Pirates, Joe Matthews replied with a mid range jump shot to get the Storm off the mark.

Mansfield settled for the outside shot on lots of occasions in the first quarter but did manage to hit 4 the pointers in the period with 2 from Dan Watts and one apiece from Michal Ciesla and Mathew Martin.    It was enough to give them the slenderest of advantages going into the break 20-19 to the good.

Martin extended the lead to 3 to start the second quarter before 9 straight Edmonton points took them into a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

To make matters worse for the Giants recent acquisition Eric Milambo badly twisted his ankle shortly after scoring his 6th point of the game and would take no further part in the night’s events.  Edmonton then exploited the gap left with Milambo gone as the second of Leon Bernard’s 2 big dunks gave Edmonton their biggest lead of the game at 28-37.

Paul Kelly responded with a baseline 3 pointer followed by 2 Ciesla free throws to narrow the deficit to 4 before Matthews and Tayo Odulaja sandwiched another Ciesla deuce to give Edmonton a lead of 6 at the half time break with the scores at 35-41.

Ben Coy heeded the coaches’ request for greater effort to start the second half hitting back to back shots to make it a 2 point game, only for Edmonton to hit the next 9 points, whilst holding the Giants scoreless in the 3 minutes that followed.

Kelly and Ciesla again combined to score the next 4 points and Mansfield were still in the contest only being down 7 points with 15 minutes remaining.  The last thing they wanted therefore was for Edmonton to go on another run.  This time an 11-2 effort gave them a 16 point lead, which would be their biggest of the night at 45-61.

Mansfield again refused to give up the ghost and held their opponents to only 2 point in the 6 minutes straddling the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the 4th.  This allowed them to trim the gap back to 9.  It should have been much closer.  The Giants had hit 7 out of 8 free throw attempts in the game up until this run, when they missed 7 out of 10.

When Ciesla completed a 3 point play to bring the gap down to 7 with over 5 minutes still to play the momentum appeared to be with Mansfield.  Guard Leigh Cascoe then hit Mansfield with a dagger through the heart with back to back 3 pointers for the Storm and their lead was back out to 12 points.

A Mike Elland 3 pointer, the only one of the second half for Mansfield, was the start of one last big push with Cielsa and Kelly adding another 4 without reply. However with time running down the Giants were forced to foul and Edmonton kept their nerve and hit 10 out of their final 11 free throws and take the game with the final score a disappointing 74-83.

It was a frustrating display from Mansfield.  Quite often their play was sublime.  However the stats don’t lie and they shot a poor 7/26 from 3 point range and 11/21 from the free throw line.  29 combined points in the second and third quarters is also short of what is required to win consistently at this higher level.

The positives were that they out rebounded and had less turnovers than Edmonton.

Leading Scorers Giants; Richards 18, Kelly 11, Ciesla 10, Coy 9, Watts 8, Milambo 6, Martin 5, Elland 3, Griffiths 2, Hussain 2

Storm, Matthews 24, Cascoe 20, Odulaja 18, Bernard 15, Maccauley 4, Henry-Fontaine 2

 

Crusaders win!

Plymouth Marjon            (21, 42, 48) 65

Medway Park Crusaders (16, 34, 59) 77

The Medway Park Crusaders finally secured their first win of the league season as they came from behind to beat Plymouth Marjon in Plymouth, 77-65.

It was the first game in charge for new head coach James Vear, who was looking to get off to a good start: “We spoke before the game and wanted to make sure we got off to a  good start and didn’t let them get into ant sort of rhythm on offence”.

Initially Crusaders were able to stay on target, as they were up by one, 10-9, after five minutes, but when star center Brad Smith came to the bench for a breather Plymouth immediately put on an 8-0 run. Smith was put back on and stabilised Crusaders, but after only 90 seconds he got his second foul and had to sit down again, and Plymouth finished the quarter up 21-16.

In the second quarter Plymouth came out hitting from everywhere, especially from behind the arc where they hit five of seven shots, which frustrated coach Vear:  “We didn’t do a good job in transition which allowed them good looks”.

Smith’s foul trouble continued in the second quarter and allowed him to play only eight minutes in the entire first half. Coach Vear had to rely on the other guys, and was happy to see them succeed: “As a team we stepped up with some big baskets to keep us close, especially Damien Lyons and Kalil Irving who were getting to the basket and finishing”.

With Smith only playing little Crusaders fell behind by 10, but every time Plymouth looked poised to extend the lead Lyons seemed to get open for a layup. With five minutes left in the half and Crusaders down 11, 34-25, Smith got back on the court and immediately the Medway team cut the lead to six before Smith had to sit down again with his third foul.

Despite missing Smith Crusaders stayed within striking range as Lyons’ four points kept the deficit at the half in single figures, 42-34.

Coach Vear didn’t panic despite being down at the half: “For most of the first half we were down by 8 to 10 points but I was still happy with the defence we were playing in the half court. Every shot Plymouth took was a tough one but they just seemed to hit everything. We remained positive and knew if we continued to make Plymouth take tough shots we would be in the game.”

Coach Vear couldn’t have been more right, as Plymouth didn’t make a single shot except from foul shots in the third quarter. “The thing that pleased me the most was the way we played defence in the 3rd quarter”, said Vear, “We have worked really hard on the defensive end in practice since I took over and the third was the best defence we played all season”.

With Brad Smith back in the line up Crusaders also really started to click on offense. Smiths inside presence opened up the floor for everyone else and everyone on the team started to look like a threat.

Crusaders ended up winning the third quarter 28-6 which opened up the game, with a 59-48 Crusaders lead.

Plymouth tried to put on full court pressure in the fourth as they needed to play catch up but Jeff Wadey and Damien Lyons dealt with it really well. Crusaders built the lead to 16 with four minutes to go after a technical foul to Plymouth coach George Hatchell and though Plymouth cut the lead back to eight Crusaders kept their heads cool and hit their foul shots and came away with a 77-65 win.

The players were obviously very happy after the game with captain Sam Betts saying “The team pulled together and got a first win. I thought Damien Lyons really stepped up playing a full forty minutes and hitting some big shots throughout the game”

Coach Vear was happy to get his first win as head coach; ”It was good to get the first win in the league this season, it was a real team effort tonight with everyone contributing. I was really happy with our defensive effort tonight allowing Plymouth only 65 and we took care of the ball better than we have all season only having 12 turnovers“.

Leading Scorers:

Marjon: Peard 13, Peake 13, Hatchell 11

Crusaders: Smith 31, Lyons 15, Irving 12

W/e 6th December 2009

HARD FOUGHT VICTORY KEEPS WILDCATS ON TOP     

The Durham Wildcats stayed unbeaten at the top of EBL Division Two, but not before more than a few scares at Edmonton, as they came from behind to snatch victory in the final quarter.

EBL Division 2.

Edmonton Storm (19, 35, 48) 62  Durham Wildcats (17, 32, 44) 67  

Edmonton, unbeaten on their home court this season, began the game with a flourish, as they held their visitors scoreless for a full four minutes and raced into a 10-0 lead, with Leon Bernard contributing seven.

It took just one minute, though, for the Wildcats to respond, as captain Mark Elderkin found room to launch two “3”s, brother Paul hit two from the line, and Scott Morton added a basket, to tie the scores at ten apiece.

Neither side could break away during the remainder of the quarter, as they traded baskets, and at the first break the home side held a slender two point advantage.

Durham began the second quarter more positively, as another Elderkin “trey”, plus one of two from the stripe by Anthony Trigg, gave them the lead for the first time, 19-21.

It proved short lived, however, as Tayo Odulaja contributed five points (a 3 and a 2) in a burst that put the home side back ahead by five at the mid point of the period. The Storm continued to edge away, and, with the Wildcats struggling with basics, Bernard contributed another seven points as the hosts pulled out a 35-26 advantage.

With the signs looking ominous, the Wildcats recovered to score the last six points of the half, to reduce the margin to just three, but Edmonton went into the locker room as clearly the better team thus far.

Durham struck first on the restart, through Scott Morton, but the Storm re-established their grasp on the game with seven unanswered, to lead 42-34. Again the Wildcats refused to let them break away, but the home side continued to look the better team as they held a four point advantage, 48-44 going into the final period.

In particular, the home side were doing an excellent job of keeping the visitors’ more prolific scorers quiet, and Paul Elderkin had just seven points - a “3” and four from the line, all in the first quarter.

Notis Chalkidis opened the scoring in the final stanza, pulling the Wildcats to within two, and a “trey” plus a basket for Paul Elderkin gave the visitors the lead for the first time since the second minute of the second quarter, 48-51.

Still neither side could establish total dominance, and they traded baskets to 57-all in the 8th minute, to set up a thrilling finale.

Increased defensive pressure by Durham led to a classic breakaway for Paul Elderkin, and when that was followed by a tough baseline move by the ever-dependable Michael Davies, they had their biggest lead yet, at  57-61. 

The Wildcats were relying on their defence to turn the game, and they had succeeded in keeping Bernard relatively quite, but suddenly he struck, and it was still anybody’s game at 59-61 going into the final minute.

Edmonton knew that, with time ticking away, they must prevent the Wildcats from scoring, but, with their defence smothering Mark, Paul and Scott, Davies was left free, and he obliged with a huge “3” to give the league leaders a breathing space at 59-64.

Still the home side kept coming, and Odulaja kept them in touch, 61-64. They knew, however, that they must foul to stop the clock, and when they did so Paul kept calm at the stripe to sink both foul shots to restore the two-score cushion.

Odulaja pulled one back from the line, but time was now running out, and Paul iced the win with 1 from 2 of his own, to take his tally for the match to a game-high 21.

Though pleased with the victory, and the determination of his team down the stretch, coach Dave Elderkin was less than impressed with their overall performance. “Edmonton played well, and were well worth their lead for most of the game” he said. “However, we were flat, and didn’t play consistently enough. It certainly wasn’t our best offensive performance.

“We really must make sure that we raise our game every time we take the court, because every team wants to be the first to beat us in this division.

“We’ve got a weekend off next week, but then we finish 2009 with the toughest double-header imaginable – away games at our two closest challengers, Westminster and Brixton, on successive days.

“That’s two games we really do need to step up for.”  

Wildcats’ Scorers: Paul Elderkin 21; Scott Morton 14; Mark Elderkin 11; Michael Davis 11; Anthony Trigg 5; Stephen Jones 3; Notis Chalkidis 2; Tolis Apostolidis; Rafa Vilar-Franca.

Edmonton Scorers: Leon Bernard 18; Tayo Odulaja 16; Pierre Henry-Fontaine 13; Sahr Komba 4; Ben Wallis 4; Jo Perera 4; Leigh Cascoe 3.

 

Giants maintain winning run

Team Northumbria 71 Mansfield Giants 84

Both teams entered the contest with similar records, but it was the Giants who made it 3 wins on the bounce, and with it climbed to 4th in the table in their inaugural National League Division 2 campaign.

It was the hosts who made the brighter start to the game, taking an early 13-6 lead, as Mansfield failed to get into any sort of rhythm on either end of the court.  That lead was extended to 9 by the 7th minute when Valentin Golchev hit his 2nd 3 pointer of the contest.

Mansfield trimmed the gap slightly by the end of the quarter but Northumbria still maintained a 5 point lead with the scores at 25-20.

Whilst the Giants had started to score with increasing regularity as the quarter progressed they were not stopping the home team on the defensive end, and 25 points in a quarter is too many to give up to any opponent.

A 10-2 run in the first 4 minutes of the second period saw Mansfield take their first lead of the contest at 30-27.  The Giants had finally woken up and were now playing some excellent defence, and when they do that their fast break game becomes immeasurably more effective.  Mathew Martin, Dan Richards and Paul Kelly all converted easy chances by running the floor hard and receiving simple passes close to the basket.

Northumbria rallied slightly to retake the lead briefly but the teams went into the half time interval with the scores tied at 38-38.

The visitors started the second half much livelier than they started the first and a 12-2 run with baskets from 6 different players saw them build a 7 point lead early on.  Northumbria’s only answer appeared to be in the form of 6’8 German Centre Nils Steuber who scored 9 points in the quarter to keep them in with a shout.

There was to be no doubt as to the highlight of the game though, a steal at mid-court by Coach Dan Richards was emphatically finished with a 2 handed tomahawk slam dunk.  He then proceeded to steal the ball again and connect with a 3 point attempt on the next visit down the floor.  Remarkably this was the first 3 pointer of the game for the Giants.

Again Northumbria showed they intended to put up a fight as a 7-2 run of their own meant that they were right back in the game trailing by only 5 points with the scores at 56-61.

Steuber then tried to make it a real fight as he got into a pushing match with a number of Giants players as they returned to the bench for the break between quarters. The end result was a technical foul against him and it was to his 4th personal foul, which would curtail much of his 4th quarter involvement.

Northumbria continued to rack up the fouls at the beginning of the 4th quarter, and it was a good job that the Giants were on the way to their best free throw shooting performance so far this season as they did not connect with a field goal for the first 6 ½ minutes, until a Ciesla lay up broke the shooting slump. Much to the credit of the Giants defence though was that during this run they maintained lead the whole time.  

The gap was reduced to 4 points with just less than 4 minutes remaining when influential Northumbria captain, and Welsh international, Chris Pearce hit his only 3 point basket of the night.

Martin then responded with a strong driving move to the basket to score the 10th of his season high 12 points.  Again the home team hit back with point guard Ian Berry scoring and the Mansfield lead was cut to 4 again.Dan Watts then spotted up in the corner to hit Mansfield’s second and final 3 pointer of the night to ice the game for Mansfield.  Northumbria were forced to foul to stop the game clock but the Giants coolly slotted home their last 6 free throws before Ciesla laid the ball in the complete the nights scoring, with the game ending Northumbria 71 – Mansfield 84.

There were a number of positives for the Giants.  Ben Coy and Mathew Martin both put in strong individual performances and scored season highs with 13 and 12 respectively.  Defensively they looked strong in the last 3 quarters and only conceded 46 points, and at times their running game was crisp and efficient.

Leading Giants scorers:  Ciesla 15, Richards 15, Coy 13, Martin 12, Milambo 10, Kelly 9, Watts 8, Hussain 2, Griffiths dns, White dns.

W/e 29th November 2009

Giants topple previously unbeaten Brixton

Mansfield Giants 72 – Brixton Topcats 70

The Giants entered this encounter having won 2 out of 4 of their league games this season and were up against a Brixton team that had ended Mansfield’s playoff dreams at the semi-final stage last season and were unbeaten to date in league play this season.

It had not been an easy week for Mansfield as 6 key players suffered injury or illness of some sort, which meant that they had not had a full squad to train together all week.

The players knew that this game was a big one though and via a combination of determination and medical strapping tape the full squad, minus Mike Elland who was away on under 18 coaching duty, were available come game time.

Mansfield chose to start the contest with Head Coach Dan Richards alongside, Michal Ciesla, Paul Kelly, Ben Coy and recent signing Eric Milambo.

It was a scrappy affair in the first quarter.  Neither team quite managed to find their shooting range and both teams were ensuring that nothing easy would be allowed close to the basket.  Brixton did manage to take the early advantage however and 7 points from the dangerous Paul Mundy-Castle ensured they took a 5 point lead at the end of the first period with the score 14-19.

Brixton extended that lead to 8 early in the second period when ex Giant Tom Adorian converted a close range jump shot.  2 Dan Richards free throws and 5 points from Ciesla reduced the deficit back to 1 point before Brixton started to find their range from downtown.  Sharpshooter Karolis Petkus hit 2 three pointers either side of a Laurie Lewis basket and Brixton suddenly enjoyed a 9 point lead.

A Giants timeout seemed to do the trick as Milambo scored and converted the bonus free throw and 4 Dan Watts points without reply cut the gap back to 2 points.  

Mansfield was making life very difficult for Brixton.  The visitors love to play a running game and the Giants were doing an excellent job in ensuring the Topcats had to play a much slower paced game for the majority of the game.  At half time Brixton still held onto a slender lead with the scores finely poised at 30-34.

It was the Giants who started the second half the brighter and scored 7 out of the first 10 points to retake the lead for the first time since the 2nd minute of the game.  Neither side would take a lead of greater than 3 points for the remainder of the game, which shows just how close a contest this really was.

Mundy-Castle scored 9 points for the visitors in the 3rd quarter but Kelly and Milambo responded with 6 each to trim the deficit to a single point at the end of the period with the scores 49-50.

Mansfield had visibly grown in confidence. They had proved to themselves they could compete with Brixton and whilst the attitude of the Giants team was one of enthusiasm and encouragement the Topcats were in complete contrast as they started to bicker and question their own ability.

Again scoring was proving to be a bit of a struggle for both teams and the foul count was starting to rack up on either side.  The fact the teams would go to the free throw line for a combined total of 30 times in the final quarter alone shows how this game would be played out.

When the influential Mundy-Castle fouled out having scored 26 points with just over 2 minutes to go the momentum appeared to be with Mansfield.  Watts drained both of the resulting free throws to restore a 2 point advantage before Adorian levelled things up with his second basket of the game.  Richards then returned to the foul line and converted both attempts before American guard Charlando Brown scored a long range three pointer to give Brixton a 1 point advantage.

Dan Richards then coolly drained another 2 free throws after being fouled to ensure Mansfield entered the final minute of the contest with a 1 point lead.

This was soon to be cancelled out as Petkus hit 2 free throws of his own and it was advantage back to Brixton.  Cue Milambo to step up with a massive close range basket for his 19th point of the game.  It was the 10th and final lead change in the 4th quarter alone.  

It was now a case of which team could retain their composure the best.  The answer was Mansfield.  

Petkus was fouled driving to the basket on the next play but failed on both free throw attempts.  It meant that with only 18 seconds to go Brixton would have to foul or the Giants would see the game out.  Timeouts were called by either team to discuss tactics.  Mansfield in bounded the ball to Ben Coy who was promptly fouled.  He too failed to score on either attempt but excellent defensive play from Watts forced the Topcats to turn the ball back over to Mansfield under their own basket.  Ciesla received the ball and he was quickly fouled only this time he scored on the 2nd of the 2 free throws to give Mansfield a 2 point lead.

It left just under 10 seconds for Brixton to score.  It was Petkus who made the move.  He drove down the baseline and tried to force a foul, but excellent defence ensured his shot fell short and the Giants held on to win in exciting fashion and send the crowd home delighted.

Whilst it might not have been the prettiest game to watch it certainly was an exciting and pulsating game of basketball.  The Giants stuck to their game plan excellently and every member of the team played their role out to perfection.  Make no mistake about it this Brixton team will be in the shake up for the title at the seasons end and Mansfield proved they could better them.

They held the leagues leading scorers to only 70 points and time after time they forced them into putting up difficult, often long range shots.  Mansfield produced their best defensive performance of the season and had 7 different players record at least 5 rebounds.

Leading Giants scorers: Milambo 19, Ciesla 15, Kelly 10, Watts 9, Richards 7, Coy 6, Hussain 3, Martin 2, Griffiths 1

 

WILDCATS’ HAT-TRICK OVER NORTHUMBRIA

Durham Wildcats (21, 44, 71) 93  Team Northumbria (19, 40, 52) 70  

Durham Wildcats broke the game open in the third quarter, on Saturday night, to record their third victory of the season over local rivals Northumbria, and remain unbeaten at the top of EBL Division 2.

In a closely contested first quarter neither side could establish a grip on the game, and, with Chris Pearce exploiting the “back door” cut too frequently for coach Dave Elderkin’s liking, the lead changed hands nine times.

With four seconds remaining, two from the line by Nils Steuber appeared to have given the visitors the advantage for the first break. Scott Morton, who had scored the Wildcats’ previous seven points, had other ideas however, and ran the ball down court from the inbounds, to drain a buzzer-beating “3” that put Durham ahead by two.

The opening minutes of the second period were equally closely contested, with the lead changing hands three more times, but a third “trey” of the game from Morton, followed by another basket and bonus by the same player, gave the Wildcats a lead they were not to relinquish.

The advantage peaked at eight points, 34-26, but a determined fightback by Northumbria, with Pearce again prominent, kept the visitors in contention, and at the half the margin was just four points.

The third quarter was a very different story, as the Wildcats adjusted and intensified their defence, restricting Pearce to just four points, and their opponents as a whole to twelve. A 12-2 spurt early in the quarter, including Mark Elderkin’s third and fourth “3”s of the game, put Durham 61-46 ahead, and, with Michael Davies contributing ten points (including a couple of “treys”) they had opened a 19 point advantage going into the final stanza.

The surge was not without a price, however, as, two minutes from the break, an accidental clash of knees with an opponent left Paul Elderkin prostrate on the floor, clutching his knee in agony, and he watched the remainder of the game from the bench, in considerable discomfort.

When Northumbria failed to make an impression on the margin early in the final quarter, the result became pretty much a formality, and with both teams giving extended court time to their bench players the game became scrappy.

There were two stand-out performances by Durham players in that final period, however, as Stephen Graham hit a trio of “treys”, while Anthony Trigg rattled in eight points, including a mammoth “dunk”, while taking his blocked-shot tally for the game to five.

The final 23 point victory, which extended Durham’s winning start to the season to a dozen matches, was well deserved, but coach Dave Elderkin observed “That’s the third time we’ve played them, and they’ve improved more than we have … and we still have to play them one more time, in the reverse league fixture.”.  

Wildcats’ Scorers: Scott Morton 22; Mark Elderkin 16; Michael Davis 15; Anthony Trigg 14; Paul Elderkin 10; Stephen Graham 9; Notis Chalkidis 5; Stephen Jones 2; Tolis Apostolidis.

Northumbria leading Scorers: Nils Steuber 20; Chris Pearce 19; Ian Berry 14.

W/e 22nd November 2009

Crusaders lead but lose on heartbreak shot

The Medway Park Crusaders looked like they were going to finally get their first league win as they led for most of their game against Birmingham A’s, but the A’s took the lead for the last five seconds when it mattered.

Crusaders came out aggressive at the start and built a 13 point lead in the first quarter. Defensively they put pressure on the A’s, forcing six turnovers and star player Brad Smith had 17 early points as he hit from inside and outside.

In the second quarter it looked like Medway were going to build on the lead, as they built the lead from 11 to 14 points over the first four minutes, but six offensive mistakes in three minutes led to easy A’s baskets and the lead had disappeared with two minutes left in the quarter. Crusaders managed to get back on track and kept Birmingham scoreless over the next two minutes to build a halftime lead of three points, 42-39.

After the break neither team was able to score much, as it became a defensive battle. After four minutes played, only 11 points had been scored between the teams, as Crusaders had built the lead to four, 48-44, as Harris and Smith scored for Crusaders.

For the rest of the quarter the teams exchanged infrequent baskets, as both sides protected the basket well and forced outside or hurried shots. Crusaders managed to build the lead to six on several occasions but always Birmingham came back and brought it down to a two-point-game. With 30 seconds left Brad Smith got the go-ahead basket after a Greg Currat steal to give the home team a 60-54 lead going into the final quarter.

In the fourth it was more of the same as the two teams defended well. Crusaders couldn’t build a commanding lead, and Birmingham couldn’t make it all the way back until veteran guard Robin Hall scored two long three pointers and a layup to give the visitors a lead.

Going into the last minute down two Crusaders managed to get a rebound and force the ball up the floor where Kalil Irving got the the ball to Brad Smith who scored his 37th point on a layup and his 38th on a the following free throw. Up one, 70-69, Crusaders defended well as Hesson missed a shot close to the basket.

With 24 seconds left Crusaders had the ball, but Hall tied the ball up and forced a jump ball, and with the arrow pointing the Birmingham way the visitors were awarded the ball. Steven Hansell drove to score but Irving fouled him. With seven seconds left A’s inbounded the ball and got it to Hansell who took two dribbles and made a tough shot over JP Dimandja to take the lead.

Crusaders got the ball up the court and found a wide open James Harris for a last second shot. The shot looked good all the way, but it rimmed out, and the visitors could collect the ball for the victory.

“Losing like that is heartbreaking”, said Crusaders coach Mads Olesen after the game. “We played the best we’ve played all year, and we just came up short. For the first time all year we played 40 minutes of defence. If we play defence like this we beat most of the teams we’ve lost to”.

 

Giants triumph over Birmingham University

Mansfield Giants got back to winning ways after last weeks disappointing showing against Birmingham A’s.  This week’s opponents Birmingham University had previously been beaten by Mansfield in the National Shield, and although they sat winless at the bottom of the table prior to this encounter, have improved significantly since the 2 clubs met in September.

The Giants made changes to the previous weeks starters and entered the contest with Tom Griffiths, Dan Richards, Dan Watts, Eric Milambo and Ben Coy taking the floor.  It was a moved that seemed to pay dividends with 4 of the starters finding their way to the basket to earn an early 15 – 9 lead after 5 minutes.  Recent signing Milambo then badly twisted his ankle and left the game and did not return for the remainder of the contest.  

It was a blow the Giants would take on the chin.  Ciesla, Kelly and Elland left the bench and continued the strong showing contributing 13 points between them in a 15-2 end to the quarter that extended the lead at the end of the first quarter to 26-11.

Point guard Tom Griffiths decided it was time he entered the scorebook and 6 quick points from him plus a fast break lay up from Coach Dan Richards extended Mansfields lead to 19 points at 34-15.

It would be the biggest lead of the game and the remainder of the half petered out into stalemate with the Giants always keeping Birmingham at arms length distance.  At the half time break Mansfield enjoyed a 15 point edge over their opponents with the score 42-27.

What a contrast it was defensively to seven days ago.  The defensive effort was visibly greater and there seemed to be much more emphasis on the team ethos which has won the team numerous encounters in the past.  

Whilst the half time team talk was filled with praise and encouragement there was still work to be done in this game.  Birmingham are Coached by former England Basketball Coach of the Year Pete Mintoft, and he ensures his teams battle to the very end regardless of the score.

The first 7 times down the floor at the beginning of the 3rd period all ended with Giants turnovers due to a combination of sloppy passing and questionable offensive foul calls.  It was a good job that the shackles were being firmly kept on at the defensive end otherwise Birmingham would have been right back into this game.  As it was when Ciesla finally got the second half scoring underway for the Giants with a fast break steal and lay up in the 4th minute of the second half, Mansfield still retained a 13 point lead.

Birmingham to their credit continued to battle back though, and even reduced the deficit to 7 points briefly.  As it was the lead was still 10 points at the end of 3rd quarter with the score at 58-48 despite the greater efforts of the University side.

The 15 point lead was quickly re-established at the start of the 4th quarter as once more strong effort on the defensive end meant that the Giants opponents were held scoreless for over 4 minutes.

It was a contest that with all reality Mansfield never looked like losing and numerous foul calls meant that a lot of the 4th quarter was played out at the free throw line.  When the final buzzer went Birmingham had made slight inroads to the score but honours were firmly with Mansfield and they took the game with a score of 74-63.

Make no doubt about it this was a vastly improved effort from the Giants.  Slight spells aside there was a renewed sense of team effort on both ends of the court.  People were making the extra pass on offence and had the Giants converted on some of their easier missed attempts the scoreline would have been far more punishing for Birmingham Uni.  

Leadings Giants scorers:  Ciesla 18, Kelly 11, Elland 10, Richards 9, Griffiths 8, Watts 8, Coy 6, Martin 2, Milambo 2

W/e 15th November 2009

OFF-KEY WILDCATS STILL PRESERVE WINNING RUN  

Their second meeting of the season with Birmingham University produced a Wildcats’ performance that was gritty rather than pretty, but which maintained their winning start to the season.

Seeming to have the game won, with a 21 point lead at half-time, Durham had to weather a determined Birmingham fightback in the second half, before extending their record to eleven matches without defeat, which keeps them at the top of the Division 2 table.

Durham Wildcats (28, 53, 66) 87  University of Birmingham (20, 32, 52) 70  

After a slow start, in which Birmingham took a brief 4-6 lead, the Wildcats settled into their accustomed defensive and offensive rhythm, with a 17-2 spurt, including a “3” apiece for Mark Elderkin and Stephen Jones, and a massive fast-break dunk by Paul Elderkin.

Leading 21-8 Durham seemed to have taken control of the match, but 8 points from Uche Umekwe, who began to find space under the basket, helped the visitors to stage a recovery that brought them back to within five. An Anthony Trigg “trey” on the buzzer gave the hoem side an eight point cushion at the first break, but they knew they had it all to do again.

This they duly did, as they dominated the second quarter, and a 15-3 surge, to which Notis Chalkidis contributed seven points, took them 47-25 ahead. Birmingham tried to respond in the closing minutes of the half, but a Paul Elderkin “3” took the Wildcats into the locker room with a 21 point advantage.

Within three minutes of the restart Durham enjoyed a 26 point advantage, 60-34, but the visitors’ aggressive defence was beginning to unsettle their hosts, and that proved to be the biggest lead of the game.

In the next seven minutes the Wildcats were restricted to just six more points, while Matthew Watson was the major contributor as Birmingham pulled back to trail by just fourteen at the final break.

Durham held their own during the opening of the final stanza, but Birmingham’s defence continued to rattle them, and, despite a brace of “3”s from Paul Elderkin, they had edged back to 78-67 going into the final three minutes.

It was Paul, again, who stopped the rot, as he hit a huge “trey”, which swished through the basket despite him being fouled … and he duly stepped to the free-throw line to sink the bonus shot. The four-point play put Durham ahead 82-67, and Paul iced the win with five of the last six points of the game, including his fifth “3” of the night.

It was a battling performance by the Wildcats, who found themselves under pressure for long periods of the game, but the spirit of this team is best summed up by Scott Morton, who had been being sick for most of the previous night, but was still suited up and ready to play by tip-off!

“All credit to Birmingham,” commented coach Dave Elderkin, “they were a much better team than the last time we played them, in the Patron’s Cup”.

“We played well for the first half, but after that the players let themselves be distracted by the number of fouls being called, and they lost focus.” .  

Wildcats’ Scorers: Paul Elderkin 33; Notis Chalkidis 13; Scott Morton 13; Stephen Jones 9; Mark Elderkin 8; Michael Davis 5; Anthony Trigg 4; Tolis Apostolidis 2; Sam Chambers.

Birmingham leading Scorers: Uche Umekwe 23; Matthew Watson 17; Andy Blakeway 16.

 

Crusaders still winless

The Medway Park Crusaders again came close but had to walk away losers in their Division 2 and National Cup double header this weekend. Both in Wrexham and in Reading the Kent side went down big in the first half then clawed their way back only to let it slip between their fingers at the end.Against the Glyndwr Nets Crusaders started the game well as they quickly build a 13-6 lead as Brad Smith scored 10 points. It didn’t last, however, as a combination of offensive mistakes, poor defensive transition and defensive breakdowns let the home side back in the game, and then let them build a big lead.

“We started out playing good defence and got some easy baskets,” said Crusaders head coach Mads Olesen, “but then we just got soft on defence again. The Nets moved the ball well, and we just weren’t able to keep up and we let them put a run on us. It obviously didn’t help that JP Dimandja injured his shoulder as he fell on it after a dunk, as he’s one of our best defenders”.

By quarter time the home side had build a 30-19 lead, and things only got worse at the start of the second quarter as Nets build the lead to 36-21. Down 15 Crusaders finally started to show some life as the defence started clicking and they managed to get the ball inside to Brad Smith on several occasions. With a minute go to in the quarter the lead was reduced to ten, 45-35, but as the Nets scored the last five points of the quarter Crusaders found themselves down 15 at half time.

In the second half the Crusaders’ man-to-man defence really started disrupting the Nets’ offensive flow while Smith and James Harris split 21 of Crusaders 23 points of the quarter between them, pulling the visitors within 6 points at quarter time, 64-58.

From the start of the final quarter it looked like Crusaders might get all the way back as Kalil Irving scored five points to get within three, 66-63, but over the next three minutes the Crusaders attack faltered.

“We’ve seen it a few times this year,” said Crusaders coach Mads Olesen. “We had a 28-16 run going from playing disciplined offence and defence, and then as we get back into the game we start making rushed decisions. Instead of executing like we had during the run we go back to bad decision making and give Nets some cheap points”.

After the slump Crusaders found themselves down eight, 75-64 with four minutes left, but they still had some fight left in them. Greg Currat hit a three pointer, followed by two missed foul shots by Nets’ Roberts. Sam Betts hit a layup, and again Nets missed two from the line, this time by Weedall. With two minutes left Irving drove to the hoop for Crusaders for two, and this time it was Flanagan missing two freebies for Nets. Damian Lyons was called for his fourth foul on the play, but unfortunately a James Harris foul had been entered for Lyons and the Crusaders starting point guard had to leave the game with a fifth foul.

“It is unfortunate that something like that happens,” said Olesen. “Obviously you’ll want your starting point guard to be making the decisions at the end of the game, but on this occasion we had to try and make do without him”.

Now within four, 74-71, Crusaders turned the ball over to give Nets’ Casenove two points. Crusaders answered back, though as Irving flew to the basket for a layup. On the play Crusaders captain Sam Betts went for the rebound, but on an unlucky play got pushed and injured his ankle, rendering him unable to finish the game.

Crusaders still didn’t quit and Harris got fouled and sank two foul shots with a minute left to pull Crusaders within 2, 77-75. On the ensuing possession Crusaders stole the ball but on the break threw the ball away leading to a Nets basket. Crusaders now charged up the court, but again they turned the ball over. A quick foul put Nets Herriman on the line, and as he made one of two shots the Crusaders chances for a win disappeared. The final score was 81-75.

Crusaders captain Sam Betts: “Once again we played well in flashes but we didn’t put 40 minutes of good basketball together. If we have another good week of practice I think we’ll be all right. I’ve got a feeling that we’ll be all right.”

W/e 8th November 2009

“PERFECT TEN” AS WILDCATS  GO TOP OF THE LEAGUE, AND INTO CUP QUARTER FINALS

Another double-header weekend saw Durham Wildcats make successful trips to two teams they had already visited, and beaten this season - Birmingham As and Team Northumbria.

The earlier victories had both come in the Patron’s Cup, as the Wildcats progressed to the semi-finals. This time two convincing wins took them to the top of the Division Two table, and into the Quarter Finals of the National Cup, as they stretched their unbeaten start to ten games.

EBL Division 2.

Birmingham As (14, 25, 36) 56  Durham Wildcats (26, 43, 63) 79

Birmingham were full of confidence, following their twenty-point demolition of Plymouth a fortnight ago, but it was Durham’s combination of intense defence and flowing offence that dominated the opening exchanges.

Paul Elderkin and Stephen Jones both hit “3” pointers in an 8-2 burst in the first couple of minutes. A further runs of eight unanswered points gave the visitors a commanding 4-16 lead after just four minutes, and another 8-2 spurt to close the quarter saw them go into the first break with a 12 point lead.

The opening exchanges of the second quarter were much closer, but the Wildcats’ defence continued to do its job, and they still led by eleven, 32-21, going into the last four minutes of the half. Then, with Anthony Trigg and Notis Chalkidis offering an alternative inside threat, to take the pressure off the shooters, ten points without reply gave Durham a 21 point advantage, and it was still eighteen when the teams headed for the locker room at the half.

An early seven point run by the hosts, to start the third quarter, gave Birmingham hope of a recovery, but the Wildcats simply turned the defensive screw to set up a 9-0 run of their own to wrest back control of the game.

Scott Morton and Paul Elderkin have already formed a near telepathic understanding, and that spurt included a Morton steal to set Paul up for a fast-break “dunk”, and on Birmingham’s next offence it was Paul himself who picked their pocket before racing coast-to-coast for another emphatic slam.

When Chalkidis blocked Birmingham’s last shot of the quarter, on the buzzer, the Wildcats enjoyed a 27 point cushion going into the final stanza, and coach Elderkin was afforded the luxury of resting both Paul Elderkin and Scott Morton for the final ten minutes, in preparation for the next day’s exertions.

Even so, Durham continued to pull away, with their lead peaking at 32 points, and they were still 75-44 ahead with four minutes remaining, before inevitably the concentration began to wane and the home side were able to reduce the final margin to 23.

All the Wildcats players scored points, and they had four players in double figures, while their defence had ensured that no Birmingham player reached double digits.

Paul Elderkin led all scorers, with 25 (in just three quarters), while Anthony Trigg made three blocks, and Scott Morton took half a dozen steals.

“We were wary of their scorers,” commented coach Dave Elderkin, “and had to ensure there were no defensive lapses. In the first half that defence did its job, and set us up for a good win.”.  

Wildcats’ Scorers: Paul Elderkin 25; Anthony Trigg 11; Stephen Jones 11; Notis Chalkidis 10; Michael Davis 8; Tolis Apostolidis 7; Scott Morton 6; Sam Chambers 1.

Birmingham leading Scorers: R Grumyls 9; Dennis Preware 8; Miles Hesson 8.

 

Giants get first ever Div 2 league victory

Mansfield Giants gained their first ever win in national league division 2 at their second attempt of asking, beating Medway Park Crusaders 88 – 80.

Injury and commitment to the under 18’s programme restricted the Giants to making the 3 ½ hour journey to Kent with only 7 fit players.  However in contrast to previous weeks, they got off to a fast start with leads of 8 – 2 and 14 – 6, on the back of 8 points from Michal Ciesla.

In the 5th minute Ciesla picked up his 2nd foul and had to go to the bench.  This seemed to spur the Crusaders on and 15 points in the quarter from James Harris and Tom Raymen ensured they kept in touch with Mansfield who took the quarter 25 – 21.

The downside for the Giants was that Ciesla picked up his 3rd foul of the game on a questionable charging foul with only seconds remaining in the quarter, which would see him take no further part in proceedings in the first half.

Each team traded baskets for the first few minutes of the second quarter and Canadian Brad Smith was starting to look dangerous for Kent contributing 9 points in the period.  

Despite this, a combined 13 Giants points in the quarter from Coach Dan Richards and forward Sheraz Hussain ensured that, despite momentarily losing the lead midway through the period, it would be the Mansfield who would go into the half time break with the lead, albeit by the slenderest of margins at 43 – 42.

Whilst the Giants had played reasonably well on the whole in the first half it was in the 3rd quarter that they broke the game wide open.  It was nip and tuck again for the first 5 minutes until a 16 - 3 run gave them their biggest lead of the game.  They played some brilliant basketball during this spell.  Their passing and movement was slick at one end and the defence was stifling at the other.  Dan Watts in particular stood out with 8 points in little over 1 minute to start the run.

It meant that the game had gone from 51 – 51 to 67 – 54 to the Giants at the end of the third quarter.

Ciesla picked up his 5th and final foul in the first minute of the final quarter, again on a charging foul, which left the Giants with only 6 fit players, and with Centre Ben Coy, who had manned the middle so admirably, on 4 fouls himself Mansfield were going to have to play conservatively and smartly to ensure victory.

They did just that.  No matter how hard Kent tried the Giants replied with baskets of their own.  There was no need for anything flashy.  Sensible controlled basketball was asked for by the coaching team and the players delivered.

Paul Kelly picked up 9 of his season high of 21 in the final period to steer the Giants to their first ever victory at this level.  Kent got as close as 5 with 21 seconds remaining but there was no way Mansfield were going to let this game slip.  Free throws from Tom Griffiths and Kelly iced the win for the Giants with the final score 88 – 80.

Scorers: Kelly 21, Watts 17, Richards 15, Hussain 12, Ciesla 10, Griffiths 8, Coy 5

 

Crusaders lose again

Medway Park Crusaders had to face another loss on Saturday night as they lost at home to the the Mansfield Giants, 88-80.

The game was close through the first 25 minutes. The visitors started the first quarter better as their star shooting guard Michal Ciesla had six early points as the visitors got up 14-6. Crusaders quickly pulled it back to 21-21 behind James Harris and Tom Raymen three pointers, as Ciesla had to sit down with two early fouls.

In the second quarter Crusaders repeatedly went inside against the Mansfield zone and Brad Smith had 10 points as the Mansfield players had trouble containing both him and the Crusaders shooters, led by James Harris. Defensively Crusaders didn’t put up much of a fight, however, and Giants could take a one point lead into the intermission, 43-42.

After the break the game looked like it was going to be close right up until the end as the teams kept trading baskets, but after six minutes, at the score 54-54, the Crusaders attack came to a grinding halt. A mix of bad decisions and shots that just wouldn’t fall left the home team scoreless for four minutes, while Mansfield continued their steady scoring and got up 67-54 at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter Crusaders were forced to play catch-up, but the Giant’s lead continuously hovered around 10 points until the last minute. Down 10, 78-68, Crusaders scored 12 points in the last minute, behind seven points from James Harris, and make it a five point game, but the Giants hit five of eight free throws to preserve the lead and take the victory, 88-80.

Crusaders head coach Mads Olesen was disappointed after the game: “We just play without urgency until the very end. If we play with that kind of intensity all game we win. In the end it we lost again, and have now lost six straight against division 2 opponents. We’ll have to face up to the fact that we will not be the top team we thought we’d be and take appropriate action.”

 

W/e 1st November 2009

WILDCATS GO EIGHT STRAIGHT WITH TOUGH WIN OVER MANSFIELD

Durham Wildcats came through a searching examination by Mansfield Giants, at Newton Aycliffe on Saturday evening, to preserve their unbeaten start to the season, and stay joint top of the early EBL Division 2 table.

Durham Wildcats (23, 34, 61) 86  Mansfield Giants (10, 31, 54) 75

Durham began brightly, with a 7-0 start, including a “3” from Scott Morton, and followed that with a 10-2 spurt (Morton adding another “trey”, and Mark Elderkin also connecting from distance) that put them 17-4 ahead.

Player/coach Dan Richards hit back with a “3”, only for the home side to score the next two baskets, and with all five starters having contributed points the Wildcats were good value for their 13 point lead at the first break.

The visitors increased their defensive intensity on the restart, and though Durham scored first, to lead 25-10, seven unanswered points by the Giants hauled them back into contention, and, with Michal Ciesla beginning to find space, Mansfield had pulled right back to 32-29 going into the final minute.

The home side held on to take a 3 point cushion into the locker room at the half, but their comfort zone had disappeared, with only Michael Davies (with 6 of the Wildcats’ 11 points in the quarter) making an impact at the offensive end.

The Wildcats continued to struggle against Mansfield’s physical pressure in the third quarter, as the visitors levelled the game at 39, but a Paul Elderkin “3” prevented the visitors from getting their noses in front.

With the Giants’ defence concentrating on keeping the Durham shooters from getting time and space, Wales international Anthony Trigg began to take advantage of the room that opened up under the basket. As his team-mates found him with fast and accurate passes Trigg racked up a steady flow of points, to keep the Wildcats ahead, despite eight points from Ciesla.

When the Wildcats scored the final five points of the third period they gave themselves a crucial seven point advantage to take into the final stanza.

Mansfield continued to threaten, with Ciesla hitting 13 of their next 16 points, but the Wildcats held on, with two “3”s from Morton and one by Tolis Apostolidis helping them to stay ahead, 77-70, approaching the final two minutes.

Maintaining their defensive pressure was paying dividends for Durham, but it was also resulting in a mounting foul count, but, despite having three players on four fouls, they kept their nerve, and their composure, down the stretch, to eke out an eleven point victory.

Scott Morton led the Wildcats’ scoring with 24 points (13 in the final quarter), with Anthony Trigg adding seventeen. Michal Ciesla led all scorers with 32.

“That was a tough game” commented coach Dave Elderkin. “We began well, playing good defence, which brought the usual dividends on offence, but we lost our way a little bit in the second quarter.

“We showed good character under pressure in the third quarter, and once again the bench players made a significant contribution. I was particularly pleased for Anthony Trigg; he always works hard and it’s good to see that bearing fruit.

“We’ll continue to draw lessons from each game, and work on cutting down on errors, but we’re pleased with the club’s best-ever start to a season, especially as we’ve just stepped up a division.”      

 

Giants lose season opener to Durham

Just 3 weeks after losing at Durham in the Patrons cup  the Giants returned north for their first match in National League Div 2.

The Giants welcomed back leading scorer Michal Ciesla from overseas, but were missing Mike Elland, who top scored in the last match, for personal reasons.

It was always going to be a tough task for Mansfield and they knew they had to play close to their best to win against a team who had won all 7 of their matches so far this season.  

They were not helped therefore when another sluggish start saw them trailing 14-2 after just 5 minutes.

Mansfield were not playing too poorly however and the turnovers which had littered the previous encounter between the teams seemed to have disappeared, but uncharacteristically they were missing lots of close range shots which enabled the Wildcats to take the early advantage.

The Giants game plan of denying the ball to Wildcats influential scorer Paul Elderkin was working and he only had 2 points in the first quarter, however his brother Mark chipped in with 7 personal and US import Scott Morton had 8 as the first quarter ended with the Giants trailing 23-10.

It was the Giants bench who entered the fray to provide the spark they were looking for.  They stopped the Wildcats from getting any easy opportunities and an 8-0 run starting in the 3rd minute of the quarter, keyed by a Paul Kelly 3, put them right back in the game trailing by just 7 points.  The confidence was returning to the Giants and Ciesla was starting to find his range with 9 points in the quarter.

By the time the half time buzzer went the Giants had trimmed the lead to 3 points at 34-31 and it was the Wildcats who were grateful of the chance to re-focus.

The 3rd quarter scoring went back and forth and the Giants actually tied the scores at 39 three minutes in.  That was until Paul Elderkin nailed a 3 pointer for his 5th and final point of the game, which spurred a 13-5 run for Durham to open up an 8 point gap.

Mansfield though, were doing a good job of attacking the basket and Durham were forced to sit Elderkin and Morton as they both picked up their 3rd fouls of the game.

This should have been the opportunity to really pressure Durham but instead their 6’9” Welsh international centre Anthony Trigg scored 13 points in the quarter as the Giants interior defence went to sleep and the Wildcats picked apart their zone marking apart with relative ease.

Still the game was closely in the balance with Mansfield trailing 59-54 going in the final period

However hard the Giants tried they just could not take the lead in the final quarter, despite Ciesla scoring 13 of his game high 32 in the period.  It was Morton whom the Giants had kept relatively quiet until the 4th quarter that was doing the damage for Durham scoring 13 points personal in the final quarter.  Mansfield did pull the game back to only 6 points with over 3 minutes remaining and whilst it looked as though they could go on to win a 3 pointer from Notis Chalkisdis was like a dagger to the heart and the Wildcats lead was back to 9.  

The game turned into a free throw contest with both teams going to the charity stripe numerous times in the final 2 minutes and overall it was a valiant effort from Mansfield. The final score could have been closer still but for 5 missed free throws in the final 60 seconds and the home team took the contest 86-75.

Durham certainly knew they had been in a scrap though and when the Giants have a full squad available they will be a match for anyone in this league.  

Scorers for Giants: Ciesla 32, Richards 16, Kelly 11, Watts 9, Coy 5, Hussain 2.

 

Crusaders lose at Storm

The Medway Park Crusaders hoped to reverse their recent fortunes against Edmonton Storm, but a nightmare first quarter and foul trouble late in the game handed the hosts an 84-74 victory.

Neither of the teams could get much going early in the game as the inside defence forced both teams to shoot from the outside and shots didn’t fall. After five minutes of play the score was tied at seven, but as Crusaders Canadian star Brad Smith headed to the bench with his second early foul the Edmonton offence got going. As the Crusaders outside shooting still faltered Edmonton started driving to the basket and drawing fouls on the way to a 14-0 run that brought them up 21-7 after the first quarter.

The second quarter started with James Harris finally hitting a three pointer for Crusaders and for the next five minutes Harris appeared to be unable to miss, hitting four three pointers. Unfortunately Crusaders still had to rely on outside shots as Brad Smith was called for a foul and subsequent technical foul, sitting him on the bench with four personal fouls.

Edmonton used the opportunity to extend their lead from 30-20 to 36-20, before the JP Dimandja and Jeff Wadey got Crusaders back on the scoreboard. The Crusaders shooters hit another four three pointers before halftime, taking their quarter score to 30 points, but as they still weren’t able to stop the Storm scoring, the huge scoring total didn’t make a difference and the Medway team still found themselves down 14, 51-57.

The second half was very different than the first, as Crusaders defence finally kicked in. Over the first 16 minutes of the third and fourth quarter the Storm was held to only 13 points, as the Crusaders aggressive man-to-man defence greatly limited their looks at the basket.

Offensively Crusaders struggled a bit early, but as they chanced bringing Brad Smith back in despite his four fouls, offence started clicking, as the guards kept finding him on the inside he had 12 points in five minutes, pulling Crusaders within two points, 61-59.

Disaster then hit, as Smith got his fifth and final foul, shortly followed by the fifth foul to Crusaders’ only other big man JP Dimandja. For a couple of minutes Crusaders looked like they might still pull it off, and they evened the game at 64 apiece as Irving and Lyons hit layups. The inside defence struggled without the big men, however, and Storm slowly build a lead. With two minutes to go Crusaders were still within three points, 72-69, but Storm star Tayo Odulaja promptly hit a three pointer to extend the lead to six, and over the last two minutes Storm slowly pulled away for the 84-74 victory.

After the game Crusaders head coach Mads Olesen was at a loss for words: “We just don’t seem to be able to string 40 minutes of good basketball together. We are very good when we’re good, and very bad when we’re bad. We need to raise out level of play to add some consistency”.

 

W/e 25th October 2009

WILDCATS OPEN LEAGUE CAMPAIGN WITH A WIN

Durham Wildcats continued their best-ever start to a season as they clocked up an away victory in their first league match of the campaign.

Medway Park Crusaders (26, 45, 60) 74  Durham Wildcats (20, 48, 62) 81

After travelling the length of the country, and missing Stephen Jones, who had examination commitments, the Wildcats made a slow start on their visit to Kent. Facing a well organised team, with two seasons experience of playing in Division Two, the game remained nip and tuck throughout, and was only decided in the closing minutes.

The Wildcats did score the first basket, with a put-back by Michael Davies, but big Brad Smith split the Durham defence to level the scores. The Crusaders continued to trouble the Wildcats’ usually dependable defence, while denying their visitors room at the other end, and only sterling work on the boards by Davies kept Durham in touch, as four offensive rebounds helped him to their first five points of the game.

With Smith continuing to treat the Durham defence as a minor inconvenience, and James Harris finding his shooting range, Medway Park moved 18-11 ahead. Mark Elderkin finally connected with a 3-pointer, to cut the deficit, only for Smith to show that he has more than just an inside game, as he replied in kind.

A “trey” from Tolis Apostolides cut the margin to four again, but two from the line by Smith and a Harris “3” gave the Crusaders their biggest lead of the game, at 26-17, before Paul Elderkin beat the buzzer from beyond the arc to cut the gap at the break to six.

Paul narrowed the margin further on the restart, with an emphatic fast-break dunk, but the home side responded with five unanswered points, including a third “trey” of the game by Harris. With the Wildcats having already committed four team fouls in the first 1¼ minutes, Medway Park were threatening to break the game open.

However, another “trey” from Paul began a run that changed the complexion of the game. Back on defence Paul then took a steal on defence, and set off on a fast break which was halted as Smith pulled him back. Two shots and possession resulted from the “unsportsmanlike” foul, and Paul converted both free throws and hit a jump shot to rub salt into the wound.

Kalil Irving did hit 1 of 2 from the stripe, to briefly interrupt the surge, but Durham continued to dominate, with a dunk by Anthony Trigg, a fast break by Scott Morton, a Mark Elderkin “3” and another Morton fast break. The 1-16 spurt took them from 31-22 down to 32-38 ahead, as their defence did its job and the offence flowed as a result.

The home side steadied, however, to edge back, and two “3”s in the closing minute from their captain Sam Betts helped them to cut the lead further, and the Wildcats took a narrow 3 point advantage into the locker room at the half.

It was the Crusaders who again dominated on the restart, with an 8-0 run that put them back ahead, 53-48, and four minutes had elapsed before Scott Morton gave Durham their first points, with two from the line.

The momentum swung one way and then the other, and the final four points of the quarter, from Mark Elderkin, restored a narrow advantage for the Wildcats, 60-62, at the final break.

Trigg opened the final stanza with another dunk, and after Crusaders’ captain Sam Betts replied with 1 of 2 from the stripe, Tolis Apostolides took a steal in mid court and was halted by an “unsportsmanlike” foul by Betts. Tolis converted 1 of 2 from the stripe, as did Trigg when he, too, was fouled, but neither side could stamp their authority on the game, as missed shots from the line cost valuable points both ways.

The game was still wide open with five minutes to play, as a Betts “3” nosed the Crusaders ahead again, 69-68.

This was the signal for the Wildcats to raise their defensive intensity again, and when Brad Smith fouled out (on a game-high 28 points) with 4½ minutes to play, Medway Park lost one of their most potent offensive threats.

Four unanswered points (all from the line) put Durham back in front, approaching the final minute, and when Mike Davies scored off a pinpoint pass from Scott Morton it opened a four point advantage that left the Crusaders needing to foul to prevent the Wildcats from running down the clock.

Three of six from the line, and another basket, down the stretch, was enough for the visitors to get the job done, as Damian Lyons and Kalil Irving also fouled out for the home side.

It was hardly a vintage performance as the Wildcats stretched their unbeaten start to the season to seven games in all competitions, but as coach Dave Elderkin confided to his opposite number Mads Olesen, “That’s the hardest we’ve been played this season.”

“We’ll spend the whole week on shooting practice” commented Elderkin, reflecting on his team’s accuracy and shot selection. “It was our improved defence in the closing stages saw us through, and the bench players did a great job of keeping us in contention throughout.”

Paul Elderkin, with 22 points, led the scorers for the Wildcats, who had five players in double figures, and seven with points, compared with just five scorers for Medway Park, four of whom had double figures.

Mike Davies recorded a “double-double” of 13 points and 15 rebounds, with seven of the latter coming in the first quarter.  

Wildcats’ Scorers: Paul Elderkin 22; Mark Elderkin 15; Michael Davis 13; Scott Morton 12; Anthony Trigg 10; Tolis Apostolidis 7; Notis Chalkidis 2; Rafa Vilar-Franca.

Crusaders’ leading Scorers: Brad Smith 28; Sam Betts 15; Kalil Irving 15.

Crusaders lose narrowly in league opener

The Medway Park Crusaders hoped to upset pre-season league favourites Durham Wildcats in the Division 2 opener but had to concede a narrow seven point defeat, 81-74, in a game that was decided in the last minute.

In the Patrons Cup the Wildcats had run over the other North pool teams, winning by an average margin of 30 points, with the closest game being a 19 point beating of Birmingham A’s in the season premiere. In the National Cup Durham also were impressive. In the opening round they beat local rivals Huddersfield Heat 93-57 and on Sunday they beat Division 1 side Leeds Carnegie 77-68 after running out to a 19-8 first quarter lead.

“I really find little solace in the fact that we’re the team that’s played Durham the closest this year”, said Crusaders head coach Mads Olesen after the game. “I’m just gutted right now. We had every chance to win the game against a very good team and then we let it slip through our fingers the last couple of minutes”.

Crusaders started the game well as Durham struggled to find space in the Crusaders’ zone defence and settled for long range shots. A few of the shots were turned into Crusaders fast breaks as Brad Smith ran the floor well, and Kalil Irving walked through the Durham defence on several occasions. Smith was the focal point of the Crusaders offence as he poured in 14 points in the first quarter, and that opened op the outside for James Harris who hit a couple of three pointers.

The good times lasted three minutes into the second quarter when a James Harris three pointer gave the Crusaders a 31-22 lead, but then the Crusaders’ offensive machine came to a halt and Wildcat star Paul Elderkin took over with a seven point spurt of his own in only two possessions. First Elderkin hit a contested three pointer, then Crusaders gave up an unsportsmanlike foul to stop a fast break after an turnover on the next offence. The unsportsmanlike foul cost two made foul shots by Elderkin and gave the Wildcats the ball back at mid court without Crusaders having posession. On the ensuing offence Elderkin scored a baseline jumper to give him his seventh point in less than 20 seconds.

Kalil Irving hit one of two free throws to pause the Wildcats onslaught, but the Cats responded by scoring the next nine points and Crusaders were suddenly in a 38-32 hole. Crusaders didn’t lie down, though, and over the next three minutes they slowly fought their way back, capped off by two Sam Betts three pointers and a Brad Smith layup to get within three points at the half, 48-45.

Over the first four minutes of the second half the Crusaders defence kept the visitors scoreless, and though Crusaders didn’t play great offence they still managed to put eight points on the board and take a five point lead.

From then on and until the last minute it was a defensive battle with both teams struggling to score from the floor, and most of the points coming from the foul line. The Wildcats got back within three points by making two foul shots and from then on the lead for either team only once got to above three points, as the Cats got ahead 66-61 early in the third quarter. Crusaders promptly answered with an eight to two run and took the lead back.

With four minutes left in the game Crusaders star center Brad Smith fouled out, and without his presence on the court Crusaders’ offences failed to be consistently dangerous, and the Wildcats slowly ran up a small lead. With 90 seconds left the score was 74-72, Wildcats, and Crusaders were still within striking distance. A couple of missed Crusaders shots and two turnovers down the stretch let the Wildcats close the game though, and Crusaders saw a golden chance of beating the favourites slip away.

Crusaders captain Sam Betts was disappointed after the game but was hopeful for the future: “It was a tough loss against a very good basketball team. We have to remain positive as we still have lots of room for improvement and work everyday on what we need to do to make ourselves better. If we can do that, based on Saturday’s performance, we will be pushing for the top spots this year.”