Chasers grind out a win despite being below their best...
Blackhawk Chasers
v Sunbury Sonics 65 - 55
Wessex Div 3 - 24th
February 2008
It's a sporting cliché that a
quality team will still win even when not playing at their
best. Blackhawk Chasers must therefore be in that category
based on this performance.
Sunbury have lost only 2
games this season, in the home corresponding game to Chasers
and to League leaders Aztec Cobras, and so are certainly not
an easy side to beat. Although they only came with 6
players, they were all good enough to give the Chasers a
real test of character.
Chasers were slow to start
and looked nervous in the early stages, with neither side
scoring until the 2nd minute when Blackhawks Player/Coach
Ben LeTourneau sank a three pointer to break the ice. Sonics
bounced back and opened up a 5 point lead before Chasers
rallied to even the score at 10-11 at the end of the first
period.
In the second quarter Chasers
still failed to find their usual rhythm and it was obvious
that several key players were just having an unusually off
day. Sonics for their part put up a strong, well organised
defence and were proving very difficult for any Blackhawk
strategies to break down. A low scoring first half ended
with Chasers just in front 28-25.
At a loss to know what was
wrong with his players, Coach LeTourneau must have said
something right at half-time, as they stormed in to the
third quarter, with their fast break working superbly. It
became the Sam Cane and Ryan Halliday show for the
Blackhawks, as both players scored 9 points a piece to win
the period 18-11 for Woking and give them a 10 point lead
going into the final period.
The fast break also worked
well at the start of the 4th quarter as Blackhawks scored 10
points without reply to open up a 20 point gap within 4
minutes. However, Woking were now in team foul trouble and
this gave the Sonics the upper hand for the rest of the
quarter. Luckily for the Chasers, Sonics only scored 9 out
of 19 free-throws.
A great three-pointer from
Sam Cane right on the buzzer made the final score look a bit
more comfortable than it felt. A well contested game played
in a good spirit by both teams throughout.
Both teams are still in the
running for the League title, but unlike Sonics, Chasers
must rely on other teams losing. With just 2 games left,
both at home, they must win these and then wait to see how
the other results come out.
Q1:10-11, Q2:18-14, Q3:18-11,
Q4:19-19
MVP and Top Scorer: Ryan
Halliday (27.3 MVP points)
with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 6 steals. Also
in the MVP Honours was Sam Cane(25.0 MVP). He had a
great game, scoring 15 points (100% accuracy!)
Next game
is on Sunday 2nd March at Woking Leisure Centre tip-off at
4.15pm against Woodley Harriers. Bring your Mother down for
a treat and cheer them on!
Blackhawks: Msipha, Parker(4), LeTourneau(15), Farmer, Dean,
Collier(6), Halliday(17), Cane(15), Blair(6), Saunders(2)
Chasers still in title race thanks to strong win against
Harriers...
Woodley Harriers v Blackhawk Chasers
59 - 86
Wessex Div 3 - 17th
February 2008
With the League title still
up for grabs in Wessex Div 3, second place Blackhawk Chasers
need to win all of their remaining 4 matches to keep the
pressure on the other top teams. Missing some key players
for this match Coach Ben LeTourneau called on his remaining
bench players to step up their game against the unknown
quantity of Woodley Harriers. Harriers had beaten title
rivals Whitley Wizards in their last excursion so it was not
going to be easy.
The Woking team responded
magnificently to the challenge and all 8 players that
travelled to Woodley demonstrated the energy, hustle and
skill that are now becoming the hallmarks of the Chasers
game. Apart from taking their foot of the gas in the last
period they dominated the game throughout and Woodley were
never serious contenders.
The game started well for the
Chasers, with Ben Woods and Andy Farmer in fine form to put
6 points on the board with no reply from Woodley. Woodley's
main threat (Gaz Bevan) sparked a small revival for the
Harriers, but three-pointers from Farmer and LeTourneau soon
squashed those thoughts and with Ryan Halliday adding 4 more
points for the Chasers they won the first period 25-15.
Halliday started the second
period as he finished the first and scored 3 baskets on the
trot to further extend the Blackhawks lead and went on to
score a total of 10 points in the quarter to give his team a
comfortable 15 point lead at half time ( 41-26).
The Woking side started the
second half at a storming pace that Woodley just could not
cope with, scoring 14 points without reply. This extended
the lead to 29 points and put the game firmly beyond the
Harriers reach. Chasers won the quarter 29-11, with 13
coming from top-scorer Ben Woods, to make the overall score
70 - 37.
Any thoughts the Chasers had
of hitting the magical century quickly diminished in the
last period as they let Harriers dominate the early play and
couldn't find the basket themselves. Coach LeTourneau put
things right at a time-out, and Farmer, Dan Dean and Lloyd
Msipha pulled it back, but not enough to stop Woodley
winning the quarter 16-22.
Overall this was a gutsy,
determined performance by the Chasers and a good strong win
to maintain their title challenge. With all of their last 3
games at home at Woking Leisure Centre they have a great
chance of pulling off at least second place.
Q1:25-15, Q2:16-11, Q3:29-11,
Q4:16-22
MVP and Top Scorer: Ben Woods (50 MVP points)
with 19 points(64% accuracy), 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Also
in the MVP Honours were Andy Farmer (41.2 MVP) from
14 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Ryan
Halliday (30.5 MVP) from 18 points (67% accuracy)
Get down
to Woking Leisure Centre on Sunday 24th Feb at 4.15pm to
cheer them on in their next game against Sunbury Sonics.
Blackhawks: Msipha
(4), Parker, LeTourneau(16), Farmer(14), Dean(9),
Collier(6), Halliday(18),Woods(19)
Chasers cast their own style of magic over Wizards...
Whitley Wizards v Blackhawk Chasers
69 - 78
Wessex Div 3 - 4th
February 2008
This game was always going to
be a tough battle between two teams at the top of Wessex Div
3. Chasers needed a win to keep their hopes of a place in the
top 3 alive and they had lost to Wizards by just 3 points in
the home fixture.
Chasers took an early lead
through a field goal from Captain Andy Farmer and a
3-pointer from Player/Coach Ben LeTourneau. The Wizards
tight, hustling defence (probably one of the best in the
League) then kicked into gear and they went on a 4 minute
spree of cancelling out the Chasers completely and scoring
14 points themselves. Things looked bleak for the Chasers at
this stage as they were now on the back foot and 9 points
down. A timeout gave the opportunity for Coach LeTourneau to
put things right, and the remainder of the 1st quarter saw
the Blackhawks up their game considerably to narrow the gap
to just 5 points at the end of the period.
Blackhawks continued this
momentum into the 2nd period and quickly pulled back the
deficit through baskets from Matt Blair and Sam Cane.
Wizards were by no means going to give up easily and the
rest of the period was a tight contest. Ben Woods finished
the quarter strongly for the Chasers with 3 baskets and at
half time the score was 33-34 to Whitley. This game could go
either way in the second half.
The 3rd period continued the
theme of a fast, tough contest between 2 sides with great
determination to win, but neither could get far enough in
front to make it tell. 5 minutes in, a tactical change by
Blackhawks to smother the Wizards fast break and launch
their own worked supremely with Blair and LeTourneau getting
on the end to put points away. Chasers had a great 2 minute
spell and opened up an 8 point lead before Wizards knew what
hit them.
With their noses in front,
the Chasers incredibly managed to increase their work-rate
and hustle, and as Wizards started to fade, the superior
fitness of the Blackhawks took over.
Despite Wizards pulling the
gap back to 2 points at one point during the last period,
Chasers were not going to let this game slip and a gutsy
last few minutes saw them open up the biggest lead of the
game to round off a great overall team performance.
Coach LeTourneau said of his
team "It was a great game, a little messy, but the shear
hustle from our side was great, we got them confused as we
took their fast break away and everybody on the bench played
their part in this important win"
Team Manager Keith Farmer was
so impressed with the performance he let all players off
their match fees and paid them himself!
Q1:16-19, Q2:17-15, Q3:25-20,
Q4:20-15
MVP: The tireless
Matt Blair with a massive 55.5 MVP points. He was also top scorer with
24 points from
a 67% Field goal accuracy and 100% accuracy at the free-throw
line. For good measure he also pulled down 14 rebounds, got
5 assists and 4 steals!!
Ben Woods also had a great
game with 38.5 MVP points. He pulled down 15 rebounds, got 3
blocks and scored 10 points.
Blackhawks: Blair(24),
Saunders(2), Collier, Cane(12), Farmer(11), Dean(3), Mispha,
Halliday(7), LeTourneau(9), Woods(10),
Bad
night at the Academy...
LT United v Blackhawk Chasers 71 - 54
Wessex Div 3 - 14th
January 2008
The Blackhawk Chasers went
into this game without some key big men due to injuries, but
were still hopeful of a win to boost their title chase. It
was clear from the start that it was not going to be easy
and they did well to keep up with LT United who had the
height advantage on the boards and a great 3-point shooter
in their favour. At half time Chasers were still in touch
with just a 3 point gap at 29-32.
LT increased their lead in
the third period thanks to their 3-point shooters and with
Chasers failing to find the basket themselves, the damage
was done. LT went into the last period with a 16 point lead.
Coach Ben LeTourneau
did not have enough options in his armoury to bring about
the step change his side needed, and despite a gutsy 4th
quarter that was only lost 20-21, the damage done in the 3rd
quarter was enough to give the victory to LT United: 54-71.
Stats analysis shows that LT
United scored 21 of their 71 points from 3-pointers, where
in response Blackhawks only made 2 out of 19 attempts, and
with their field goal accuracy also lower than normal this
was a telling factor.
Q1:16-17, Q2:13-15, Q3:5-18,
Q4:20-21
MVP: Matt Blair with
28.0 MVP points. He was also top scorer with 13 points from
a 50% Field goal accuracy and 71% accuracy at the free-throw
line.
Blackhawks: Blair(13),
Saunders, Cane(2), Farmer(7), Dean(9), Mispha(3),
Halliday(8), LeTourneau(6), Woods(6)
Chasers take it the Edge... and beyond!
Blackhawk Chasers v Chiltern Edge 122 - 25
Thanks to the Dean
family for videoing the game - click Chasers above to see
the highlights of this awesome display!
Wessex Div 3 - 6th
January 2008
Current league form and the
fact that Chasers had won away at Chiltern by 48 points,
indicated that they should win this fixture comfortably. The
only question was by how many, and Coach Ben LeTourneau
called for a big points win to boost his teams league title
hopes.
Well he couldn't
have asked for much more, as Blackhawks totally dominated
this game and won by a very impressive 97 point margin!
Playing for the first time at
Woking Leisure Centre, the Chasers supporters turned up
expecting to see a mass of baskets, but oddly it was Edge
who took the lead with 3 points early on. Not until the 3rd
min of Q1 did the Chasers decide it was time to take over.
Captain Andy Farmer and MVP Matt Blair started the onslaught
that saw them score 26 points without reply, to win the
first period 26-5.
More
of the same in Q2 as Ryan Halliday and Josh Randall
joined in the scoring spree. Edge scored just 1 point in the
quarter to see Chasers winning 53 - 6 at half time.
You have to give credit to
the young Chiltern players as they never gave up trying even
though the game was effectively lost, and they had their
best spell in Q3 to keep the period score down to 21-8.
Going into the last period,
Blackhawks were 74-14 ahead and were determined to record a
century at least. Their superior fitness was really starting
to tell now and they stormed the Edge basket time after time
to reach 97 points by the sixth minute. A fast-break by Matt
Blair saw him fouled in the act of scoring, so now Chasers
had 99 points as Blair stepped up to the free-throw line for
1. Whoosh! - straight in to a big cheer from the crowd.
On they drove to notch up a
massive 48 points in the quarter and a final score of 122 -
25.
Q1: 26-5, Q2:27-1,
Q3:21-8, Q4:48-11
MVP was Matt Blair with a fantastic 65.5 MVP from
37 points (78%), 11 rebounds and 6 steals.
Also in the MVP honours:
Ryan Halliday(55
MVP) from 26 points(67%) and 15 rebounds.
Andy Farmer(45 MVP)
from 20 points(50%) and 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.
Josh Randall(37.0
MVP) from 11 points(45%) and 13 rebounds
Andre Collier(26.5 MVP)
from 6 points(60%), 6 rebounds and 5 assists
2 Club records also fell
to the Chasers as a team in this match:
Highest MVP total: 291.2
Highest Rebounds: 66
Blackhawks: Blair(37),
Saunders(2), Cane(10), Parker(4), Farmer(20), Dean(4),
Mispha, Halliday(26), Randall(11), Woods(4), Collier(6)
Chasers sweet revenge over League leaders Cobras ...
Aztec Cobras v
Blackhawk Chasers 60 - 68
Thanks to the Dean
family for videoing the game - click Chasers above to see
the highlights of this awesome display!
Wessex Div 3 - 18th
December 07
Having lost by just 2
point to Cobras at home, the Chasers were determined to get
revenge in this game. They also knew that they need to win
against the current league leaders in order to remain title
contenders themselves. So the scene was set for a tight
competitive game - and so it was!
Cobras were the first to score, but once Chasers took the
lead mid-way through the first quarter they were never to
lose it again. The Cobras were biting at their heels
throughout and even drew level late in the 4th period,
before foul trouble saw the Blackhawks sink the resulting
free-throws to put the game beyond reach.
This was not the usual Chasers display of fast flowing
basketball, but a gritty performance as they ground out a
result despite not being at their best. An important and
satisfying win that nicely sets up the games in the New
Year.
Chasers next match is on Sunday 6th January against Chiltern
Edge at Woking Leisure Centre.
Q1: 18-17, Q2:16-7, Q3:16-25, Q4:18-11
MVP was Matt Blair with 36.5 MVP points.
Blackhawks: Blair(13), Saunders, Cane(8), Parker,
Farmer(3), Randall, LeTourneau(17), Long(17), Woods(5),
Collier(5)
Chasers get their revenge...
Blackhawk Chasers v
Aztec Experience 77 - 43
Wessex Div 3 - 9th
December 07
Thanks to the Dean
family for videoing the game - click Chasers above to see
the highlights of this awesome display!
Having lost by just one point to Aztecs earlier
in the season, as a result of a scoring error, Chasers were
determined to make up for it in this match. Well they
certainly did that!
They put in their best
performance of the season to run out easy winners with an
awesome display of controlled basketball. The whole team
played exceptionally well and proved that they now have
strength in depth right across the bench.
Not the normal
high-paced start from the Chasers as they took stock of
their vastly experienced opposition. Measured, deliberate
plays were the order of the 1st quarter and they resulted in
a 16-4 lead at the end of the period.
A different 5 off the
bench for Chasers continued the momentum in Q2 and they won
the quarter comfortably 27-17, to establish a 22 point lead
at half-time.
Q3 was tight, and the
Chasers did enough to keep their grip on the game and go
into the last period a comfortable 24 points ahead. Coach
Ben LeTourneau was able to "pick & mix" off the bench in the
4th quarter and give all the players plenty of court-time.
Whoever he put on court did the job superbly.
Winning the game by 34
points against the 4th placed side in the league (Chasers
are 3rd) sets up the second half of the season nicely. Next
game is against League-leaders Aztec Cobras and the result
of that will decide how far the Chasers have progressed this
year, and maybe the title.
MVP was
the outstanding Matt Blair who amassed 51.0 MVP
points. He was top scorer with 23 points, pulled down 11
rebounds and grabbed 5 steals. Dan Dean also had a great
game with 27.5 MVP points, closely followed by Ryan Halliday
with 26.0.
Statistically the
overall team MVP score was 184.2 - the best of the season so
far.
Blackhawks: Blair(23),
Saunders(5), Hearn, Dean(13),
LeTourneau(8) Cane(4), Farmer(8), Randall(3), Msipha(2),
Halliday(11)
Chasers do the double over Venom...
Farnham Venom v
Blackhawk Chasers 70 - 84
Wessex Div 3 - 1st
December 07
Missing
most of their regular players due to Saturday work, it was a
make-shift Chasers side that took the court at Lightwater
against the experienced and physical Venom. It was obvious
even before the game started that the venom's main threat
was going to be Richard "Stretch" Kinchington, and that the
young Hawks were going to have to rely on their pace and
fitness to win this game.
The first quarter was
a tight one and dominated by Stretch, in all ways, as he won
everything around the boards and scored 8 of his teams 13
points. Blackhawks stuck to their game plan and points from
Hearn, LeTourneau, Long and Blair kept them in touch at
11-13.
A fresh five started
the 2nd period for the Chasers, and they battled
continuously to take the lead and stifle the Venom's attack.
7 Points from Woods, 4 from Allum, 2 from Paice and 2 from
Blair opened up an 8 point lead at one stage, before the
Venom Captain ( Church ) hit 5 without reply to bring his
team back into contention at the break with the score at
26-23 to the Woking side.
Stretch Kinchington
started the second half for the Venom and renewed his aerial
attack right from the start, and 10 points from him gave his
side the lead by 2 early by the 4th minute of the period. A
timeout gave Chasers Coach LeTourneau chance to shuffle his
team - and the change worked. The Woking side dominated the
rest of the quarter and wrestled back the lead to be a
comfortable-looking 9 points ahead going into the final
period at 55-46.
Kinchington and
Lumley rattled the Blackhawks early in the 4th and by the
5th minute had closed the gap to just 4 points. Points were
missing off the Blackhawks score at this stage and
LeTourneau called a crucial time-out to alert the referees
and steady his team. Both were corrected!
Both sides were in
foul trouble now, Blair and LeTourneau were lost for the
Chasers, and crucially Kinchington for the Venom. A storming
finish by Paice, Allum and Woods sealed it for the Chasers
as they claimed the double over Farnham with a 14 point win
84 - 70.
Plently of players
were in the MVP honours for the Chasers, proving what an all
round team performance this was, but overall MVP was
Ben Woods (31.5 MVP) who battled magnificently
against the height of Venom, as well as scoring 15 points of
his own and winning 7 rebounds. Close behind was Josh Hearn
(30.5 MVP) battling to win 11 rebounds.
Also in the honours:
Mark Allum(26.0 MVP), Matt Blair(25.0 MVP), Francis
Long(21.0)
Top Scorer was Player
Coach Ben LeTourneau with 16 points.
Blackhawks: Blair(11),
Long(9), Hearn(9), Dean(2),
LeTourneau(16) Paice(10), Allum(10), Woods(15), Msipha(2)
Chasers stroll to victory over Amigos...
Woodley Amigos v
Blackhawk Chasers 51 - 78
Wessex Div 3 - 11th
November 07
Although
missing some regular players, the young Chasers were still
far too strong for the Amigos. The slow pace of this game
was a lot different from the recent all-action encounters
for the Chasers and it took them a while to adjust.
Eight minutes into
the first quarter saw the Chasers 2 points behind at 15-17
due mainly to ineffective defence and letting Amigos dictate
the pace. Then it started to click for the young Blackhawks
and they scored 7 points without reply in the last 2 minutes
of the period to come off court 5 points ahead.
The first 4 minutes
of qtr 2 saw Matt Blair and Francis Long adding another 8
points between them without reply to give the Chasers a 13
point lead. Amigos had now not scored any points in a
full 6 minutes of play and seemed to realise this was not
going to be there game. Blackhawks won the qtr 14 -7, to be
ahead 12 points at half-time with the score at 36-24.
Coach Ben LeTourneau
took the opportunity in Q3 to give all the bench some court
time, and such was their superiority at this stage, that the
won the period 21-8.
Going into the final
period with a 25 point lead would have had the Chasers fans
worried based on previous performances, but not today. They
played controlled, possession basketball, restricting Amigos
to long range shots. Woodley had their best period thanks to
some great 3-pointers, but Blackhawks continued to keep
themselves ahead to win the qtr 21-19, and the game overall
by 27 points, 78 - 51.
Coach LeTourneau was
justifiably proud of his young teams performance, they are
starting to show the maturity required at this level. They
now look forward to meeting the other Woodley team in div3 (
Harriers) at Home next Sunday at Winston Churchill
MVP was
Francis Long with a fantastic 42.0 MVP points. He scored 21 points
(90% accuracy!) and took 7 steals. Also in the
Honours, and not far behind Francis, was Josh Randall with a
great 38.0 MVP points (12 point scored and 14 rebounds).
Matt Blair 27.0 MVP (12 points scored @ 60% accuracy). Dan
Dean is growing in confidence and had his best performance
of the season with 22.7 MVP points ( 9 points scored and 10
rebounds)
Blackhawks: Blair(12),
Long(12), Farmer(5), Hearn(6), Dean(9), Randall(12), Parker(4),
LeTourneau(5)
Agony again as Chasers fall to Wizards...
Blackhawk Chasers v
Whitley Wizards 49 - 52
(4th Nov 2007)
This was Chasers
fourth and biggest defeat of the season. That they only lost
by 3 points tells the agonising story that is the
Chasers season so far. This was another great performance,
with the young Blackhawks men improving with every game, but
still not able to consolidate and close a game out when it
is there for the taking.
This was another
tense, exciting game to watch, with some great fast,
aggressive basketball being played by both sides in a battle
that never let-up on the pace from start to finish.
Wizards were very
late arriving, and Blackhawks could have claimed the game,
but decided to play the match. Running clock was used for
the whole of the first half to catch up the time.
Despite having no
time for warm-up it was the Wizards who started the
stronger. Chasers looked stunned at the pace and lively
full-on play of the Wizards and did well to keep in touch in
the first qtr with all of their 6 points coming from the
impressive Josh Hearn. The period ending 10-6 to Whitley.
Head Coach Rakitzis
(standing in for birthday boy Ben LeTourneau) sorted things
out in the break and Chasers started the 2nd qtr in their
normal style. It was Wizards turn to be stunned as the
Chasers won the period 12 - 6, with the points coming from
Andy Farmer and Josh Hearn (again).
Half-time saw
Blackhawks ahead by 2 points at 18 - 16.
Whitley quickly
closed the gap at the start of Q3, before Matt Blair and
Josh Hearn started finding the basket to restore a 4 point
lead for the Chasers by the 6th minute of the period. Ryan
Halliday then joined the action, and great shooting from the
free-throw line saw him open up a 7 point lead for Chasers
during their best part of the game. The qtr ended with
Chasers 5 points up at 35-30.
Going into the last
qtr with any sort of lead seems to spell disaster for the
Chasers. They went straight into foul trouble and were on
team fouls inside 3 mins. Shortly after that a three-fold
disaster struck the Blackhawks. They lost Josh Randall and
Chris Tsingas on 5 fouls, and Captain Andy Farmer sustained
a serious ankle injury that saw him sit out the rest of the
game.
The Chasers bench is
strong these days and with 2 mins to go, they still had a
narrow 3 point lead thanks to Hearn, Halliday and Blair. At
this point, to the obvious and understandable frustration of
their Coach and supporters, they completely lost their
heads, and a stream of unforced turnovers and fouls allowed
the Wizards to grab the lead and hold it to the final
whistle.
More lessons learned
by the young Blackhawks, but they need to start winning this
type of game if they are to be serious contenders for the
Div3 title this season. They are now on 3 wins and 4 losses
and look forward to their next game away to Woodley Amigos
on Sunday 11th.
MVP was Josh
Hearn with a fantastic 37.0 MVP points. He scored 22 points
(59% accuracy) and pulled down 9 rebounds. Also in the
Honours was Andy Farmer with 22.0 MVP.
Blackhawks: Blair(8),
Cane(1), Farmer(8), Hearn(22), Dean, Randall,Tsingas(2),
Halliday(8), Parker, Saunders
Chasers pull it back from the brink...
Sunbury Sonics U18's v
Blackhawk Chasers 61 - 66
(29th Oct 2007)
Chasers went into
this game desperately wanting a win to put behind them the
disappointment of recent close defeats. They led from start
to finish, but as you will read below the 4th quarter got a
bit scary!
As always the Chasers
started the game strongly and stormed to a 13 - 2 lead with
fast break after fast break leaving the Sonics reeling. Sam
Cane was on the end of most of these and put away 5 out of
5 for an impressive 10 points. Hearn, Randall and Halliday
were dominant on the boards and the quarter ended 15 - 7 and
Chasers were looking comfortable.
Chasers started the
2nd quarter in the same mode, showing that are they are
really gelling as a team now and that any 5 from the bench
can maintain the momentum. They opened up a 14 point lead
with Matt Blair grabbing 8 points before Sonics sorted
themselves out by bringing on their experienced top play
Luther (not an under 18 I would think!) to spark a revival.
At half-time the score was 34 - 23 to Blackhawks.
Sonics kept Luther on
for the 3rd quarter and he led their offence (scoring 9
points) but he could not do enough on his own to stop the
Blackhawks who continued to put points on the board. The
period ended even at 14 - 14, and although the Chasers had
an 11-point lead going into the last period, you could sense
that Sonics were not going to roll over easily and that
Blackhawk fans were in for a nervous 10 minutes.
And so it was…
Sonics, still led by the impressive Luther, scored 12 points
in the first 5 mins of the quarter with only 2 in reply by
Chasers to reduce the gap to just one point!
Player Coach Ben
LeTourneau called a critical time-out to steady his young
team and put himself on court to control the game along with
Randall, Farmer, Hearn and Halliday.
With 3 minutes left
to go the lead was still only one point and the game was on
the brink for Blackhawks. It was at this point that Andy
Farmer decided he had had enough of the tension - and
promptly hit three massive 3 - pointers in 2 mins to send
the travelling bench into rapture.!
Ben LeTourneau
played the clock down superbly and the job was done!
MVP was the
ever-improving Josh Randall with 24 MVP pts, closely
followed by Andy Farmer with 23 pts (100% 3-point accuracy)
and Sam Cane on 21.5 points (top scorer with 6 out of 6
field goal accuracy)
Blackhawks:
Blair(10), Saunders, Cane(12), Farmer(11), Hearn(10),
Dean(2), Halliday(3), Randall(10), LeTourneau(6), Tsingas(2)
Chasers in absolute stormer of a game
Blackhawk Chasers v
L.T United 78 - 80
(14th Oct 2007)
WOW is the
only word to really describe this game - not one for the
faint-hearted... playing or watching!
If you heard a lot of
noise over Woking on Sunday afternoon it was probably coming
from Winston Churchill School Sports Centre where these 2
teams put on one hell of a display of Basketball to the
delight and anguish of both home and travelling supporters.
To say that this was a tight game is an understatement.
The fact that it went
into overtime with the score at 65 - 65 at the end of the
4th period and that at the end there was just 2 points in it
gives you an idea. The result could of gone either way
depending on when the final buzzer went, and it was just the
Chasers bad luck that they were down when it did.
If it was possible in
basketball to have a draw, then neutrals would have said
that would have been a fair result.
No need to break this
report down into quarters - they were all the same!
Fast, aggressive, full-on Basketball as these two teams
traded points back and forth. The equivalent of 2 boxers
standing in the middle of the ring slugging it out punch for
punch.
One set of
interesting statistics perhaps tell the difference between
the 2 sides in this match - Free-throws. LT United had 39
Free throws and made 28 of them, a very, very impressive 72%
accuracy. Chasers had only a few less at 33, but made just
15 of them, 45% accuracy - not bad in itself. But a
difference of 13 points, which in a game like this was
absolutely crucial.
Remind yourself that
the average age of the Chasers is 17.5 years and it will give you
some scale of what a performance this was from the young
Blackhawks against a mature physical side.
Positives from
the game for the Chasers must be that they have learnt to
maintain their top play for the whole game, that they should
not fear anybody now, and that they are still in with a
chance of winning this division if they continue on this
form and just tighten up a little on the basics. Negatives
would be that 35 turnovers is just too many, even against an
aggressive defence.
They are now on 2
wins and 3 defeats (none by more than 2 points) and with
everybody beating everybody else in this division there is
no clear leader at this stage.
MVP
for the second game running was Ryan Halliday with 33.7 MVP
points (top scorer with 21 points and 13 rebounds)..
Also in the
honours were Matt Blair with 30.3 MVP points (16 points and
11 rebounds) and Andy Farmer 20.5 MVP points (11 points and
9 bonus). Just bubbling under the honours was the
ever-improving Dan Dean who earned himself 17.0 MVP pts.
Q1: 18-21, Q2: 11-8,
Q3: 21-21, Q4:15-15, extra period: 13-15
Blackhawks:
Blair(16), Saunders, Cane(1), Parker(2), Farmer(11),
Hearn(5), Dean(7), Halliday(21), Randall(4), LeTourneau(11)
Chasers roll over the Edge
Chiltern Edge v
Blackhawk Chasers 26 - 74
(9th Oct 07)
Despite being two
players short from their normal line-up the Chasers were
just too strong for the young, inexperienced, but gutsy,
Chiltern Edge.
Following two defeats
by the narrowest of margins, Chasers were determined to put
things right for this game and to be honest after the first
few minutes a victory never looked in doubt.
The starting five of
Farmer, Hearn, Halliday, Cane and Parker attacked from the
tip off and quickly rattled up 8 points without reply
through well structured plays, slick passing and deadly
accuracy under the basket. 8 pts apiece for Farmer and Cane,
5 for Halliday and 2 for Hearn saw the Blackhawks to a
comfortable 23-10 lead at the end of the first period.
Fresh players from
the Blackhawks bench continued the onslaught in qtr 2, with
Player Coach LeTourneau shooting two 3-pointers to grab
himself 16 pts for the period and his team went into
half-time a commanding 33 points ahead at 47-14. With only 5
turnovers in the first half this was an impressive
performance by the young Blackhawks and Coach LeTourneau
demanded no let up in the second-half and set his team a
target of the magic century.
It seemed achievable
during the break, but once back on court, Chasers lost their
discipline and structure. They were still in total control
of the game and the Edge were never going to trouble them,
but silly turnovers and the missing of un-defended layups
meant that they only won the 3rd period by 11 points to 6.
Order was restored in
the final period, but by now the momentum for the century
was lost and the Chasers cruised to a 14-6 win.
MVP:
Ryan Halliday put in a
fantastic performance to earn himself MVP. Field Goal
accuracy of 88% (15 points scored) and an impressive
defensive display earned him 36.5 MVP points. He was closely
followed by Andy Farmer, who despite playing point for 2
periods, still earned himself 34.5 MVP pts scoring 14. Also
in the MVP honours list for this game were Josh Hearn (28.5
MVP) and Player Coach Ben LeTourneau (25.5 MVP).
Good performances
also from Dan Dean and Sam Cane, rounded off a great overall
team display by the ever-improving Blackhawk Chasers.
Q1: 23-10, Q2: 24-4,
Q3: 11-6, Q4: 14-6
Blackhawks:Saunders(4),
Cane(11), Parker, Farmer(14), Hearn(12), Dean(4),
Halliday(15), LeTourneau(14)
Chasers lead is slowly lost after a fantastic start
Blackhawk Chasers v
Aztec Cobras
56 - 58
(30 Sept 07)
After the disappointment
of losing by one point during the week the Chasers were
determined to put things right in this game, albeit against
tough opposition in the form of the experienced Aztec
Cobras.
Well they certainly
started the right way!... Right from the tip-off, the
starting five of Andy Farmer, Sam Cane, Josh Hearn, Ryan
Halliday and Josh Randall exploded with fast passing,
well-executed plays, and lethal finishing to take the Cobras
by storm. They finished the qtr 21- 5 ahead, and at this
stage you couldn't see Aztecs getting back into it.
You have to give credit to the Cobras though, as they slowly
minute by minute dragged themselves back into the match,
stifling the young Blackhawks and putting up some lethal
finishing off their own. At half time, the score was still
in Woking's favour as they were 32 - 21 ahead.
Same story in qtr 3, with the Aztecs using their experience
and determination to claw back the points and at the end of
that period they had reduced the deficit to just 4 points,
setting up a dramatic, exciting last qtr which could go
either way.
After the first 2 minutes of the 4th qtr the scores were
even at 46 - 46 and Aztecs then took the lead for the first
time in the game with 3 more points. The next 4 minutes saw
the Blackhawks bounce back with a vengeance, scoring 8
points without reply to take the lead back again by 5
points.
Cobras weren't
finished though as the young Woking side lost their
composure in the final minutes. With just 10 seconds left on
the clock, Cobras took the lead for only the second time in
the game. In a tense closing seconds Blackhawks could not
get the ball back, and a jubilant Cobras went home winners.
Valuable lessons will have been learnt by the young hawks in
this game, not least that you can't afford to give away 28
turnovers!. It's early days in the season and Chasers can
still be optimistic about their chances in the league, they
just need to add consistency, and play like they did in the
first period for a whole match.
One highlight of the game was the performance of Josh Hearn.
MVP with 25.8 points he also stole the Club Rebound
record (was 23) from his team-mate Andy Farmer with 15
defensive and 9 offensive rebounds in the game. Well played
Josh!
Good performance also from Sam Cane with 20.0 MVP points.
Q1: 21-5, Q2: 11-16, Q3: 12-19, Q4: 12-16
Blackhawks: Blair(7), Saunders, Cane(10), Farmer(5),
Hearn(4), Dean(8), Halliday(5), Randall(6), LeTourneau(11).
Chasers lose out to Experience in one point thriller
Aztec Experience v Blackhawk Chasers
50 - 49
(25 Sept 07)
In their second game of
the season, the Chasers found themselves once again up
against tough opposition in the form of Aztec Experience.
Living up to their name, the Aztecs contained the young,
fast Blackhawks with solid defence and deadly shooting.
Chasers started nervously and were 7 points down in the
first 2 mins, but gained the advantage in the last 5 mins of
the first period by scoring 15 points in this time thanks to
3-pointers from Player/Coach Ben LeTourneau (2) and Ryan
Halliday (1), followed by 100% freethrow accuracy by Matt
Blair and Andy Farmer. The first quarter ended with the
Blackhawks 19 - 14 ahead.
An error by the scorer in this period denied the Chasers of
a valuable 2 points, which in the end would make the
difference between winning and losing in this tightly fought
match.
Chasers started the 2nd qtr as they finished the first and
had built up a 12 point lead with only a minute to go until
half-time with Garry Parker getting abrace of Field Goals.
Aztecs never gave up though and rallied right at the end of
the period with a quick six points to narrow the Blackhawks
lead to the same amount at half time: 31 - 25.
The second half started badly for the Blackhawks, with
sloppy handling, too many turnovers and poor shooting
accuracy allowing the Experience to pull themselves level
within 3 mins. Coach LeTourneau was not pleased with this
performance, and only his own intervention on court with 5
points added kept the Chasers in touch. The period was lost
14-7 and the damage was done. Aztecs went into the last
period one point ahead.
The 4th quarter was an even, exciting period of great
basketball with the lead going back and forth between the 2
sides. Sadly for the young Blackhawks, Aztecs stole the lead
back with seconds to go and were able to hang on until the
final whistle.
Despite the bitter disapointment of losing a game that was
in their grasp, Coach LeTourneau can be pleased with the way
his young side are progressing - they are going to destroy a
team before long!
Q1: 19-14, Q2: 12-11, Q3: 7-14, Q4: 11-11
MVP: Ben LeTourneau (22 MVP pts with 20 points
scored). Good performances also from Matt Blair (20 MVP pts
and 11 points scored), Josh Randall (19.5 MVP and 10
rebounds) and Josh Hearn (14.5 MVP with 12 rebounds)
Blackhawks: Blair(11), Saunders(1), Cane, Parker(4),
Farmer(2), Hearn(4), Dean, Halliday(5), Randall(2),
LeTourneau(20)
Chasers off to a good start
Blackhawk Chasers v
Farnham Venom 48 - 38
(16 Sept 07)
In their first league
game of the season, the young Blackhawks who will
compete as the Chasers this season got off to a flying start
against the more experienced Farnham side scoring 15 points
without reply to win the 1st quarter 17-2 in a game
they led throughout.
Quarters 2 and 3
were fairly even with youth and experience battling against
each other with their differing styles, with the Blackhawks
lead reduced to 7 points going into the final period.
Andy Farmer and Matt
Blair took control of the final period for the Hawks scoring
all their sides 13 points between them to extend the gap and
keep out of reach of the Venom.
Coach Ben LeTourneau can
be pleased with this performance as his side can only get
better as the season progresses.
Q1:17-2 , Q2:8-13,
Q3:10-13, Q4:13-10
Blackhawks:
Blair(12), Saunders(3), Cane(6), Parker, Farmer(10), Hearn,
Dean(4), LeTourneau(7), Halliday(2), Randall(4)
---------------------------------------------------------------
2006/7 Season reports
Chasers get bitten by champion Cobras
Aztec Cobras - Blackhawk Chasers
59-32
(6
Mar 07)
Let's set
the scene for this game... Blackhawks are playing this years
Div 3 champions, at tip-off they have no recognised coach
(delayed travelling), and have 7 players of whom 2 are not
fully match fit.
Undaunted
by this seemingly disastrous scenario, stand-in Coach Andy
Farmer and Captain Ian Miles make plans with what they have
- The 3 guards will have to play all the time, and the 4
forwards will sub on and off court depending on how fit they
feel!!
Well what a
tremendous performance these 7 Chasers put on. They were
clearly enjoying themselves and putting in a tremendous
amount of effort to contain the Cobras. Qtr1 ended with
Cobras just 5 points ahead (17-12) thanks to baskets by
Farmer and Miles and great defence by everyone.
Qtr2
started with Rob Mwinjilo hitting a 3-pointer for the
Blackhawks to bring the game back to 2 points - nobody at
this stage would have bet against them pulling off a notable
victory. However, Cobras had different ideas and changed
their game play at this stage and started to hit
3-pointers of their own with un-nerving accuracy.
At half
time the Cobras had extended their lead against the tiring
Chasers to 13 points at 36-23.
The arrival
of 2 more players at half-time for the Blackhawks should
have given them a boost, but strangely it seemed to make
them falter, allowing the Cobras to take control during the
last period and run out comfortable winners.
A
tremendous team effort by everybody, with notable mentions
to MVP Andy Farmer(22.7) 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 10
points, Rob Mwinjilo(14.0) and Ian Miles(13.2)
Q1: 12-17;
Q2: 11-19; Q3: 4-9; Q4: 5-14
Blackhawks:
C Tsingas jnr , A Farmer (10), C Tsingas (2), I Miles (4),
R Mwinjilo (6), D Ponsford , M Saunders (8), E Ricoux (2), N
Leggett.
Chasers immune to Farnham's Venom
Blackhawk Chasers -
Farnham Venom
57-52 (27 Feb 07)
This was not a game for the
faint-hearted as both teams went toe to toe all the way
to the final whistle.
Woking
started well (8-0) only to squander that lead through
careless turnovers to finish the 1st period 12-14.
More of the
same in the second half but Andy Farmer and Jason Dunderdale
did their best to keep the Chasers in the game.
It was a
breath of fresh air when Dino Rakitzis got on the court
injecting passion and purpose into the Blackhawks scoring 8
out of the 15 points in the 3rd and pulling down 5 rebounds.
The Chasers were now clawing their way out of the mire and
the score line at the end of the the 3rd period read: 39-38.
This was
not the time for Woking to lose their concentration and
after a shaky start to the 4th period when they went down
40-43, they went up 45-43 only to go down again 45-49. The
time-out was important and so was a 3-pointer from Nick
Mandafounis which lifted the Chasers and who attacked the
key relentlessly. As Farnham tried to foul their way out of
a defeat, the referees called every foul. That was when
Dunderdale hit 3 out of 4 from the line and Dino Rakitzis
hit a stunning 6 out of 6 to seal a thoroughly deserved
victory.
Two great
performances by Dino Rakitzis (MVP with 16 points, 10
rebounds, 4 steals and 33.5 MVP points) and Andy Farmer (11
points, 8 rebounds and 33.0 MVP points). Miles and
Mandafounis crashed the boards 11 and 12 times respectively.
Dunderdale also impressed scoring 14 points (10 out of 14
free throws).
Q1: 12-14;
Q2: 12-14; Q3: 15-10; Q4: 18-14.
Blackhawks:
C Tsingas jnr (2), A Farmer (11), C Tsingas (2), I Miles (3),
G Parker (1), D Ponsford (2), D Rakitzis (16), N Mandafounis
(6), J Dunderdale (14).
Chasers lose their way at Arborfield
SEAE - Blackhawk Chasers
81-43
(15 Feb 07)
A lot of effort went into this
game but, nevertheless, it was a very forgettable
performance by the Chasers who never looked like a unit.
Q1: 10-17;
Q2: 13-23; Q3: 7-22; Q4: 13-19.
Blackhawks:
C Tsingas jnr (2), A Farmer (6), C Paice (10), I Miles (4),
G Parker (1), D Ponsford, R Mwingilo (4), Andrea (3), E
Ricoux (3), J Richardson, B LeTourneau (10).
Chasers get stung by the Scorpions in away thriller
Slough Scorpions - Blackhawk Chasers
56-52
(7 Feb 07)
Slough managed to claw their way
back from defeat twice in probably one of the most
entertaining games
of the season - if you were an impartial spectator.
But if you were part of either
club in some way or other, you should have no nails left to
bite on!
Both teams started very
nervously but the Blackhawks having figured out some
weaknesses, managed to capitalise early to finish the 1st
period with a promising 15-11 score.
In the second quarter, the
Chasers lost their concentration
entirely and looked nothing like the team that was on the
court a few minutes ago. The result was a disappointing
27-33 half-time score.
In the 3rd, the concentration
returned, the rebounding improved and the ball started
dropping into the hoop. The result? A very satisfactory 23-8
score line.
The sooner we forget the 4th
period, the better. The Chasers lost Ian Miles with 5 fouls
and managed one solitary basket which was not even recorded
by the score keeper...
On his first game after an
8-week absence due to injury, Ian Miles put in a great
performance pulling down 14 rebounds, scoring 16 points thus
collecting 46.0 MVP points for his trouble. Nick Mandafounis put in
a spirited performance claiming 11 rebounds
and posting 22.0 MVP points.
Q1: 15-11;
Q2: 12-22; Q3: 23-8; Q4: 2-15.
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (9), C Tsingas snr (2), N Leggett, J
Dunderdale (12), A Farmer, C Paice (7), M Koslewski, C
Tsingas (6), I Miles (16).
Chasers turn off the Heat...
Blackhawk Chasers -
The Heat U18 66-53
(21 Jan 07)
This was probably the most
disciplined performance the Chasers put in all season but
also one where they matched the 5-man Heat squad in effort
and energy.
Once again, the psychology of
not calling the fouls against a 5-man squad was all too
evident
but the Blackhawks stuck to their task and eventually wore
their opponents down to win the game.
A good 9-point lead in the 1st
quarter was soon wiped out by a luck-lustre performance in
the 2nd for the Chasers to finish the half 23-24 down.
The changes at half time had the
desired effect and the Chasers stormed in a 53-36 lead by
the end of the 3rd period.
The 5-man Heat squad were now
beginning to tire and despite the efforts of the talented
Norris, the Chasers played the time out to win by 13 points.
Nick Mandafounis, Rob Mwinjilo,
Christian Tsingas and Chris Paice put in great performances
and the rest of the squad is now showing encouraging signs
of teamwork (11 assists) and determination (23 steals).
Q1: 12-5;
Q2: 7-17; Q3: 17-13; Q4: 9-13.
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (14), C Tsingas (10), D
Ponsford (6), R Mwinjilo (8), T Bowen, A Farmer
(2), C Paice (15), T Malik (2), N Leggett (9).
Chasers give a good account against Experience
Blackhawk Chasers -
Aztec Experience 45-48
(16 Jan 07)
This was a back and forth
game from start to finish. The Blackhawks, led by Chris
Paice and Matt Westwood, held the Aztecs to a mere 2 field
goals in the first quarter, giving them a 12-5 lead going
into the second.
Despite a few steals from
Michael Koslewski in the second quarter, offence was thin on
the ground for Woking, and the Aztecs managed to break down
the defence and convert a deficit into a lead – albeit a
slim one.
Determined not to let this
one go, the Blackhawks changed defensive tactics and
effectively shut down the opposition with superb full court
man to man defence. The scores drew even once again and it
was anybody’s game from then on in. Superb defence from the
whole team meant that every Aztec shot attempt was hard
fought. This was a great opportunity for Woking to pull
away, but instead of going for the jugular, a series of ill
advised jump shots kept them from building a lead.
The
Aztecs rallied behind Andrew Crombie, who managed to score
several difficult, off-balance jumpers in the lane down the
stretch, eventually giving them the lead for good.
Fantastic performance from
Chris Paice, and good showings for Matt Westwood and Rob
Mwinjilo. Every Chaser showed up to play tonight and it was
a good team effort.
Q1: 12-5;
Q2: 7-17; Q3: 17-13; Q4: 9-13.
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (2), M Koslewski (4), C Tsingas (5), D
Ponsford, R Mwinjilo (3), M Westwood (8), T Bowen, A Farmer
(4), C Paice (19).
Welcome to the Long and Paice show!
Blackhawk Chasers -
Woodley Amigos 55-40
(07 Jan 07)
To be fair
though, it was all about energy from all the guards who ran
at the Amigos relentlessly from tip to buzzer! Peppered by
15 rebounds from Doug Ponsford and you have a winning recipe
despite 28 turnovers and a very tall Woodley team.
This was not as
easy a game as the final score may suggest and the energy
Francis and Paicey put into this game was phenomenal.
Flanked by guards with enough energy of their own it was no
surprise that the Chasers claimed 24 steals most of which
were converted into baskets. Simply awesome!
The Chasers ran
their plays, defended as well as they could against very
tall forwards and apart from the 28 turnovers, Coach Costas
Rakitzis was happy with the performance and the result.
Q1: 16-12;
Q2: 16-5; Q3: 10-12; Q4: 13-11.
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (4), M Koslewski (2), C Tsingas (1), D
Ponsford, R Mwinjilo (5), I Miles (19), N Leggett, G Parker
(2), S Cane, C Hatto (22).
As
tough a game could be...
Whitley Wizards -
Blackhawk Chasers 73-55
(18 Dec 06)
With Ian Miles
and Dino Rakitzis injured in the 2nd period, the Blackhawks
bench looked more like a hospital ward for more than half
the game.
This was not an
easy game and a lot of good effort was put in by the Chasers
but having given away 28 turnovers to a team that will take
just about each one and score, one should not be expecting
to win.
The injuries to
Ian and Dino had obviously had a psychological effect on the
team who lost the 3rd quarter 8-23. Despite the inevitable,
the Blackhawks fought their way through the 4th period
winning it 20-14.
Here is a New
Year's resolution for the Chasers: For the remaining 5
games, reduce the average turnovers per game by 20%
(from 21.5 to 16.0). Coach Rakitzis may start attending
nursing classes...
MVP was Matt
Westwood (9 points and 15.7 MVP points). Nick Mandafounis
pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 9 points. Top scorer was
Ben LeTourneau with 13 points.
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (9), M Koslewski (5), C Tsingas (7), D Ponsford, R Mwinjilo (4), I Miles, M Blair (4), D Rakitzis (4), B Le Tourneau (13),
M Westwood (9).
The
Blackhawks chased but couldn't catch the Bobcats
Blackhawk Chasers -
B'stoke Bobcats 54-64
(10 Dec 06)
Having played
and lost against the Bobcats this season already, coach
Rakitzis knew this was not going to be a stroll in the park
for his Chasers.
It was not so
much the defence but the offence that presented most of the
problems in the first half as the Chasers managed only 7
points.
Things improved
a lot in the second period when Nick Mandafounis and Matt
Blair (inspired by Ian Miles's rebounding) took maters in
their own hands to finish the quarter 14-18.
Further
improvement in the third saw the Blackhawks get within a
basket from the Bobcats, finishing the quarter 15-17.
The Chasers
caught alight in the fourth after they managed to foul out
Drury, Basingstoke's most dangerous player, and finished
strong 18-12. It was not enough though, and the Chasers paid
once again for a poor first quarter.
Best performance from
the ever-green Nick Mandafounis (18 points and 33.5 MVP points).
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (18), M Koslewski, C Tsingas (4), D Ponsford, R Mwinjilo (3), I Miles
(7), M Blair (8), D Rakitzis (4), B Le Tourneau (10).
Chasers bitten by the Cobras
Blackhawk Chasers -
Aztec Cobras 34-55
(3 Dec 06)
It was never
going to be easy playing the current League leaders. But the
Chasers put up a good fight and no one can blame them for
lack of effort.
It all started
very badly when the Chasers finished the 1st period 6-24
down. It has to be said that the Cobras rode their luck a
little hitting four 3-pointers.
The ship was
steadied from then on with the Blackhawks winning the 2nd
10-9, losing the 3rd 9-10 and were a little stretched in the
last period (9-12).
Good performances from
Ian Miles (24.0 MVP points) and Nick Mandafounis (22.0 MVP
points).
Blackhawks:
N Mandafounis (6), M Koslewski (2), C Tsingas (8), N
Leggett, D Ponsford, A Farmer (4), R Mwinjilo (8), I Miles
(6).
The
Heat does not bother Chasers who claim first win
The Heat u18 - Blackhawk Chasers
46-65 (23 Nov 06)
It was two
massive periods that did it for the Chasers who came back
from a 5-point deficit in the 1st period to claim their
first victory this season.
Late arrival at
the away venue did not allow the Blackhawks to warm up
properly and it was no surprise that they went down by 5
points in the 1st period and gave away 6 turnovers.
The 2nd and 3rd
period were simply awesome. The defence tightened, the
fast-break started working and when the Heat tried to press,
the Chasers were in their element! At the end of the 3rd
period the score line read: 53-33.
In the 4th
period the game was as good as won and coach Rakitzis had
the opportunity to try some new plays and players.
Q1: 10-15;
Q2: 18-9; Q3: 25-9; Q4: 12-13.
Awesome performance from
Oscar (23 points, 14 rebounds and 60.5 MVP points). Good
performances from Michael Koslewski (27.0 MVP points), Matt
Westwood (13 rebounds and 25.5 MVP points) and Chris Hatto (11 points and 20.0 MVP
points).
Blackhawks: K
Tsingas, O Parker (23), C Hatto (11), M Koslewski (9), R
Ricoux (2), T Malik (7), C Tsingas (4), M Westwood (9).
Chasers are getting closer to their first win
Blackhawk Chasers -
SEAE 56-63
(12 Nov 06)
After doing very
well for three periods against much taller and experienced
opponents, the lack of 3-point shooting ability in the team
cost the Chasers what would have been a hard-earned win.
Q1: 14-13;
Q2: 15-13; Q3: 13-17; Q4: 14-20.
Best performances from
Keith Jarvis
(11 points and 36 MVP points), Andy Farmer (7 rebounds and
25 MVP points) and Costas Tsingas (10 points and 22.5 MVP
points)..
Blackhawks: K
Tsingas (10), A Farmer (12), C Hatto (4), M Koslewski (2), K
Jarvis (11), T Malik (4), M Saunders (2), C Tsingas (7), T
Bowen, N Leggett (4).
Chasers chased but never caught the Scorpions
Blackhawk Chasers -
Slough Scorpions 46-64
(5 Nov 06)
After a
promising 1st period, the inexperience in the team showed
once more and the Chasers were unable to catch up with the
more experienced Scorpions.
Q1: 14-16;
Q2: 8-15; Q3: 8-13; Q4: 16-20.
Best performances from Andy Farmer
(11 rebounds, 14 points and 39 MVP points) and Doug Ponsford
(11 rebounds and 22.5 MVP points).
Blackhawks: K
Tsingas (5), A Farmer (14), S Cane (2), M Koslewski, D
Ponsford (3), G Parker (3), M Saunders (6), C Tsingas (7), N
Mandafounis (10), N Leggett (2).
Chasers could not get away from the Wizards' spell
Blackhawk Chasers -
Whitley Wizards 60-77 (29
Oct 06)
Having pulled
back a 9 point deficit after half time, the Chasers were
53-53 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Despite brave efforts,
it was not possible to sustain the pace as the Wizards
pushed hard to win the 4th quarter.
Q1: 22-26;
Q2:11-16; Q3: 20-11; Q4: 7-24.
Best performance
from Andy Farmer who scored 24 points and collected 42.5 MVP points.
Blackhawks: K
Tsingas (2), A Farmer (24), S Cane (7), M Koslewski, D
Ponsford (4), T Bowen (3), M Saunders (6), C Tsingas (11), N
Mandafounis (3), G Parker.
Chasers put up a good fight but pay for poor Q1
Basingstoke Bobcats - Blackhawk Chasers
74-62 (18
Oct 06)
After a
disastrous 1st period, the Blackhawks found their rhythm to
challenge the Bobcats all the way to the end.
31% field goal
accuracy vs 32% for 3-pointer shooting makes interesting
reading.
Q1: 3-16;
Q2: 17-18; Q3: 18-15; Q4: 24-25.
Best performance
from Matt Westwood who scored 19 points and collected 36.5 MVP points.
Blackhawks: P
Coulthard (12), A Farmer (2), S Cane (2), C Paice (12), N Leggett, D
Ponsford, T Bowen (1), M Westwood (19), C Tsingas (3), N
Mandafounis (11).
Where
inexperience showed...
Blackhawk Chasers -
Aztec Experience 44-61
The Chasers
could not match the experience of the Aztecs but soaked
their kit in sweat.
The game was
lost in the 2nd and 3rd quarter when concentration waned a
little and simple lay-ups were not put away.
Q1: 12-16;
Q2: 7-14; Q3: 6-11; Q4: 16-20.
Best performance
from Garry Parker (5 steals, 8 points and 23 MVP points).
Blackhawks: P
Coulthard (11), A Farmer (1), S Cane (6),
M Saunders (6), C Paice (6), N Leggett, D
Ponsford, T Bowen (2), C Hatto (2), M Westwood (1), G Parker
(8).
Lessons
learnt from Chasers first outing
Woodley
Amigos - Blackhawk Chasers 47-42
The Chasers
managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they
throw away a handsome lead in a game of two halves and poor
Table Officiating.
In the first
outing this season, the Blackhawks took a little while to
shake off their nerves but as their opponents suffered the
same fate, it was the Chasers who edged ahead to finish 15-6
up in the 1st quarter.
The good work
continued in Q2 when Coulthard went up a gear and led the
Chasers to a satisfying 24-14 half-time score.
The less we say
about the second half, the better.
An unacceptable
number of turnovers accompanied by serious Table Official
blunders in Q3, found the Blackhawks drawing at 35-35.
In the 4th
quarter, the psychological advantage was with Woodley as the
Chasers were clearly preoccupied by the T/O errors and the
interruptions as the referees did everything they could to
bring some order to the score sheet.
The best
performance came from Andy Farmer (5 steels, 9 rebounds and
20.2 MVP points)
The referees
were very good and handled some tricky situations very well.
Thank you to our
Chairman Keith Farmer who did the stats for us and agreed to
do the score sheet in Q4.
Blackhawks: P
Coulthard (10), N Mandafounis (8), A Farmer (6), S Cane (3),
M Saunders (3), Chris Tsingas (7), N Leggett (1), D
Ponsford, T Bowen (4)
