Training continues through the summer
Towers end season on a high
26th
March 2012
Away to Aldworth Arrows
Lost 77-39
What an improvement! The Towers doubled the score they achieved previously against Aldworth to no additional loss and the opposition coach even commented on the improvements made.
It was an action packed start to the game with the score reaching 7-4 in the first minute! Laura hit the target first before Helen followed up by sinking 2 free throws. The Towers played tough defense against an aggressive Aldworth side which got them into early foul trouble and sent the opposition to the free throw line 4 times, where they sank an impressive 7 shots. Hannah and Hiromi also got on the score sheet for the Towers in a solid, well-controlled offensive display. Two late baskets closed the gap to 6 at the end of the quarter.
Hiromi and Helen got shots up early in the second quarter to draw the Towers to within 2 points, however Aldworth showed why they have topped the division by piling the pressure onto the Towers offense. This forced bad passes and stopped the Towers getting back on the board in the quarter. Aldworth went on to score 17 unanswered points firmly putting themselves into the driving seat of the game.
The Towers re-grouped at the half and came out with a renewed composure and determination in the third. Laura, Hiromi and Becky scored early on to show this would be no walkover. The 4th quarter started with a switch to man defense and an attacking line up which saw a Towers 9-4 run in the first 4 minutes. Ultimately Aldworth showed their class and ran out comfortable winners but they were made to work hard and the whole Towers team did themselves proud.
Overall defense was solid with all players contributing to the rebound tally and some good steals and blocks from various players. Aldworth were not allowed the fast break opportunities that had characterised the previous encounters between these 2 teams as the Towers closed them off with good defensive positioning. The team as a whole also achieved their highest shooting percentage of the season!
Individually Debbie had her strongest game, rebounding well and holding good position in offense. Laura was a rock in defense and Becky played a solid all-around game. However Hiromi had the game highlight: as she jumped to retrieve a loose ball the referee didn’t anticipate where she would land and she promptly floored him. To his credit the ref took it in good humour.
MVP: Helen with 10.2 MVP points
Q1: 12-18 Q2: 4-17 Q3: 10-18 Q4: 13-24
Narrow defeat knocks Towers out of the Plate
22th
March 2012
Away to Farnborough Phantoms
Lost 52-40
The best game of the season by the Towers ended with a narrow defeat to the Phantoms. The Towers started the stronger with a stunned Farnborough team unable to answer a tough defense and inspired offense. Within 5 minutes the Towers led 9-2 with scores from Kelly, Hiromi, Robyn and Helen. The second quarter followed in the same way with Hiromi and Becky combining excellently on the fast break and drawing out an 11 point lead. However Farnborough struck back and went on a 13 point unanswered run to take the lead. What showed here was a tougher Towers team who didn’t roll over but instead themselves had a 6 point unanswered run to take a narrow 4 point lead into the half time break. The scorers were Hiromi and Robyn who made a superb rebound and put away in the dying seconds.
The third quarter is one to be forgotten. Defense stayed solid and Farnborough were limited to just 11 points however the Towers could only manage 1 themselves. The offensive play remained as strong as the first half but sadly the finish wasn’t there. Trailing by 6 going into the final quarter this was very much game on. Coach Sinnick switched to a man defense which rattled the opposition but the Towers could never pull closer than 5 points away. The Towers put everything into this final quarter but it was ultimately in vain.
The whole team played a solid game, the defense holding strong against a lively rebounding team and shutting them out. There was a noticeable improvement in fitness demonstrating that the weeks of hard work are paying off. Individually Robyn had her strongest game defending with authority, positioning herself well for the offensive rebounds and making a couple of critically timed baskets. Becky scored some good baskets and is noticeably growing in confidence on the offense. Hiromi had her usually strong all-round game pulling down several rebounds and hustling the opposition on every possible occasion. Three 3-point baskets in the game really boosted the team.
For the majority of the game the Towers were the better team but a bad third quarter and too many missed free throws cost dearly and ended in defeat in a game we should have won!
MVP: Hiromi with 27.5 MVP points
Q1: 14-8 Q2: 13-15 Q3: 1-11 Q4: 12-18
Finches find the target
4th March 2012
Away to Camberley Finches
Lost 65-28
The Towers matched Camberley in every aspect of the game except the most crucial one. Defense was solid, offensively they attacked the opposition and had plenty of opportunities but the Towers struggled to find their range. The opposition had no such problem and built their lead throughout the game.
MVP: Becky with 11.5 MVP points
Q1: 10-19 Q2: 4-16 Q3: 8-12 Q4: 6-18
Aldworth just too good
27th February 2012
Away to Aldworth Arrows
Lost 79-21
Aldworth just needed a win to secure top place in division 2 and their pedigree was on display from the start. Every aspect of their game was well polished and they didn’t give an inch to a spirited Towers team. It seemed every shot they took seamlessly hit the target, including an impressive 12/13 record from the free throw line. Their full court press was strong and hard to break and their energy endless. A well deserved victory!
The Towers showed strong strength of character and again the team spirit shone through. Never did the team let their heads go down and they fought from start to finish. With a large squad, coach Sinnick used the second half to try out different combinations of players on court, learning valuable insight on which to build over the summer ready for a strong 2012-13 season.
Individually Kelly had one of her strongest games, as top rebounder and regularly threatening the basket. Caroline and Karina made sure the opposition had to work hard in offense chasing down balls and looking for steals.
With a rematch at the end of March, the Towers last game of the season, the target will be to build on the experience and lessons learned and close the gap. Go Towers!
MVP: Becky with 5 MVP points
Q1: 5-17 Q2: 6-25 Q3: 4-17 Q4: 6-20
Team spirit shines in narrow defeat
15th February 2012
Home to Farnborough Phantoms
Lost 38-35
What a difference a week makes! Whilst the end result may have been the same, the focus, determination and team spirit were much stronger and the Towers nearly pulled off an amazing comeback…
Farnborough started the game sharply with a 3-pointer within the first minute, however Hiromi and Laura D struck back to give the Towers a 6-3 lead after 5 minutes. Again, strong defense was the feature of this opening exchange with the lead changing hands four times before Farnborough edged a 11-8 lead at the end of the quarter with a couple of late baskets.
The second quarter threatened to turn the match into a rerun of the previous week's encounter with the Towers struggling to score and Farnborough taking advantage. However a couple of critical baskets from Helen, one off an excellent assist, kept the Towers in touch. A solid defensive effort stopped the Phantoms from running away with the game. Towers trailed by 9 at the half but weren’t out of it.
The second half was a different story altogether. The Towers started to combine well and pass the ball around strongly to break down the Farnborough press, Hiromi and Helen both slotting in 3-point shots. Even more importantly the Farnborough offense was put under pressure by a determined Towers defense and started to crumble under the pressure. The quarter was won 16-11 by the Towers.
The final quarter continued in this way with the Towers drawing level after 2 minutes. Farnborough rallied though to open the gap back up to 3 points and then controlled the game to deny any further scores. The Towers worked to the final second but were ultimately denied.
The Towers were boosted by having their starting point guard back in the squad however this was an all-player effort and a game well played by everyone. Having drawn Farnborough in the plate competition the Towers have one last chance to seek revenge this season against a team we know we can beat!
MVP: Laura S with 18.5 MVP points
Q1: 8-11 Q2: 4-10 Q3: 16-11 Q4: 7-6
Towers spooked by the Phantoms
9th February 2012
Away to Farnborough Phantoms
Lost 49-26
The Towers started this game strongly in what was a battle of the defenses. The first 5 minutes of the game saw only one basket which was scored by the opposition. Scores were then traded and, aided by Farnborough missing their free throws, the Towers edged to a 7-4 lead. A lapse of concentration in the dying seconds gifted an easy basket to the opposition, pegging the Towers back to a narrow 7-6 lead at the end of the quarter.
For periods in the second and third quarters the Towers let their intensity drop. This was punished with fast breaks and uncontested shots by Farnborough who showed great spirit and desire to chase every ball from start to finish. Two three-point baskets by the Farnborough number 22 at the end of the third quarter closed the door on a Towers comeback. However, the team rallied strongly in the final quarter and played hard to the end of the game, refusing to let the opposition have an easy ride.
With a rematch less than a week away there are some positives the Towers can take forward with a win definitely possible. Olivera, making her debut, had a strong game controlling the ball well, making useful steals and positioning herself effectively on the offensive play. Laura D supported the guards strongly when under pressure from the Farnborough press and took some well positioned shots. Rebounding was strong by the whole team and will only improve with more boxing-out, whilst turnovers were kept low despite the pressure put on the ball handlers. Bring on next week!
MVP: Laura S with 20 MVP points
Q1: 7-6 Q2: 6-16 Q3: 6-16 Q4: 7-11
Aztecs turn up the heat
25th January 2012
Home to Aztec Suns
Lost 69-24
Injury hit the Towers with a couple of players forced to pull out and another couple playing on. Despite that the Towers put up a brave fight against a strong Aztecs team and led for much of the first quarter. Ultimately it proved to be a mixed game with the score line highlighting the need to improve passing accuracy and shooting percentage – both were the cause of the opposition having too many fast breaks against the Towers and scoring heavily.
The Towers started strongly with Hiromi sinking two early 3-pointers. A further score from Becky gave a 8-4 lead within 4 minutes. Aztecs came back though and despite scores from Helen and Laura D the Towers trailed by 3 at the end of the period. Defense was strong throughout the quarter and continued into quarter 2 with a switch to man to man. Aztecs struggled with the pressure to their ball handler and several turnovers were forced, unfortunately the Towers could not convert these opportunities.
The second and third quarters were tough with the Towers struggling to connect on their shots, leading to some forced attempts as frustration set in. The final quarter was much better and the Towers player a more controlled offence opening up opportunities for Hiromi, Kelly and Helen to sink baskets.
The key is to learn from every loss and the Towers have both positive and negatives to take forward as they close out this season and prepare for next year. Some positive individual performances to highlight are: Jenny showed strong passing and movement on court; Becky set herself up well for her shots and had a strong defensive stance and footwork that forced many turnovers; Hiromi was tireless in chasing down the loose ball and made a superb 12 rebounds (the shortest player on court!); Laura D got into good positions and looked to attack the opposition.
MVP: Hiromi with 13.3 MVP points
Q1: 12-15 Q2: 2-21 Q3: 2-11 Q4: 8-22
Tough night for the Towers
18th January 2012
Home to Camberley Finches
Lost 68-26
A well drilled, experienced Camberley side made life very tough for the Towers: every rebound was strongly contested and pressure was put on the ball at every offense. However, the Towers played well and had several good looks at the basket, matching the opposition in plays made. The crucial difference was that the Towers could not find the target with their shots.
Despite the score line there were some positives to take forward: Hiromi made some strong plays, sank a couple of 3-pointers and made some good steals, combining well with Tish on the fast break. Caroline showed good energy and spirit to put the opposition under pressure and reduce their scoring opportunities. The whole team contributed to the rebound tally with Laura S, Laura D and Hiromi leading the way. The posts; Kelly, Debbie and Laura x2, remained calm under pressure, passing the ball straight out after claiming the rebound. Turnovers were kept to just 13 for the game. A final quarter switch to man defense proved very effective, unsettling the opposition and giving confidence to play it in future games. Camberley certainly showed this still-new Towers squad the strength of knowing your team, inside the key and out.
Coach's Comment: "An amazing last 5 minutes. We could not have asked for anything more."
MVP: Hiromi with 12.2 MVP points
Q1: 4-14 Q2: 10-16 Q3: 2-14 Q4: 10-24
Towers tame the Wildcats
8th January 2012
Away to Woodley Wildcats
Won 49-34
With the results split one a piece in the previous two encounters with the Wildcats this was a game the Towers were keen to win. A strong squad travelled to Reading but the Towers started slowly unable to convert several chances. The defensive game held strong though and the Wildcats were limited to just 7 points to keep the Towers in touch, having only scored one basket themselves.
Coach Sinnick gave the Towers some clear directions at the break mainly to exploit the height advantage inside. This immediately proved fruitful as the ball was fed to Laura S inside who made the easy basket. Hannah, Laura D and Helen all got in on the act to make a 10 point unanswered run in the first 3 minutes of the quarter, and took a 12-7 lead. Strong defense and clearly worked offense continued through the quarter with the Towers matching each Wildcat basket. In the final minute of the quarter Helen responded to the coach's request for a 3-pointer and promptly slotted one home. Along with another late basket from Laura D the Towers pulled out a 9 point advantage at the half.
The third quarter continued with more strong play from the Towers. Karina deserves special mention, being a handful in both offense and defense. The Wildcats struggled to bring the ball into their own half with Karina making several steals and at the offensive end she took every opportunity to drive in on the opposition and threaten their basket.
The final quarter was a controlled affair as the Wildcats tried to come back into the game, but the Towers stayed strong in defense whilst making several good baskets themselves, with points shared 12-12. This was both a strong team and individual performance with Laura S and Hannah rebounding strongly throughout the game, Hannah shooting at 50% on the night and Karina making 10 steals. This all led to a well deserved 49-34 victory for the Towers.
MVP: Karina and Hannah both with 30 MVP points
Team: Hannah (16), Karina (12), Helen (7), Laura D (7), Laura S (5), Becky (2), Robyn, Kelly.
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 2-7 Q2: 25-11 Q3: 10-4 Q4: 12-12
Towers shot down by the Arrows
30th November 2011
Home to Aldworth Arrows
Lost 67-22
Top of the league Aldworth was always going to be a tough contest but the Towers came out strong with great ball movement and strong defense. Good baskets from Tish, Laura and Helen gave a lead of 7-2 after 6 minutes. This was to be the highlight of the night as Aldworth got their game together and made 12 unanswered points to end the quarter 14-7 up.
The Towers continued to struggle in the second quarter with just 1 field basket and 2 free throws scored as Aldworth piled on the pressure and fitness started to tell. At half time coach Sinnick changed up the game play and switched the Towers to a man defense but this did not change the momentum of the game as Aldworth went on a 10-0 unanswered run before Towers finally made a basket. This was a quarter to forget!
The Towers never gave up and this team spirit shone through in the final quarter. Kelly made an excellent post play followed quickly by a basket from Tish and rounded off by a trade-mark outside shot from Katie. Aldworth still won the quarter 14-8 but the Towers showed excellent team work and strong determination which bodes well for future matches.
This was a brutal affair with Aldworth literally knocking the Towers off the court. Every pass was contested in a highly aggressive game that saw full court press by the opposition from start to finish and very little room for the Towers to play their game. Helen had some success driving to the basket and went to the foul line 5 times in the game. Given the pressure it was a good effort to keep turnovers down to 26 across the team. The Towers put up a brave fight which saw 10 steals and 8 blocks with Caroline and Kelly leading the way respectively and some tough defense.
The Towers now move into the Christmas break with an opportunity to re-charge the batteries and work on some of the key learning from what has been a tough couple of months.
MVP: Helen Price (8.7 MVP points)
Team: Helen (9), Tish (4), Laura D (4), Katie (2), Kelly (2), Sheila (1),
Caroline, Debbie.
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 7-14; Q2: 4-18; Q3: 3-21; Q4: 8-14
Towers lose on the road
27th November 2011
Away to Aztec Suns
Lost 39-28
The Towers travelled to Crowthorne with a point to prove in this return fixture and put up a strong display. The first quarter was a battle of the defences as both teams limited the opposition's opportunities to score. The Towers however couldn’t put away the few chances they did get and ended the quarter 5-0 down.
The game came alive in the second quarter as both teams found their offensive game. Tish opened the scoring for the Towers, being fouled in the process, but could not slot away the free throw. Laura also found her range before Helen put away 2 late baskets. Aztecs tried to come at the Towers with a full court press but, unlike the time when the 2 teams met before, the Towers broke this down with ease. Defense remained strong and the half ended with the Towers well and truly still in it, trailing by 6.
Tough play proved costly for the Towers at the start of the second half when Helen picked up her 4th foul of the game and had to sit out the rest of the quarter. Katie, stepping down from Ladies 1 due to player unavailability, now stepped up and scored 10 points in the quarter. This helped the Towers close within 1 point after 6 minutes. Aztecs didn’t panic though and with strong inside play put up 2 late baskets, pushing them to a 6 point lead at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter followed the same pattern: Aztecs tried to press; the Towers broke it down, both sides defended strongly but Aztecs edged the quarter 12-7.
This game marked a step forward for the Towers and highlights included some good steals by Caroline, Tish and Katie, and a tight defense that Aztecs struggled to penetrate.
MVP: Katie Wright (8.7 MVP points)
Team: Katie (10), Helen (6), Tish (6), Laura D (5), Kelly (1), Caroline, Robyn,
Sheila.
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 0-5; Q2: 8-9; Q3: 13-13; Q4: 7-12
Towers chase off the Wildcats
16th November
2011
Home to Woodley Wildcats
Won 34-25
This was a game that started slowly with both teams unable to find their shooting range. Some wayward passing did not help the Towers, the score remaining 0-0 after 5 minutes of play. Towers made a couple of subs to try and mix things up but it was the Wildcats who were the first to get on the scoreboard with a 3-point effort. This seemed to bring the Towers to life as they then made 8 unanswered points before the Wildcats struck back. Sheila, on her Towers debut, made a superb drive and pull up shot in the last minute of the quarter followed by a block at the other end by Laura S to take the Towers into the end of the first period with a narrow 10-8 lead.
The second quarter started strongly by the Towers with Debbie executing the coach's instructions to perfection, cutting to the top of the key following a weak side pass and scoring an easy basket. This was however the offensive highlight of a period where Towers were restricted to just 3 points. Missed shots and running only 15 second plays hurt the Towers and overshadowed the excellent efforts in defense. The half ended 19-13 to the Wildcats.
Coach Jarvis reset the game plan during the half time break and this proved the turning point for the Towers as they came out strong in the second half and went on to resist the Wildcats' counter attack. The tone to follow was set by Sheila, who drew an offensive foul on the opposition then followed it up with a baseline drive, making the 2-points but unfortunately unable to convert the and-one opportunity. The quarter ended with a lot of action: firstly with the Towers giving away a fast break opportunity Becky made the crucial foul to send the opposition to the free throw line. This was followed by a cut to the basket and subsequent foul to send Helen to free throw line with 20 seconds on the clock, making one of the two shots, and in the dying seconds a quick pass from Becky to Kelly sent Kelly to the free throw line again making one of her two shots. With a 23-21 lead at the end of the period the Towers were right back in the match.
The Towers continued where they left off in the final period with a quick basket from Becky. Hiromi made a couple of excellent steals but missed some 3-point attempts. Up by 2 points the Towers called a time out. Towers then went on to score 9 unanswered points including a 3-point play by Hiromi, and a drive and pull up shot by Laura S. The Wildcats came at the Towers with a press but the Towers were calm and controlled and ran down the clock to win 34-25. The team worked hard at restricting the number of turnovers to 18 and coming out with 13 steals. They achieved the target number of offensive rebounds to shots taken at >30% which made up for the below par shooting percentage. An all-round excellent team effort!
MVP: Laura Stalygaite (18.3 MVP points)
Team: Hiromi (7), Sheila (6), Laura S (5), Becky (4), Helen (3), Kelly (3),
Caroline (2), Debbie (2), Laura D (2).
Coach: Keith Jarvis
Q1: 10-8; Q2: 3-11; Q3: 10-2; Q4: 11-4
Towers crash out of the Wessex Cup
9th November 2011
Home to Winchester Diamonds
Lost 70-31
This was always going to be a tough challenge as the Towers drew last years cup winners in the first round of this years competition. However the Towers started strongly and with scores from Hiromi, Tish and Helen they trailed by just 1 point at the end of the first quarter. Quarter 2 saw strong defence against a team that passed well and looked to feed their post players inside, restricting the Diamonds to 10 points in this period. On the offensive side the Towers passed the ball well and Hiromi hit a superb 3-pointer to end the half in touching distance of the Diamonds at 18-24.
The Towers struggled in the second half as tiredness contributed to a loss of discipline in offensive play. The Diamonds punished this with a series of fast break scores that ultimately led to them running out 70-31 winners. The bench played a significant role in this half playing strongly and with spirit, however as a team penetrating the strong Diamonds defence was difficult with the opposition making several blocks and closing off the route to basket.
The score line masks what was a good performance by the Towers, showing improvement on past games whilst also highlighting areas for further work.
MVP: Laura Stalygaite (10 MVP points)
Team: Helen (11), Hiromi (11), Tish (7), Laura S (2) Kelly, Karina, Debbie, Caroline.
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 13-14; Q2: 5-10; Q3: 3-21; Q4: 10-25
Phantoms fail to spook the Towers
2nd November 2011
Home to Farnborough Phantoms
Won 45-34
All the hard work paid off as the Towers secured their first win of the season with some strong team play in a physical encounter with the Farnborough Phantoms.
The first quarter started well with sharp passing and solid defence: a time out was called after 8 minutes to calm the play. At the end of the first Towers were winning 13-5.
Into the second quarter and Laura S picks up her first foul of the game, with the score at 21-9 to the Towers a time out is called again to calm down and work on getting offensive rebounds. After the time out the Towers seemed to only hold on to the ball for 10 seconds before shooting and did not rebound missed shots. Passing remained sharp and at the end of the half Towers were still in the lead: a close scoring quarter 11-10 setting the half time score at 24 -15!
Into the third and Hiromi made a fast break, taking the foul and making both of her free throws, Phantoms managed a 4-0 run to leave the score at 36-23 at the end of the third.
With the biggest play of the night in the fourth quarter, Kelly on a fast break gets the assist from Hiromi, driving straight with a Phantom player dramatically falling out of the way as Kelly scored. Laura S was unfortunately fouled out with just one minute of play left. Final score 45-34 a great game by all of the team and finally a well-deserved win for the Towers.
Overall good defensively although we still need to work on boxing out; we managed 32 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive. Offensively we achieved 12 rebounds out of 50 field goals attempts (24% against a target of 30%).
Our shooting percentage was 38% with 19 out of 50 field shots which is good, our turnovers were kept to 12 which is better than previous games and less than our limit of 15 which is good.
Coach's Comment: "If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful. I don’t think anyone was afraid in tonight’s game – well done."
MVP: Laura Stalygaite (30.5 MVP points)
Team: Helen (15), Laura S (8), Hiromi (6), Laura D (6), Kelly (6), Becky (4), Debbie, Caroline.
Coach: Keith Jarvis
Q1: 13-5; Q2: 11-10; Q3: 12-8; Q4: 9-11
Blackhawks held up against a strong Solent side
21st October 2011
Away to Solent
Lost 56-52
Two Tower players joined the Blackhawk Ladies on an eventful trip to Southampton, for the first National Founders Cup game.
Helen, a regular and reliable asset to the Ladies, brought her usual strength to the game. Tish needed time to blend into the team, but once she did, it resulted in a couple of well-placed assists, and a contribution to the score line. Please see the Ladies 1 page for full report.
Towers start to shine against the Suns
19th October 2011
Home to Aztec Suns
Lost 57-37
Building on the lessons learnt from last week’s game, the Towers squared up to a large Aztec squad with determination in their eyes. Again winning the tip, Towers showed promise, but the Suns quickly came out with all guns blazing and took an early lead with several fast break opportunities. Four minutes into the game, and the Aztecs were leading 2-10. Undeterred, the Towers stood strong on defence, and started to push harder on the offence: Becky and Helen put up shots that easily found the basket, whilst Kelly demonstrated coolness in the key that led to a smooth 2 points. The quarter ended 10-14 to the Suns, with the Towers hot on their heels.
The Towers found their aggression coming out in the second quarter, with Tish driving more and drawing fouls, whilst Helen stormed the basket several times with her signature left hand drive. This quarter belonged to the Towers, with excellent team play and consistently tight defence keeping the Suns out. A breathtaking quarter from the home team: racking up an amazing 12 points to the opposition’s 6, they took the lead at half-time with a game score of 22-20.
A shiver of excitement went through the team as they realised that all their hard work was starting to pay off, and a win was within their grasp. They started the second half confidently, but the half-time break had given the Suns a chance to regroup, and they immediately brought out a full court press on the inbound. It took a while for the Towers to deal with this kind of pressure, but by then the damage was done. Frustration started to show on their faces as they fought to keep the ball: one such situation saw Tish leaving the game with a nosebleed after wrestling for possession. The Aztecs kept up the press, and although the Towers managed to break through 3 or 4 times, they did not take full advantage of the space they invariably created. Thus the Aztecs dominated the third quarter 19-4, and despite the Towers making a fierce comeback in the fourth quarter with 11 points to the 18 scored by the Suns, they were unable to bring it back.
Although the Suns were on the court, it was the Woking team that really shone tonight. There were some brilliant individual performances that came out of a team starting to click. Laura D found her groove under the basket; cheers went up as Laura S put up some powerful shots; Helen confidently put away 3 out 5 free throws, and Becky proved a calming influence on the court as she kept the ball safe. Overall shooting percentage for the team was vastly improved, and Coach Sinnick was pleased to see all the Towers going for the basket. It was certainly a performance to be proud of.
Coach’s Comment: “Best game I have ever seen you girls play.”
MVP: Laura Stalygaite (12.7 MVP points)
Team: Helen (17), Tish (7), Caroline, Becky (4), Debbie, Laura S (5), Kelly (2), Laura D (2).
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 10-14; Q2: 12-6; Q3: 4-19; Q4: 11-18
Towers tumble as Finches descend
12th October 2011
Home to Camberley Finches
Lost 57-19
The first home game for the Towers got underway after a tense moment where the fire alarm threatened to halt all game play. But they kept calm and carried on…
Winning the tip, it seemed like a sure start, but the Towers were unable to come out strong. The Finches took some time to settle into their stride, but once they did, their plays and team connectivity soon pulled the Towers’ defence apart, especially inside the key. Laura S made a big impression with her rebounding, but soon racked up her fouls and had to be taken off for the safety of others on court ;)
The team were practicing some new plays on the Finches tonight, and already these showed promise to become strong and deadly in future games – just some polishing needed.
Karina brought some drive and enthusiasm into the game as usual, whilst Helen played the full game once again, proving to be invaluable to the team as their top scorer. Debbie and Kelly moved well into position during the set plays, but needed to take care of the ball in order to finish them off.
Towers were still having trouble with rebounds: defensively, nearly everyone crashed the boards at some point, but it was only Kelly and Becky that came through on the offensive rebounds. With the large number of fast breaks and strong baskets from the opposition, however, Towers really had nothing to rebound.
The Finches put a lot of pressure on point throughout the game as the ball came to the halfway line. This tested both Tish and Caroline to their limits, and caused some turnovers. With defence getting back slowly, this caused a big problem for the Towers. Only in the last two minutes did Coach Sinnick decide to go to man defence, which proved very successful in usurping the Finches’ plays and gave the Towers some impressive steals. With such an effective defence, the opposition had to resort to outside shots. Towers wanted to win this final quarter: at 8-14, this wasn’t to be the case, but it was certainly their best quarter overall.
With Coach Sinnick pushing Becky to take the shots in the second half, she accepted the challenge, but the shots refused to drop. Then, with 9 seconds left on the clock, Laura D stole a rebound from free throws and moved it to Tish. With a quick pass to Becky by the basket, who swished it in effortlessly, this gave the Towers that long-awaited Nash basket in the final seconds. A classy and high-spirited end to a game that was tough but full of learning curves – with the large number of attempted shots by most members of the team, shot accuracy would have made all the difference.
Coach's Comment: "It was good to see every player becoming an active member of the team...all in all, a very good start to your growth as the Towers that you will become."
MVP: Laura Stalygaite (12 MVP points)
Team: Helen (11), Tish (6), Caroline, Becky (2), Karina, Debbie, Laura S, Kelly, Laura D.
Coach: Paul Sinnick
Q1: 5-17; Q2: 4-8; Q3: 2-18; Q4: 8-14
The Wildcats are set loose amongst the Blackhawks
2nd October 2011
Away to Woodley Wildcats
Lost 47-21
On a hot October evening the Towers travelled to Bulmershe Leisure Centre for the first game of the season against Woodley Wildcats.
The team for the game was Tish, Helen, Laura S, Laura D, Karina, Robyn, Debbie and Kelly.
The game started well as the first quarter got under way, Laura S playing strong defence quickly picking up two fouls: the quarter ended, 9-6 to Woodley.
Into the second quarter and Woodley were playing a varied defence, changing from zone, to man to man of the front three. To start with this threw the Towers, which led to them only scoring 1 basket this quarter to Woodley’s 6, end of quarter Woodley leading 21-8.
The towers had a very good third quarter scoring 9 points to Woodley’s 12, Towers began to play together and Karina’s enthusiasm sparked some energy into the play, end of quarter 33-17 to Woodley.
Laura S came back in the fourth and held onto four fouls playing some very good defence alongside Laura D. However tired legs in the heat took its toll and Towers scored only 4 points to Woodley’s 14 in this quarter giving a final score of Woodley Wildcats 47, Woking Blackhawks Towers 21.
A good game was played by all the Towers team, Tish who only had about 2 min rest throughout the whole game showed good energy throughout. Helen also seemed to enjoy a steady energy boost during the game, with a full forty minutes on court, matching her personal best in this time.
Lots to work on including sharper rebounding and cutting down on the large amount of turnovers before the next game.
Most Valuable Player: Laura Stalygaite (8 MVP points)
Team: Tish (2); Helen (11); Debbie; Karina (6); Kelly; Robyn; Laura D (2); Laura S
Coach: Keith Jarvis
Score: 1st Quarter: 6-9; 2nd Quarter: 2-12; 3rd Quarter: 9-12: 4th Quarter: 4-14
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2011/2012 Season starts October 2011
Training commenced – see right hand side of web page
The Towers took on East Kent, Tandridge and Kingston in the Rosebowl Tournament on Saturday 24th September.
With intensity and passion on both sides, the games were a promise of what is to come this season.
The
sky is the limit.
Match Reports – 2010/2011 Season
Home
to Blackhawks Ladies 1
Lost
22-69
Thanks to
The first four minutes of the 1Q proved ghostly with
no points scored by either team. It soon warmed up with the end of the first
half finishing 8-25. Mmmh. Shooting percentage from
Ladies 1 on the ball reversal stretched Ladies 2 defence. A 9-19 score line in
the 3rd and 5-23 in the 4th left the final score at
22-69. Although Ladies 2 restricted Ladies 1 from scoring as many points as the
previous game, but then didn’t score as many and being frustrated with the
Ladies 1 strong centre / post defensive play keeping Pat from getting easy
opportunities to score. Suzie scored two 3 points with one for Amy.
Experience and consistency of Ladies 1 won-over
convincingly in the end but there was some good play from Ladies 2
particularly those that selflessly produced opportunities for the
open shot for their team mates.
Team: Helen (7); Suzie (6); Becca (4); Amy (3); Pat
(2); Tish, Becky, Laura, Debbie, Kelly
Scores: 1Q:7-16; 2Q: 1-11; 3Q: 9-19; 4Q: 5-23
Away
to Aztec Storm
Lost
48-32
Thanks to the referee and Aztec waited for the
Blackhawks first five to turn up, with some players affected by traffic and
Tish / Pat coming direct from work.
Blackhawks obviously came out to play and get
involved in this game with everyone at least received one foul. The quarter
scores reflect the closeness of this game and the only thing that let Ladies 2
down was the respective teams shooting percentage, which for Blackhawks was one
of the highest in the 2nd half of the season at 40%.
Pat and Hannah connected well with some excellent
passing from Pat, releasing the ball in transition from defence for a fastbreak; 1 from 2 for Hannah with an excellent left hand
lay up beating the Aztec defender going for the charge, and then a brilliant
left hand lay up from Helen. Turnovers were limited to a record 3 and
rebounding was good – 23 defensive and 8 offensive.
Good rebounding, in particular from Laura in the 4th,
together with the fake / drive. Becca also consistently in a shooting position
in the front of the basket but unfortunately with limited success of getting
the points with the ball bobbling around the rim, and an excellent baseline
move in the 3rd for a basket. Hannah, Tish picked up some good drive
and shot pulling up 3m from the basket. Blackhawks with the fake / drive and
not afraid of getting involved saw Aztecs pick up a lot of defensive fouls.
Ladies 2 strived to capitalize on this with 8 points coming from the free throw
line at a percentage also at 40%.
Again Tish used the drive into the space at the top
of the key to score and a couple of outside shots going in. Helen missing a
couple at first got her eye in and achieved a personal best with 11 points including
a 3-pointer. Suzie was very strong playing at point. It was a very good game
for Blackhawks Ladies 2, with some extreme boxing out, leaving space to control
the ball, which would have been out of this world if we jumped to receive the
ball high.
Team: Helen (11); Hannah (11); Tish (5); Becca (5);
Pat (1); Suzie, Laura
Scores: 1Q:12-7 2Q:14-12 3Q:11-5 4Q:8-6
Away
to
Lost
58-39
Woking Blackhawks come off the bench, literally, after some
mind games with enthusiasm but not the sharpness required to sink the good
shooting opportunities and gave away a couple of loose turnovers. Perhaps on
reflection there should have been more shooting practice than exercising the
mind.
Having settled down Ladies 2 started to show the
Panthers we were no easy push over with Helen getting a number of outside shots
and Laura rebounding well and with fake / drive and pass of move showing how to
draw the defence out of position. The first half finished at 27-17. Coach
Jarvis varied the defence which proved useful and interrupted the Panthers flow
winning the 2Q 10-12. Hannah had a flourish of points in the 3rd Q
with 8 points and with Helen with 6 points winning the quarter 12-16. Kelly was
consistently hitting the free mid-zone signaling well for the ball and turning
strongly making a play to the basket. Also there was good work from Becky and
Debbie. Several offences showed how the Blackhawks can team play with everyone
involved with one achieving 8 passes for the open shot which unfortunately didn’t
drop. Shooting percentage was a marked improvement over the previous game at
33%. 25 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive shows we need to be a bit more
attacking on release of our shots.
Blackhawks played man to man in the first 4 minutes
of the 4th Q turning over the Panthers 3 times in a row, with Tish
driving into the space at the top of the zone and one from Hannah bringing the
score to the closest part of the game at 37-42. After that Panthers turned up
the heat, which was hot in the gym as it was, and pulled away with a 12-0 point
run and ending the game 58-39.
A good game from everyone had made the journey to
Team: Hannah (14); Helen (10); Laura Channon (8); Tish (5); Becky, Laura Day, Debbie, Kelly
Scores: 1Q: 17-5 2Q:10-12 3Q:112-16 4Q:20-8
Away
to Woodley Beavers
Lost
64-22
Knowing that this was to be a difficult match
Blackhawks turned up with ten players expecting an end to end match. Sunday
evenings turned out not to be the best to play a tough game. With Woodley
Beavers chasing down every motion of Blackhawks offence we did well to end the
1Q at 17-8 with Hannah, Amy and Becca scoring. The 2Q was just as tough and Blackhawks
could not settle into a rhythm with a one basket from Hannah followed with a
3-point play opportunity and Suzie scoring two points. Shooting percentage was
a key factor in the overall low score ending the half 29-15. In the 3Q
Blackhawks created a number of opportunities with a fake and drive and either
drawing a foul or passing off for the outside shot. Unfortunately free throws
let us down, scoring 4 out of 10 during the quarter. A little demoralized
Blackhawks entered the 4Q with good team play and enthusiasm. The final score
64-22 reflected a the tough game imposed by Woodley,
highlighting the weakness in Blackhawks when under pressure.
Team: Hannah (8); Amy (4); Becca (4); Pat (3); Suzie
(3); Becky, Tish, Laura, Debbie, Kelly
Scores: 1Q: 17-8 2Q: 12-7 3Q: 19-6 4Q:16-2
Home
to Aztec Storm
Lost
43-57
Good game from Blackhawks apart from the 3rd
Q where we all lost our heads a bit which required re-focus, at one point
having 2 guards and 3 post players on which was unusual. In the 1Q defence held
with minimal boxing out ending 10-14 down. Confidence with quick set for the
shot was well executed by Helen, Suzie and Amy. Team shooting percentage for
the game was a good 40%. Unfortunately, Blackhawks lost a player after Jenny
dislocated one of her fingers. You will be please to know everything is now
back to normal. Coach Jarvis used the timeouts to put off the flow of the Aztec
Storm. During the game Blackhawks came up with three 3-pointers one each from
Amy, Tish and Suzie. Well that it what the score sheet records leading to a 30%
shot percentage. In the 3rd Q we did not capitalize on getting the
Aztecs into foul trouble after 4 ½ minutes. During the game Ladies 2 did well
to capture 14 steals whilst keeping turnovers to 15. In the final quarter the
use of a 3-2 set defence following a timeout worked well. The game was light on
rebounding with only 14 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive.
With only 6 fouls for the team during the game it would seem we were not
engaging, but it was a good game.
Team: Pat (12); Amy (9); Suzie (9); Helen (4); Becca
(4); Tish (3); Jenny Ball (2); Debbie Blackburn; Kelly Sinnick
Scores: 1Q: 10-14 2Q: 12-13 3Q: 11-20 4Q: 10-10
Away
to Chiltern Ladies
Lost
45-25
Blackhawks Ladies 2 was put through their paces today
by coach Jarvis with three styles of defence in order to mix it up and keep
Chiltern guessing. In offence there was good fake and drive from Amy, Helen and
Laura with quite a few shots not dropping which lead to 18% team field goal
percentage from 52 shots on basket. Kelly, Jenny and
Becca did well getting back in defence from low post positions. Amy showed her
versatility well
switching between point and shooting guard. Laura played some
excellent 1-1 moves for a pull up jump shot drawing one foul in the process for
a total of 6 points. There was a good 8 points from Becca with good rebounding
and drawing two fouls in the process. During the match there were several out
of the range shots due to inexperience and where fake and drive may have been
more appropriate to get within shooting range. Turnovers were down at 11 with
steals at 4. We had 33 defensive rebounds but perhaps not creating the threat
of the follow up shot with only 8 offensive rebounds. Blackhawks did well from
the free throw line scoring 7 out of 10.
Team: Becca (8); Laura (6); Suzie (5); Helen (4); Amy
(2); Becky Nash; Jenny Baker; Kelly Sinnick
Home
to Woodley Beavers
Lost
40-78
Ladies 2 took their time to come out of working day
reverie and Woodley teased out a demanding lead with a number of fast break
opportunities early on. In the 1st half Helen and Becca picked up
all of 14 points between them ending the half down 14-41. Although Blackhawks were unable to stop the
Woodley fast break they started to combine good passing enabling better shot
selection or 1-1 play to end the game 40-78. Pat arrived in the 2nd
Q and boosted the Blackhawks resistance and the scoring rate. During the game
Blackhawks responded with some fast breaks of their own but did not capitalize
on them by not driving strong and direct to the basket. Best performance was in
the 3rd Q winning it 14-13 with a successful outside shot from Suzie
with Becca and Pat playing well under the basket picking up the other 12
points. With a couple of core players missing tiredness set in during the 4th
Q.
Team: Becca (18); Pat (10); Helen (4); Suzie (2);
Tish (2); Laura (2); Kelly (2); Jenny Baker
Scores: 1Q: 8-22; 2Q: 6-19; 3Q: 14-13; 4Q: 12-24
Away
to Blackhawks Ladies 1
Lost
37-82
Blackhawks Ladies 2 gave a good performance against
their counterparts despite being down a player or two. Hannah hit the first two
points from the free throw line after the first foul of the game by Liliana. Becca’s play inside the
key was outstanding, as top scorer with 18 in the game, scored the other 3
baskets showing that together with enthusiasm and athleticism it was possible
to outwit the Ladies 1 defence. Defence by Ladies 2 was strong with a mix of
man to man and zone, unfortunately, the outside shooting by Ladies 1 won
through ending the first quarter 8-26.
A strong start by Ladies 2 to the second quarter put
the Ladies 1 under pressure picking up 4 fouls under the basket. Up to the 8th
minute of the quarter Hannah, Becca and Kelly had attempts at the free throw
line. The only thing that let Ladies 2 down was their free throws percentage
scoring only 1 from 8. With two baskets from Suzie and one from Hannah in the
last two minutes Ladies 1 collected 9 points against 2 points from Hannah and
as a result the quarter was lost 11-17.
Ladies 2 again
came out strongly in the 3rd with two baskets from Helen and Becca
one. Commanding the top spot for the number of rebounds for the game at 20,
Becca continued her contribution allowing Ladies 2 to recycle the ball a number
of times for a new 24 shot clock. Holding Ladies 1 to only 1 basket until the 7th
minute when they had a run of 9 points without response with Ladies 2 ending
the quarter score down 6-13.
The 4th quarter was a tussle with a
regular exchange of baskets but tired limbs does not stand up to inside / out
play by Ladies 1 who made their outside shots including 2 threes, which drew
the defence, then successfully started to pick off shots under the basket. The
stats show a good spread between all Ladies 2 players, except for the baskets
which was distributed between 4 players, achieving 33% field goal percentage.
18 turnovers was slightly only the high side, with some simple mistakes such as
travelling, but was countered with 8 steals of our own. Coach’s observation is
that the set of skills is held by all players but to compete and develop as a
team making the whole greater than the sum of the parts requires ‘team
practice’. So check out the notices.
Team: Becca (18); Hannah (11); Helen (4); Suzie (4);
Tish; Jenny Baker; Jenny Lacey; Debbie; Kelly
Scores: 1Q: 8-26 2Q: 11-17 3Q: 6-13 4Q: 12-26. Final
Score 37-82
Home
to Chiltern Ladies
Lost
54-55
Oh so close. Blackhawks Ladies 2 produced an
exhilarating game that went to the wire in last seconds of the game. Coach
Jarvis had selected a full team which meant, although a couple of players did
not get much court time, it allowed the Blackhawks to play man to man defence
for the whole game. The defence held well against a strong Chiltern side. A good
first quarter, with a five for five swap at a mid-way
timeout placed
Then came the all-important
third quarter. With Tish shouting encouragement from the side line
the team responded with Becca raking in some excellent rebounds scoring two
baskets in the first three minutes with Hannah and Georgia following up with
good driving and shooting after recycling the ball for a new 24 second shot
clock from rebounds to keep the pressure on Chiltern. Helen rounded off the
quarter with a three pointer of her own with the score at 39-37.
So much happened during this game with both
teams getting into team foul trouble in all but the third quarter; one Chiltern
Ladies player and two Blackhawks getting 5 fouls a piece towards the end of the
game which was played in good competitive spirit. Field goal shooting
percentage was 30% with a really good free throw shooting percentage of 71%. 18
turnovers, slightly high and due to travel or held ball situations, was matched
by 13 steals of our own and rebounding excellence with a total of 40 split
equally between offence / defence.
In the first 5 minutes of the last quarter Chiltern
scored 4 points and Blackhawks extended their lead with 5 points from the free
throw line from Grace and Georgia after Chiltern got into team foul trouble.
Mitch and Becca played excellent defence on Chiltern centre. Timeout by
Chiltern in the seventh minute with the score at 49-43 after a three pointer
from Georgia meant that Chiltern were going to come out with a man to man
press. So head to head with two minutes to go and an exchange for free shots at
either end the score was 51-45. Then Chiltern turned the Blackhawks over on
three occasions and had a run of 7 points, 3 from the free throw line. With
tiredness setting in and a minute to go there was an exchange of forward court
offensive fouls (3 for Chiltern and 1 for Blackhawks). The Blackhawks didn’t
quite manage to pick up every Chiltern player in transition from offence to
defence, despite coach instruction to play a press following a Blackhawks free
throw by Georgia with the score 54-54. So with 15 seconds to go Chiltern guard
hesitated bringing the ball out of their own half, was able to pass the ball to
a colleague at half way line, received the ball back and drove down the right
side line and drew a foul scoring 1 from 2 at the free throw line. No
further opportunities realised any points. Well done everyone including those
who didn’t score.
Team: Hannah (16); Grace (9); Georgia (11);
Helen (5); Becca (4); Suzie (3); Jenny Ball (2); Michelle (2); Becky (2);
Debbie; Jenny Lacey
Scores: 1Q: 11-8, 2Q: 13-20, 3Q:15-9, 4Q: 15-18
Final score 54-55 (lost)
Home
to Winchester Panthers
Lost
34-54
First game in the New Year and
Early on in the game Blackhawks put their man to man
defence to good use and perhaps should have returned to it later in the game to
disrupt the Panthers flow. Helen and Jenny were joint top scorers with 10
points a piece with some good outside shooting. The other points distributed
between Jess, Hannah, Grace and Suzie (although there appears to be a
discrepancy between the score sheet and the stats, with one basket allocated to
Tish – any ideas?).
Team: Helen (10), Jenny (10), Hannah (6), Suzie (4),
Jess (2), Grace (2), Tish, Kelly, Debbie
Scores: 1Q: 4-7 2Q: 5-8 3Q: 13-18 4Q: 12-19
2nd Half of the Season
Home to Chiltern Ladies
Lost 60-68
Coach
‘France’ did well to steer the team through a game against one of the top two
teams in the league, only losing by 8 points.
Sorry,
match report not available. We won the 3rd and 4th
quarters.
Stats,
thanks to Iain, show 37% shot percentage from field and 67% from the free throw
line and 2 from 7 three point shots. With 36 rebounds, 7 assists.
Not so good is 25 turnovers which is too high and
makes it difficult to win a game, albeit we achieved 7 steals to counter.
Team: Grace (24), Hannah (15), Jenny (7), Amy (5),
Becca (4), Suzie (3), Kelly (2), Tish, Becky
Scores:
1Q: 14-20 2Q: 12-22 3Q: 15-13 4Q: 19-13
Away to Camberley
Finches
Won 0 – 20
Game
was defaulted due to no show by the Finches
Home to Woodley Wildcats
Won 58-33
Match
report not available except in so far as to say – well done. Quarter scores
show a sluggish start for Blackhawks Ladies with Woodley leading 12-17 at the
end of the 1Q. 2Q scores must be the lowest for a single quarter this season so
far (9 points to 5) ending 21-22. In the second half
Team:
Grace (28), Amy (8), Jenny Ball (6), Becca (6), Kristen (4), Helen (4), Suzie
(2), Jenny Baker, Kelly.
Scores:
1Q:17-12, 2Q: 9-5, 3Q: 19-7, 4Q: 18-5
Home to Ladies 1
Lost 34-66
In
the 1Q Ladies 2 seemed dazzled by their compatriots’ enthusiasm to stamp their
mark on the game at the outset and win convincingly. Slow to react to quick
passing by Ladies 1 and somewhat staccato in offence with rushed shots led to a
2-18 score line at the end of the 1Q. In the 2Q, having composed themselves
Ladies 2 (‘junior’ or ‘less than senior’) team came back strongly with command
of the backboards by Becca (which was the story throughout the match), good one
on one play from Amy and Helen, and contributing to the score Suzie (‘hook’)
and Hannah to win the quarter 12-8. Score at the end of a free flowing first
half of 14-26.
At
the beginning of the 3Q, Ladies 2 maintained their effort and did well to keep
their compatriots on their toes, which unfortunately they did, with one player
scoring a total of 28 points in the match. The hassling defence from Tish in
the 3Q was excellent although the roaring was noted by the referees. Only
getting to the free throw line once in the match against some tough defence by
Ladies 1 was surprising, and Amy made 1 from 2 at the start of the 3Q followed
up by a further two points. After four minutes Helen shot her first 3 pointer
of the season bringing the score to 22-33. However, after that although Ladies
2 had good shooting opportunities they were not converted into points and
Ladies 1 ran riot with a number of fast breaks with a 16 to 2 points run,
ending the quarter 24-49. The final quarter played out very quickly, Amy taking
an outside shot rather than the clear drive to basket was followed by an
excellent field goal and with another Suzie ‘hook’ ended the game 34-66.
Contributions from Becky and Debbie were also commendable. Well done team.
Team:
Becca (10), Amy (7), Suzie (6), Helen (5), Hannah (4), Tish (2), Debbie, Becky
Scores:
1Q 2-18, 2Q 12-8, 3Q 10-23, 4Q 10-17 Final Score 34-66
Away to Aldworth Arrows
Win 45-46
Blackhawks
Ladies 2 came to the game to continue their winning streak. After turning up on
time the team then had to wait for an hour whilst a previous game finished
late. However, this did not dampen the teams will to win. Blackhawks scored the
first points of the this relatively low scoring game, but Aldworth countered
with a 3 pointer sounding a warning that would need to be addressed in the
latter stages of the match.
The
first half was low scoring ending 18-16 to the Arrows. More focus on spacing
and timing of movement was required to make space and release players for high
percentage shots. The team field goal shooting percentage for the game was
under 30%. This low field goal percentage arose from some tough Arrows defence
against some very good one on one fake and drive by the Blackhawks, which
perhaps should have translated into more trips to the free throw line, but not
in our gift. 26 defensive rebounds with 7 each from Becca and Hannah, 4 from
Helen and Grace was achieved by better boxing-out. The 16 turnovers bordered on
tolerable
In
the third quarter, the Blackhawks changed the game plan and looked to fast
break from the defensive rebound, outlet to the point guard and pressured the
Arrows to get back in defence. Jess led the charge very well helping the team
get a 10-0 points run, and winning the third quarter 4-16 with the score 22-32
to the Blackhawks. Grace scored the first two points, then
Amy and Jess scored 2 out of 2 from the free throw line, followed by Jess and
Hannah from the field.
The
Arrows were down but not beaten and came back strongly in the fourth with two 3
pointers in the first two minutes; another warning. Following a period of play
where Blackhawks continued to play aggressive defensive with some good footwork
and no fouls, well done Amey and Helen as an example. Blackhawks maintained
their lead 30-40 with points from Hannah, Jenny and Grace. The Arrows then ran
down the Blackhawks lead with an 8-0 run of their own ending it with another 3
pointer. This left 4 minutes to go Blackhawks up 38-40. The next few minutes
were manic with Blackhawks, on the receiving end of some good passing Hannah
then made a 3-point play going to the free throw line for the extra point
followed by one out of two free throws from Jess after being fouled driving to
the basket for the third time. But then two and half minutes to go the Arrows
score another 3 pointer.
At a
time-out with 2 minutes to go Blackhawks changed their defence to a box and one
to stop the outside shot. However, a mix up back on court immediately following
the time-out allowed the Arrows to gain an easy inside shot for two points
leaving the score at 43-44. In the last minute and a half Tish defended very
well against the Arrows outside shooter preventing her opponent from receiving
a pass. Then an assist from Tish low on the right hand side found Hannah in the
middle of the key for two points over the ring. Arrows came back in the last 30
seconds with two points and tried to the stop the clock with a foul in
transition, but the Blackhawks held on well for a deserved win 45-46.
Team:
Hannah (17), Jess (12), Grace (8), Jenny Ball (3), Amy (2), Helen (2), Becca
(2), Kristen, Tish
Scores:1Q; 12-11, 2Q;6-5, 3Q; 4-16, 4Q; 23-14
Home to Reading Rockets
Win 60-36
Blackhawks
almost had a full squad on the bench and a first game for Debbie who scored 1
from 2. There was a good contribution from everyone to the overall performance
- well done. In offence, there was good movement off the ball and Blackhawks
ended the first quarter with a marginal lead of 4 points. Blackhawks keen to
fast break occasionally got ahead of themselves with
some sloppy long range passing which contributed to the high tally of turnovers
(20) in transition from defence to offence. Despite the high number of
turnovers Blackhawks held the Rockets to only 3 points in the second quarter
and 6 points in the third by rallying with 19 steals of their own throughout
the game; a season high. Helen and Becca rebounded well both getting into
double figures. During the third and continuing in the fourth quarter
Blackhawks consistently penetrated the Rockets key to get good shot selection
in the high percentage zone.
Overall
team shooting percentage was 38% from the field, achieving 50% within the key,
with a good number of assists with one in the last seconds of the game from
Tish to Hannah for a shot in front of the basket. Free throw percentage was
41%.
Team:
Hannah (22), Grace (10), Jenny Ball (8), Amy (6), Kristen (6), Helen (4), Tish
(2), Debbie (2)
Scores:1Q; 18-14, 2Q;13-3, 3Q; 15-6, 4Q; 14-13
Away to Aztec Storm
Lost 36-32
Blackhawks started the game with attitude
against a strong individual team with a defence preventing players easily
cutting through the zone, boxing out and rebounding. Down only by 3 at the end
of the 1Q the Storm was in shock. Ladies 2 made sure they were not giving up
the opportunity to win the game and held the Storm point for point in the 2nd
and 3rd Qs. To only get to the free throw line 7 times throughout
the whole game, and with a free throw 57% shooting percentage, was unfortunate
considering the battering that was being handed out by the Storm. This pressure
did not end with a double technical (one each way) 3 minutes before half time.
Ladies 2 spread their wings in this game and pulled down 33 defensive rebounds and
14 offensive rebounds. Together with a season record of 14 steals and 4 blocks
this was a game of jamming the Storms direction. Although turnovers were higher
than normal this was due to the intense pressure in offense under the offensive
basket rather than in transition play, this unfortunately led to a low field
goal shooting percentage. Well done to all that played.
Team: Jenny Ball (12), Pat M (7), Grace S (6),
Hannah (3), Kristen (2), Jenny Baker (2), Kelly S, Becca L
Scores:1Q 11-8; 2Q 5-5;
3Q 8-8; 4Q 12-11 Final Score: 36-32
Home to Woodley Beavers
Won 58-49
An
exciting game to win which the Blackhawks Ladies should be proud. Good first
quarter put Blackhawks in a comfortable position up by 6 points with Jess,
Hannah and
The
home support was very welcome, thank youJ.
Team:
Grace (20), Hannah (10),
Scores:
1Q: 20-14 2Q: 15-13 3Q: 12-9 4Q:11-13 Final score 58-49
Away to Farnborough Phantoms
Won 45-76
Team:
Emilee (17), Hannah (15), Jess (14), Grace (10), Helen (8), Jenny (7), Tish
(4), Becca (1), Kelly
Scores:
1Q: 8-14; 2Q: 7-18; 3Q: 18-18; 4Q: 13-26 Final Score 45-76
Away to
Lost 56-43
A
hard fought first game with only 7 baskets between winning and losing. The
Blackhawks offence was good for a team playing together for the first time.
Passing and shot selection was good but accuracy wasn’t with a field goal
percentage of 30%. Good effort from everyone with some good performances. See
stats sheets for individual performances.
Team:
Hannah (15), Emilee (8), Becca (8), Helen (6), Georgia (5), Amy (1), Tish,
Becky.
Scores:
1Q: 17-13 2Q: 15-10 3Q: 9-10 4Q:15-10 Final score 56-43