Sunday 21 March 2010

Blackhawks beaten by the Force

Losing 52-79

 

Monday 8 March 2010

Blackhawks Away Trip to Aldworth in Wessex Cup

Win 31-57

 

Sunday 7 March 2010

Blackhawks win over Storm

69-30

 

Saturday 27 February 2010

Blackhawks suppressed by the Force

Losing 52-82

Woking did not awaken during the first 6 minutes of the game with a poor field goal shooting percentage and not picking off the offensive rebounds except for Jess with four rebounds. With 2 ˝  minutes to go Woking with 3 from 13 field goals did not help themselves with turnovers ending the first quarter 12-20 down. The second quarter was much improved on defence but not scoring in the first 5 minutes. Down 12-29 Woking started to wake up with Christina with 5 points and having the opportunity with a 3-point play and Emily, Sophie also contributing to the score. Woking held the Force to 4 point gain until the last minute when a sequence of errors contributing to team fouls, a turnover and 3 second violation left Woking down 24-38 at half time.

 

In the third quarter Woking regained their composure, limited their turnovers to three for the whole quarter and started to pass the ball to the free player and with good one on one individual drives to the basket from Emily. The third quarter was held at 22-23 with both Emily and Maria getting back in defence to strip Birmingham of the ball. Unfortunately this momentum wasn’t carried forward into the fourth with Woking losing their way, with a further 9 turnovers (27 in total), and although achieving a 40% field goal percentage only had 16 offensive rebounds.

 

Final score 52-82 illustrated by not playing focused defence on one Force player in particular with 28 points allowed the Force to have a comfortable game. Woking gave away 20 fouls 50% of which were on the shooter allowing Birmingham to go to the free throw line but only achieved fortunately 12 from 28.

 

Quarter scores: 1Q 12-20 2Q 12-18 3Q 22-23 4Q 6-21

Scorers: Jess 12, Sophie 12, Georgia 8, Emily 7, Christina 5, Sian 4, Amy D 2, Maria 2, Kristen, Miriam

 

 

Wednesday 17th February 2010

Wessex Cup

                                                           Versus Reading Rockets      

Woking keep running and beat battling Reading by 30, 72 – 42

 

Woking U-18 girls remained undefeated in the Wessex Cup competition surpassing a well-prepared Reading team. The Blackhawks did not take long to start running and from the 1st quarter it was clear the Rockets would have to do all the catching up. Good passing into the lane & numerous fast breaks created high percentage shots which the Blackhawks exploited all throughout the game.

 

The 3 guards, Jess, Sian & Christina were on a good passing day and created a lot of good offences most of which Emilee & Hannah translated into points. Reading kept pressing but Woking responded well with limited turnovers. Continuous pressing put a lot of Reading players into foul trouble and with 4 players fouled out, the Rockets had to finish the game playing with 4 players during the last 2 minutes.

 

Emilee had a great game with 27 points (her season high) shooting 85% from the field also grabbing 9 rebounds, Christina with 66% from the field and with Hannah added 15 (50%) and a 7/10 free throw performance. Overall team field goal shooting percentage was 51% and 45% from the free throw line.

 

Quarter scores: 19-7, 17-10, 17-17, 19-8

 

Scorers: E. Jones 27, H. Jarvis 15, S. Mills 8, C. Anagnostopoulos 8, J. Lawrence 6, M. Gomez 4, A. Dean 2, Z. Cooke 2, S. Betts, A. Peacock.

 

Sunday 14th February 2010

Blackhawks U18s Hold Strong Against Lightning Recovery

And Win 71-69

Blackhawks hold their own for a Valentines day victory over league rivals Northants 71-69!

 

Both teams knew this was going to be a tough game and also quite an important one for the standings in the NL table. Woking managed to keep the home court record intact against the Lightning which may prove decisive in the final positioning of the 2 teams, come playoff time. There will be 3 things the Woking girls will end up remembering from this game. First, their immaculate 15-0 start, which their opponents never fully recovered from. Second, the 3rd quarter was actually decisive from a positive viewpoint (for a change) as it kept & increased the point margin to a double digit level. Third, Kristen's cool hand, sinking both crucial free throws with just seconds left, putting the game - finally - out of reach for the Northants.

 

The Woking girls came into the game quite determined and after their wide lead (15-0 at the 5th min, 19-2 at the 8th min) they started losing a bit of focus while Northants started hitting some of their shots. Woking went pointless for about 6 minutes (from 19-2 to 19-14) when a 3-pointer from Christina served as a mini-wake up call. Northants returned immediately with a 3-pointer of their own. With the point margin back to single digits, half time ended 38-31 for Woking.

 

The 3rd quarter started slow up to the point where the Blackhawks went for a 9-0 run, from the 27th to the 28th minute, opening up a 16 point margin again (55-39). 4th quarter was mostly about game management with Woking keeping a double digit margin up to the 37th min and then winding down the clock. Jess, helped by Sian & Christina managed the time well with minimum turnovers but Northants, credit to them, did not give up and kept coming back cutting down the difference to 2 when Kristen was fouled with 9 seconds to go. Her only 2 points of the night were the most important ones, coming from the line with all the pressure on her.

 

Sian had an excellent game with 17 points with good shooting and fast breaking off steals. Jess had another excellent game raising up to the challenge and also scoring 14 points. Georgia & Emilee dominated the boards. Overall, a very inspiring performance and well done to all the girls for their spirit, on & off the court. The final difference could have been a bit wider but today's game was clearly one of the highlights of our season.

 

Game record: Minutes played by a single player Sian Mills – Whole Match of 40 mins.

 

Quarter Scores: 19-7, 19-24, 19-15, 14-23

 

scorers:, S. Mills 17, J. Lawrence 14, S. Alexander 13, G. France 10, C. Anagnostopoulos 9, E. Jones 2, K. Amey 2, H. Jarvis 2, M. Hargreaves, A. Dean.

 

 

Saturday 13th February 2010

Wessex Cup

Blackhawks U18s Play U16s Team

And Win 23-79

 

A good pre-game warm up was necessary on this cold morning at Woking High School. The u18s took the opportunity to show they could count to ten in three different languages, almost four, before the opposition coach Phil Parry showed them all up by counting in japanese(?).

The U18s started off a little hesitantly and unfocused in finishing their shots ending the first quarter up 4-16.

In the second the team got into a rhythm focusing on transition from defence using a good outlet and filling the lanes avoiding turnovers; and ending the second quarter 6-39.

During the game the team took the opportunity to drill each of the offensive plays and although several forgetful off the ball movements occurred the passing was good and field goal shooting was 45% due to the first quarter. Good support from the team bench with Amy P reminding those that didn’t follow their shots. Substitutions were made frequently to keep every one in a game which proved to be a good run out ahead of a tougher NL game on Sunday.

The third quarter flew past with a quarter score 6-18 with one time out called to remind the court players of blue. Notable highlights were good positioning by Amy D for receiving passes and putting away 10 points; Sam, once she had finished her sandwichJ scored 7 points under the boards, Georgia with a double-double 12 points and 10 rebounds, Emilee running amok with 18 points together with Christina 8 points and both with 2 from 2 from the free throw line. Sian came away with four assists, two steals and 8 points.

The U16s showed good heart and used the give ‘n’ go effectively with some good medium range field goals.

 

Quarter Scores: Q1 4-16 Q2 2-23 Q3 6-18 Q4 11-22 Final score 23-79

Scorers: Emilee 18, Georgia 12, Amy D 10, Christina 8, Hannah 8, Sian 8, Sam, 7, Kristen 6, Amy P 2

 

 

 

Saturday 6th February 2010

Blackhawks victims of the "3rd Quarter Spell"

Fall to the Birmingham Force 71-57

 

Woking made the long trip to Birmingham to play the Force and trying to get over the difficult game of last week. It proved to be a tough game from the beginning, regardless of who held the lead. Woking started strong and took the initial lead up to the 5th minute, only to relinquish it in the end of the quarter due to a Birmingham 10-0 run. 2nd quarter ran close with Woking holding the lead up to the 17th minute when the Force went for another 10-0 spell with the Blackhawks answering with a mini 5-0 run themselves, closing the half time score to 29-26 for the home team. The Force did not have an answer for Woking's closed zone defence as their outside shooting were clearly off the mark and Woking's good rebounding were denying them many second shot opportunities.

We will not repeat the usual story about the 3rd quarters but we just hope that in one of the following games we can report how we "won" a game then and not how we "lost" it. Blackhawks showed remarkable resilience and managed a comeback in the beginning of the 4th period with a 9-2 run cutting the difference to -6 (49-55) in the 34th minute. At that point the Force took a more defensive initiative and created some steals leading to fast break baskets, coupled with some strong penetrations to the baskets from the top key position by their main point guard. Final score saw Birmigham beating Woking by 14, even though the game felt much closer than that.

Good game control & strong rebounding helped Woking stay close but a lot of the outside shooting was off the mark. A few easy lay-ups missed and some bad shooting decisions in the 3rd & 4th quarters were critical but Woking showed the strength to bounce back after a very difficult defeat last week. Noteworthy statistics included: a) Sophie's leading 18 points b) Georgia's strong double-double with 13 points (6/9 shooting) & 14 rebounds &  c) Jess' all-around play with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals & 2 assists but also 6 turnovers.

 

Quarter scores: 13-8, 16-18, 24-17, 18-16

 

Scorers: S. Alexander 18, J. Lawrence 15, G. France 13, C. Anagnostopoulos 5, E. Jones 2, K. Amey 2, A. Dean 2, Z. Cooke.

 

Sunday 31 January 2010 Home versus Solent Suns

Blackhawks Under Pressure from Solent

Lose 42-106

An intense first 5 minutes of the 1Q the Blackhawks managed to soak up the pressure defence holding the Suns to a 8-11 lead. Suddenly the Suns stepped up a gear with a 0-24 run broken only by two visits to the free throw line by Woking. With the damage done the 2Q was more even with the quarter score at 19-20.

The third quarter came round too quickly with several unforced errors making it more difficult for the Blackhawks score with Sophie hitting 9 of the 11 points. With tiredness setting the Suns ran away with the fourth 4-34. Overall team field goal shooting at 43% and 38% from the free throw line came from too few opportunities. Notable efforts from Jess at point, Sophie with 19 points and Georgia with ten defensive rebounds in a tough game.

Quarter scores: Q1 8-35, Q2 19-20, Q3 11-18 Q4 4-33

 

Scorers: Sophie 19, Georgia 7, Hannah 6, Jess 6, Sian 2, Emilee 2, Zoe, Amy, Marian, Miriam

 

Sunday 24 January 2010 Away versus Bristol Storm

Blackhawks travel well

And Win 20-61

Places Blackhawks equal points difference to Birmingham Force (who beat Solent Suns by 27 points)

The U-18 Blackhawk ladies undertook the long trip to Bristol to face the Storm, in the first away trip of the year. The large score differential of the first home game against the Storm maybe did not help the players focus enough to match it. However, one of the lessons from today's game is that running our transition and offence plays more often is key to our success.

The Blackhawks challenged Bristol's outside shooting from the start by giving them enough space in the perimeter to move the ball around but this also created longer attacking efforts from Bristol and while the game's fate was never in doubt, the point difference was not as great as our first game. First half went by a bit sleepily and the Blackhawks woke up really during the 3rd quarter where they pressed the opponents at the 3/4 of the court. The result was an impressive 22-0 for the quarter, putting the game away for good, and the 4th quarter was a formality.

For the second time in a row (after the mid-week cup game) we shot > 50% at the free throw line which is a good improvement. We also had  fewer turnovers (14), most of which were in the first half.  Jess led the scorers for the first time this season with 12 points while Hannah J. had a solid double-double with 10 points & 10 rebounds. Great all-around play by Emilee (with 6 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals & 1 block); and a solid contribution by Maria (7 points with 3/7 from the field, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals & 1 block). Georgia & Sian made a great effort, especially in defence.

Quarter scores: 10-4, 18-7, 22-0, 11-9

Scorers: J. Lawrence 12, S. Mills 10, G. France 10, H. Jarvis 10, E. Jones 6, M. Gomez 7, K. Amey 4, Z. Cooke 2,  C. Anagnostopoulos, H. Simpson.

Wessex Junior Cup

Wednesday 20 January 2010 Home versus Aldworth Arrows

Blackhawks 2nd Win of 2010

Win 49-34

Woking U18 Ladies 2nd win of 2010 came in the Wessex Junior Cup. Aldworth Arrows tested Woking’s defence throughout the game but it wasn’t enough to outscore the Blackhawks. The whole team of nine got to play their part including Sam and Amy P. With Georgia’s first game back from injury taking 14 out of the team’s 39 defensive rebounds and scoring 8 points.

Overall field goal percentage on the night was 35% with at least 10 further chances drawing the fouls and getting to the free throw line with a three point play from Hannah J in the first quarter.

With good point contributions also from Emily, Sian, Zoe and Amy D in the first and second quarters the points tally rose steadily with the score at 29-15 at the end of the first half.

Lessons to be learnt though include too many turnovers from hopeful passing and the need to attack the offensive boards to collect second scoring opportunities.

The third quarter was more evenly matched with three Aldworth players taking most of the scoring opportunities and then winning the fourth quarter by two points.

Good hustle in defence from everyone including Sam, Hannah S and Amy P, with alot of defensive pressure on the shot spilling over into seven free throw opportunities handed to Aldworth.

Woking’s free throw percentage was 55%.

 

 Quarter Scores: 14-8 , 15-7 , 12-9 , 8-10

 

Scorers: Sian 13, Emily 12, Hannah J 8, Georgia 8, Zoe 6, Amy D 2, Hannah S, Sam, Amy P

 

 

Sunday 17 January 2010 Home versus Hinckley and Bosworth Ladies Hoops

Blackhawks Good Start to 2010

Win 65 – 38

It was close to a full month ago that the Blackhawks had their last game due to the festive period and the weather issues. It was important to return to the winning ways and tie for second place in the group's standings. 1st quarter started nervously with Woking establishing a lead from the very beginning and showing to the Lady Hoops that they would have to work hard to stay close in the score. Hannah J. carried the burden during this period scoring half the team's points and finding herself in the right spots & profiting from looseballs & offensive rebounds. 2nd quarter went in a similar fashion with Maria getting a lot of rebounds and limiting the Lady Hoops second shots. During the 3rd quarter the Blackhawks lost focus and allowed the opposition to have a go at it and despite Sian's outside scoring, Hinckley & Bosworth took the quarter by 1 point. This was the signal the Blackhawks needed to wake up and they played some really good & effective basketball in the 4th quarter putting again the game out of reach early in the period. Emilee, Jess & Kristen led this effort.

Despite the absence of 3 forwards/centers due to injury, Woking were still able to field 11 players and they were all up to show their skills. With continuous changes between zones & man to man defences, it was difficult for the Lady Hoops to adjust quickly to the pace.  9 from Woking's 11 players went on the score sheet for a very balanced point distribution, showing a number of attacking options.  Also, worthy of mention were Hannah J.'s 14 & Maria's 10 rebounds, Emilee's tireless contribution at both ends while feeling poorly, good passing from Sian & Kristen & Jess' relentless play direction. Limited turnovers (compared to most of previous games) & a season-high of 61 rebounds ensured Blackhawks a comfortable victory.

Scores: 15-4, 16-8, 16-17, 18-9

Scorers:E. Jones 8, K. Amey 8, S. Mills 14, J. Lawrence 12, H. Jarvis 9, C. Anagnostopoulos 6, M. Gomez 5, Z. Cooke 2, H. Simpson 1, S. Betts, A. Dean.

Saturday 12 December 2009 Away versus Northants Lightning

Blackhawks Burnt by Lightning

And Lose 71-47

It was a tough away trip from the start for the Blackhawks as they had to deal with absences & only 8 players available to take on Northants Lightning. Given the circumstances, it was a very interesting game up to the end of the 3rd quarter where Woking was able to stay close to the score before the Lightning streaked away in the 4th.

After a nervous 1st quarter that finished 19-12 for the home team, the Blackhawks fought back hard in the 2nd period and cut the margin to a minimum (23-22) in the 17th minute, and won the quarter by 1 point (12-13) helped by a last minute 3-pointer by Christina, the only one for Woking. Third quarter was also a close encounter with Woking cutting the points difference to 5 at the 27th minute (40-35) finishing the period at -9 (48-39).

By then, tiredness had already kicked in and that was obvious in Woking's weaknesses in defence where the opposition were winning second shot opportunities in most of their attempts. By early in the 4th quarter Sian was already fouled out while Northants' captain went on to score 16 of her team's 23 points in that last quarter.

It was difficult for Woking to expect anything better from this game with a disappointing 4/19 from the free throw line and with giving up so many defensive rebounds, to the paradox that the defensive rebounds being fewer than half of the offensive ones. On the positive front, the fighting spirit all girls showed, knowing that a couple of players were missing was great. Christina led the Woking scorers with 12 points while Kristen added 10 points, the only 2 Blackhawks in double figures.

 Quarter scores: 19-12, 12-13, 17-14, 23-8

 Scorers: C. Anagnostopoulos 12, K. Amey 10, J. Lawrence 9, H. Jarvis 6, S. Mills 4, E. Jones 4, Z. Cooke 2, A. Dean.

 

Sunday 22 November 2009 Home versus Bristol Storm

Blackhawks Fly into the Storm

And Win 118-27

The Blackhawks were coming into the game after a week with no practice but it didn't show; actually all players played with such great appetite to make this a great game to remember as Woking surpassed the psychological barrier of 100 points for the first time. The Bristol Storm brought a new squad and - to their credit - they kept up their enthusiasm and their game effort throughout the game. The level of the two teams was such that this would not be a close game. Bristol scored the first basket of the game but that was the last time they were ahead as the Blackhawks picked up a frenetic rhythm after the first couple of minutes and did not let go up to the end. With the exception of the 2nd quarter where Woking scored 23 points, in each of the other quarters the Blackhawks scored 30+ points, offering a good and continuous show to the game spectators.

 Noteworthy of mention were Blackhawks 60% shooting from the field, attempting a dazzling 95 shots & with most players shooting better than 50%. Still, our free throw percentage was a low 31% (4/13). A great rebounding performance with 53, evenly spread between offence & defence, giving Woking many second shots. A season high of 17 assists showed a good improvement of passing skills, while 14 steals showed the continuous defensive effort. Only 13 turnovers this time - season low for now - and we need to find ways to stay at these levels when playing against stronger opposition.

 Georgia scored the "99-to-101" basket amongst quite a few others and finished with a "double - double", 18 points & 14 rebounds. Sian led the scoring with 23, scoring at will at times, adding a team-high of 4 steals. Jess added 17 points & 8 rebounds, of which 6 offensive ones. Hannah had a great game scoring 18 points shooting 75% from the field and playing with self-confidence. Emilee had her usual good game with 11 points and 8 rebounds and a great hustle. Sophie added 16 points & 6 rebounds with some great offensive moves. Christina added 9 points and a team-high (together with Sian) of 4 assists covering the point guard well. Kristen and Amy also played with greater confidence and made a positive team contribution. Maria, in her first game with the team, had 6 defensive rebounds and scoring 2 points.

Great defence and good offensive passing and shot selection made this game easy. Well done to the whole team.

Quarter scores: Q1: 31-2, Q2: 23-12, Q3: 33-6, Q4: 31-7

 Scorers: S. Mills 23, H. Jarvis 18, G. France 18, J. Lawrence 17, S. Alexander 16, E. Jones 11, K. Amey 4, C. Anagnostopoulos 9, A. Dean, M. Gomez 2

 

 

Sunday 1 November 2009 Away versus Hinckley & Bosworth Hoops

Blackhawks Swoop Away the Hoops

With a Win 57-65

Blackhawks travelled all the way up to Leicester for their furthest away match of the season to face the Hinckley & Bosworth Lady Hoops on Sunday, Nov 1.

During the whole of the 1st quarter, Blackhawks were not really in the game as we seemed dazed from the long trip. Many rebounds were lost, easy shots and Blackhawks were in foul trouble by the 7th minute. The quarter finished 11-20 for the Lady Hoops.

2nd quarter was better as Blackhawks changed to man to man defence and surprised the opposition with tougher defence and a series of baskets by Jess, Sian, Kristen & Hannah J including a 13-0 run in the middle of the quarter. Final half time score was 34-30 for Woking.

The dreaded 3rd quarter when games are won or lost, the Blackhawks decided it wasn’t going to be a bad day for them and increased the points difference by playing man to man defence and limiting the Lady Hoops to only 8 points while forcing numerous turnovers. Georgia was dominant during this quarter both on the rebounds and on baskets scored. Point difference touched +15 at some point with the quarter ending 38-49 to the Blackhawks.

4th quarter was more game & score management as Blackhawks increased the difference to +19 with another 10-3 run in the first 3 minutes, driven by Christina, Georgia and Amy. Hanna Simpson & Amy D made an excellent contribution, especially in defence, during this final quarter. Towards the end the Blackhawks started losing their focus and managed just 1 basket in the last 5 minutes of the game, allowing the Lady Hoops to close the game with a single digit differential. Final score 57-65 to the Blackhawks.

 Overall, it was a game with ups and downs, which the Blackhawks could have won with a wider margin if the team were awake during the 1st quarter and kept  concentration towards the end of the game. Nevertheless there were quite a few moments in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters where the team showed their real potential. Much better shooting percentages (47% from the field) helped a lot as well as an overall good rebounding game (41 in total) though the number should have really been quite higher. 32 turnovers were again very high with lazy passing amongst other things including instances of travelling / three seconds violations.

 Georgia had a double-double with 10 points & 10 rebounds, while Sian led our scorers with 16, both girls with very good shooting percentages. Kristen had a solid game (including a 3-pointer) while Jess dominated the point guard position as well as shooting well. Emilee was our non-stoppable motor once more giving huge amounts of energy to the game, but lacked accuracy when at the foul line. Hannah J also had a sound game with good baskets & some crucial boards while Christina managed a couple of downtown shots from outside in the 4th qr. Amy played confidently and contributed a couple of good baskets while also being strong in defence. Hannah S played more minutes this time and played them very well, with positive defence as well as good movement in offence.

Quarter Scores: 1Q: 20-11 2Q: 10-23 3Q: 6-17 4Q: 21-14

 Scorers: S. Mills 16, J. Lawrence 10, G. France 10, K. Amey 8, H. Jarvis 8, E. Jones 4, C. Anagnostopoulos 5, A. Dean 4, H. Simpson.

 

Sunday 25 October 2009 versus Northants Lightning

Blackhawks Repel the Lightning

With a Win 70-57

First home game of the season and it was clear that the U18 Ladies Woking Blackhawks were more settled with a complete line-up including 3 new signings, Sian Mills, Georgia France and Hannah Simpson.

The game against Northants Lightning was a close one from the beginning. Blackhawks started with a man-to-man defence, switching to a 2-1-2 zone to test the opponents' outside shooting and movement. Proving to be a smart move as the Lightning’s percentage was off the mark and Blackhawks led by a small margin for most of the first quarter.

Kristen started off the scoring with the first basket of the game followed by a steady points tally from Sian, Emillee, Sophie and Hannah J. In the second quarter the Blackhawks continued to apply the pressure well with some good penetration moves and inside passing and also led the Lightning into foul trouble in both quarters.

Second half started with the same starting five, with a 3-2 zone to track down the Lightning’s first pass. Defence was the key part of the game as we grabbed a total of 36 rebounds and stole the ball 22 times!! Blackhawks increased there lead up to +14 at one point with the score at 52-44 at the close. In the fourth the Lightning struck back, and with turnovers and defensive fouls the Lightning trimmed down the difference to +4 and then to 3 with 3 minutes to go.

By then, Blackhawks had lost 3 of its starting five with fouls and the thin margin had to be protected through intelligent possession, a good shot selection and making free throws. With a run of 7 points contributed by Emillee, Christina, and Sophie the score was back to +10. By the close it was +13 with Amy scoring the last point of the game from the free throw line.

The positive stats more than counterbalanced our low shooting percentages (31% from the field & 46% from the line) and 27 turnovers. All these areas were an improvement over the last game.

A well-deserved first win of the season.

Worthy of mention: Emilee's 24 rebounds, Jess' 12 steals, Sian's 19 points in her first game with the team & Christina's ball-handling and 2 key shots in the last 2 minutes. Also a special thanks to Sophie while missing practice contributed a double-double (12 points & 11 rebounds). Georgia had a positive first game with 6 points and 100% from the free throw line and Hannah S. made a positive contribution including an assist to Sophie on a fast break.

Quarter scores: 15-14, 16-13, 21-17, 18-13

Top scorer Sian (19) Team MVP Total (85)

S Mills (19), S Alexander (12), J Lawrence (11), E Jones (7), C. Anagnostopoulos (6), G France (6),

H Jarvis (4), K Amey (4), A Dean (1), H Simpson

 

 

Saturday 10 October 2009 Away versus Solent Suns

The Blackhawks Scorched by the Suns

 

Tough start for the season, as we had expected. Due to injuries & some late registrations we could only feature a 7-member squad against a well prepared opposition.

 

The game was hard from the start with opponents, Solent Suns, applying full court press, testing Blackhawks resilience and composure. The Blackhawks fought very hard but the continuous pressing caused a number of turnovers, mainly in passing, which slowly & steadily decided the fate of this game. By half time, Blackhawks had enough TO’s for the whole game, so the game was almost out of reach at 38-19.

 

With only 2 subs available Blackhawks were obliged to play zone defence and managed to keep a fight going against the Solent Suns press up to the end of the third quarter with the score 50-26.

 

In the fourth, the point difference increased reflecting our tiredness.

 

All players worked very hard & despite the tough score line, Blackhawks did well, given the circumstances. With only one point guard (Jess), with Christina assisting at times, it was hard to withstand a full court press for the first 3 quarters. With Miriam recovering from ankle injury, Emilee (herself fighting a foot injury) had to undertake double work under the basket for most of the game. Our guards & forwards (Kristen, Hannah, Amy & Christina) kept the Solent Suns defence busy causing them to commit many fouls with Solent having team fouls practically mid-quarter, each of the first 3 quarters.

 

The team scored only 24% from the field and had 35 TO’s.

 

Jess showed great resilience & desire in trying to break the tough press defence throughout. She caused the most problems to the opposing defence, as well as grabbing 5 defensive rebounds. Hannah ran exhaustively and was the only one with a 50% field goal percentage during an off-shooting game for the team, adding also 7 rebounds. Kristen also showed great enthusiasm to do well. Amy was very valuable coming off the bench and had a great shot selection. Christina tried hard & was cool on the free throw line (63%). Emilee created good offensive moves, and gathered 6 rebounds. Miriam, played more minutes than anticipated & had a positive rebounding contribution (6) and a good court presence.

 

Overall, Blackhawks gave what they could to this game, and with lessons learnt will be moving forward with greater confidence.

 

Quarter Scores: 1Q 15-6 2Q 23-13 3Q 12-7 4Q 26-8

Top Scorer Christina (9). Team MVP Total (10.8)

C. Anagnostopoulos 9, J. Lawrence 7, E. Jones 7, H. Jarvis 7, K. Amey 2, A. Dean 2, M. Hargreaves.