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Hartlepool Hornets A 83-107 Tees United Lions A

There were only 6 players at the start of the game for Lions, with the seventh in Carlos Alemanno arriving in time for the fourth quarter to help wrap things up.

 

Lions took the lead through Luke Thompson as Alex Moore found his team mate open with a nice pass. Steve Butler hit a jump shot shortly after for a 4-0 lead. In the third minute, Hornets opened their account via a 3 pointer from Richard Baister but Lions James Burton was quick to respond with two 3 pointers in succession. In the first six minutes there were four 3 pointers as Lee Norton joined in the act to bring the Hornets within 4 points, 8-12. Lions were playing good defence, especially Steve Butler and Stu Davison who worked hard at the top of the key. By the eighth minute good play from the Hornets, especially the inside work of Michael James gave the home team the lead, although it was short lived as Lions Steve Butler conjured up six consecutive points to give Lions a 13-20 score at the end of the first quarter. Butler was proving a valuable asset for the Lions being the heart beat of their defence, although his offence was tarnished by a few missed shots.

 

The 3 point shooting was to be a significant feature of this game as Butler and Thompson emerged accurate from behind the line, as did Lee Norton for Hornets. By the fourth minute Lions had crept ahead by 10 points, 22-32 when Bruce Marshall chipped in with a 3 pointer, his only scoring contribution of the game. In the seventh minute David Whitney entered the game for James Burton and had an immediate effect as he hit two long range shots to further increase the agony for Hornets. Burton came back on to hit his third 3 of the game with two minutes remaining in the half and Lions were looking good for their money but a strong finish by Hornets, inspired by Steve Harrington, including an And 1 play and a 3 pointer, brought the home team to within 5 points, 42-47.

 

The third quarter was a good start for the Hornets as they opened a 7-0 run to take a 2 point lead. James was proving a handful inside, especially for Lions without their big man, Alemanno. Tyrone Thomas was also beginning to come to life. Lions regained their lead in the third minute as the impressive Thompson weaved his way through the Hornets for a floating shot and Moore and Butler followed in with 3 of 4 free throws, Butler missing his first attempt. Lions now had a 4 point lead, but Hornets were not keen to settle and came back with James and Thomas finding the target to re-tie the game 53-53. At the mid way point of the third, Lions found the net with 3 pointers from Butler and Burton. Butler's first quarter misses a distant memory as the shooting guard more than made amends with not only his points but his superb and energetic defence. By the end of the third quarter Lions were in front 65-71 with the introduction of 6'10 Alemanno still to come.

 

Alemanno entered the game for the fourth and final quarter and provided a sense of security on defence as the big man's presence limited Hornets to outside shooting. Alemanno's presence on offence was also in effect from the off as he grabbed an offensive rebound in the first minute and was fouled on the put back. The basket didn't count but he converted both free throws and on the next play, Alemanno stole the ball and passed the assist to the running Butler to regain their 10 point cushion.

 

Quiet on the scoring front but by no means on the defensive end, Alex Moore was proving indispensable for Lions. The versatile guard played the whole game at the back and handled himself very well. Moore also proved his passing ability as he penetrated the defence to draw in the defenders and dish off the pass to the cutting Thompson and Butler.

 

Tyrone Thomas was the only player to provide any substantial input for Hornets in the fourth quarter with Butler's marking of Lee Norton minimising his scoring to just 5 points. Thomas hit 11 points in a valiant display but the Lions man to man defence seemed to hit the final nail into the coffin as Thompson in particular produced a scoring frenzy to finish the game including a breakaway dunk after stealing the ball from Hornets Rob London in a play that resulted in London first of all trying to readjust his balance after losing control of the ball then his feet and resulting in a body slide across the court as the athletic Thompson slammed home to take Lions over the 100 mark and 20 points ahead of Hornets. Lions had another dunk opportunity in the final minute as Thompson stole the ball and passed to Butler who then threw the ball off the backboard for the chasing Thompson to dunk, although the move fumbled and the rebound was collected by Alemanno who hit the final shot of the game for a well deserved 24 point win, 83-107.

 

The MVP award could have gone to three of Lions players with Alex Moore hustling very hard to prove that you don't need to score to be a vital member of the team. Moore hit only 8 points but his defensive contribution was fantastic, rebounding, boxing out and generally causing a nuisance of himself to unsettle the home team. Also of note was his ability to move the ball, thread the passes and grab important offensive rebounds. Steve Butler was the heart beat of Lions defence using his speed to great effect and collecting 34 points in the process but the MVP for a record sixth time this season goes to Luke Thompson who hit 37 points in another exciting performance at both ends of the court. The athletic shooting guard provided another good following of Lions fans with the highlight reels they have come to expect from the 24 year old. With two players hitting over 30 and Burton providing an additional 17 the Lions were always going to be a tough team to beat.

 

Teams   Hornets Lions 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 23 Michael James Andrew Weatherall Rob London Tyrone Thomas Steve Harrington Jonny Osborne Bruce Marshall Lee Norton Richard Baister 7 9 11 45 50 65 99 David Whitney Stuart Davison* Steve Butler* James Burton* Alex Moore* Luke Thompson* Carlos Alemanno Coach: Bruce Marshall Asst Coach: Captain: Bruce Marshall Coach: James Thomson Asst Coach: Captain: Steve Butler * starting players   Referees Steve Lynas & Chris Powlay

Luke Thompson earned his sixth MVP award of the season

Game MVP: Luke Thompson   Top Scorers Hornets: Norton 30, Thomas 23, James 16, Baister 5, Harrington 4, Weatherall 2   Lions: Thompson 37, Butler 34, Burton 17, Moore 8, Alemanno 7, Whitney 4

 

 

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