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Tees United Lions B 34-99 Richmond Vikings A

Vikings arrived at Blakeston school, feeling a small sense of injustice at the points handicap in this cup fixture against Lions B team. Vikings are winless in the First Division and although Lions B team are hovering just below mid table in Division Two, they can be a match for anyone on their day. Lions were awarded a 30pt head start along with 3pts per pt while Vikings had to contend with 2pts per pt. The Richmond team also arrived with only 6 players but this coupled with the gravity of the task in hand propelled them to an astonishing 25-0 start which stunned the young Lions into a trauma from which they could not recover.

 

The first minute opened with turnover after turnover by the Lions, the sense of determination from the Vikings was unsettling for the Lions and the nervous start led to silly fouls being committed. Chris Lyle was back in the Richmond side, after missing a few games due to injury and the lively guard laid a path of points in the second minute following Mark Russell's opening shot from just inside the key. Lyle added 9 points and by the fifth minute Richmond were 19-0. Lions Michael Peddie went to the line in the sixth minute but failed to convert both attempts allowing Vikings to pick up where they left off as captain Jaycie Hall, Ryon Dixon and Lyle continued to plunder the Lions basket.

 

It was the seventh minute before Lions marked the score sheet as Peddie collected the ball in the post and powered his way to the basket. Matthew Brown was back from injury to play is first Lions game in over a month and in the eighth minute he made his first contribution, converting both free throws at the line. Chris Tappenden then wormed his way through the big and solid back line of Vikings to take the scores to 6-27. It was a good two minute spell for Lions but Vikings were still 21 ahead. Hall continued his run of fine form this month as he received a pass at the free throw line and almost walked to the hoop, a nice smooth move by Hall, but also an indication of poor defence by Lions. In the final minute Adam Walsh took a blow to the shoulder, which aggravated an injury he picked up in the previous game against Norton. He went to the line but his shots were unusually way off target and with his shooting capabilities limited he turned his attention to defence and passing which was a big help for Lions, especially in stopping the fast break. Tappenden finished the first quarter for Lions with 1 of 2 free throws but Lyle had the last word with a 3 pointer with second remaining to produce an embarrassing 7-32 score line for Lions.

 

On a positive note for Lions, things could not get any worse, their defence was poor, passing was indecisive and weak and shot selection was poor. In a quarter that saw them beaten by 25 points things could only improve in the second quarter, but they didn't. The Lions managed to score only 4 points in the second quarter and although their performance on defence was much improved, their offence was rushed and off target. Vikings on the other hand had no such problems as shot after shot sailed into the net. Mark Russell was enjoying a terrific game inside the key while captain Hall was continuing his onslaught. In the fifth minute another And 1 foul was committed by Lions, awarding the free flowing Chris Lyle the basket and the opportunity of a bonus free throw. Lyle missed the bonus, but there was a bigger underlying problem for Lions, which was their nervous defence committing too many silly fouls.

 

In the seventh minute Matthew Brown hit Lions total of 4 points, a small grace from a confidence blowing performance. Vikings' Hall replied to Brown's points with 4 of his own to take the half time score to 11-50.

 

The Lions didn't warm up at half time and were instructed to just relax. The unsettled nerves brought about the worst display from a Lions team this season, but it wasn't just about Lions playing badly, the Vikings were playing fantastic basketball, driven on by their determination to overcome the heavy handicap. The Lions coach was left speechless at half time, pulling what little of his hair was left.

 

A change of tactics was employed by Lions with a new target. For the third quarter, Lions task was to hold Vikings to less than 20 points and score at least 15. The game started with Lyle scoring a fast break and Dixon hitting a 3 pointer to extend the Richmond lead, but the early signs for Lions were encouraging. In the fourth minute Lions switched to a zonal press which stunned the visitors for the first time in the game. The hard working Matthew Brown picked off the lose Vikings passes enabling Lions to produce a 5-0 run with Matthew Norman finding the net with a nice jump shot, followed by Peddie's only other basket of the game. Tappenden was struggling on the offence, especially against three big and powerful defenders including the huge presence of Rory Livingstone, but his defence was inspirational in this game, a performance which included over 20 rebounds. Tappenden earned a well deserved rest in the seventh minute and Miles Sayer was brought back into the game. Sayer's contribution so far had, like the majority of the team been less than impressive, especially his shot selection but after a period on the bench, he came back determined to prove his worth, scoring in the first play with a lovely baseline drive and then hitting the last 5 points of the quarter, including a 3 pointer to bring the scores to 25-69.

 

The Lions goal of holding Vikings to less than 20 was achieved as the visitors notched up 19 and Lions hit a well earned 14, just 1 point short of their target in what was their best quarter.

 

Unfortunately Lions struggled to maintain their momentum save for 7 points from Matthew Brown in the first five minutes of the final quarter and a late basket from Patrick O'Connor, just inside the 3 point line. Ryon Dixon came to life in the final period collecting 10 points including two 3 pointers. Late on in the game, young Philip Findlay and Daniel Wright were given some court time and didn't disappoint, especially Daniel Wright on his debut for the B team who, although was shaky on defence, made some good passes and didn't commit any turnovers. A 7-0 run for Vikings in the final minute brought the game to its conclusion as Mark Russell capped a great game with the final shot to bring the final score to 34-99.

 

The game was always going to be a tough experience for the young Lions, playing a big, powerful side with a massive incentive. The third quarter performance was a great achievement for Lions, especially under the circumstances and this cup game can be used as a valuable leaning curve. Many of the Lions played hard but often rushed bad shots which gave the opposition more attempts. The defence in general was way below par, especially from the usual standards although Matthew Norman produced a late surge of blocks and Chris Tappenden worked hard throughout. At times, Tappenden is guilty of not getting back on defence quickly enough but in this game there was not one incident and the Lions big man pulled down over 20 rebounds in what should have been a performance to remember for the player.

 

The MVP award could have been a lucky dip of the Vikings players as each one provided a performance of the season. Richmond were a safe bet throughout and even though they stumbled in the third quarter, they still led and returned to their super normality in the fourth. Mark Russell, Jaycie Hall and Ryon Dixon could have collected MVP but in the end the accolade was given to Chris Lyle who hit a massive 36 points and was a huge factor on defence.  

Teams   Lions B Vikings A 2 3 8 10 12 14 18 22 32 90 Patrick O'Connor Michael Peddie* Matthew Brown Philip Findlay Daniel Wright Marshall Patterson* Adam Walsh Miles Sayer* Matthew Norman* Chris Tappenden* 4 5 6 8 11 14 Adrian Gossage Mark Russell* Jaycie Hall* Chris Lyle* Ryon Dixon* Rory Livingstone* Coach: James Thomson Asst Coach: Captain: Chris Tappenden Coach: Jaycie Hall Asst Coach: Mark Russell Captain: Jaycie Hall * starting players   Referees Darren Butler and Tony Pfeifer

MVP; Chris Lyle was a constant threat for Richmond

Game MVP: Chris Lyle, Richmond Vikings   Top Scorers Lions: Brown 14, Sayer 7, Norman 4, Peddie 4, Tappenden 3, O'Connor 2   Vikings: Lyle 36, Russell 20, Hall 18, Dixon 17, Livingston 8

 

Lions Walsh drives by Vikings Lyle	Matthew Brown converts a shot for Lions	Mark Russell prepares a free throw

 

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