v

 

Middlesbrough Lions U15 43-68 Durham Wildcats

This game would provide a good yard stick to measure the improvements the young Lions have made, as Middlesbrough faced Durham Wildcats for the second time this season. The last encounter was Lions second game ever together and finished with a 94-52 result in favour of the Wildcats.

 

With a few more games under the belt and a group of players growing in confidence and ability with every week, Lions were looking forward to this encounter and started brightly as Patrick O'Connor responded to Wildcats opening basket from Ryan Farley with a superb And 1 play and although he missed the bonus shot, Lions pressed effectively to regain control with Philip Findlay stealing the ball at half court, passing the ball to O'Connor who then found Dan Brown open on the perimeter for a 3pt shot to take a 5-2 lead. O'Connor then produced 6 straight points to with Wildcats struggling to find their feet. In the fifth minute the score was 11-5 in favour of Lions although David Benham and Alex Riley scored two quick baskets shortly after to reduce the lead to 2pts. At the end of the quarter, Lions were looking healthy with a 2pt lead, 15-13.

 

Unfortunately for Middlesbrough, they could not sustain their good start and in the second quarter were outscored 9-17 as the Lions struggled to find the target. A 3 pointer from Findlay was a small consolation in the ninth minute as Riley and Lewis Fisher stacked up their points far too easily. James Parkin provided a great solo move in the fifth minute with a lovely fake in the low post and then a smooth lay up off the backboard. Parkin has been on an impressive glide of improvement in recent weeks and is proving a valuable addition to the Lions squad. The scores at half time though did not make for good reading, especially taking into consideration the good first quarter. Durham entered half time with a 24-30 advantage and although Lions were struggling to find the hoop with any conviction, they were only 6pts down with everything to play for.

 

The third quarter was just as bad as the first as both teams added 1pt to their tallies. O'Connor fired in a long range 2 for Lions but this was bettered by the 3 pointer from Fisher which instigated an 11-0 run for the Wildcats and with four minute left in the third quarter, Lions were now down 13pts, 41-28. Shane Beadle and Alan Slasor worked very well and made a difference, but it was the which was still a problem for Lions. An effective Durham zone defence was also picking off lose passes from Lions which allowed Andrew Vincent and Farley to run in some fast breaks. At the end of the quarter, despite some generally good defence Lions were down 32-48.

 

Lions traded early baskets in the first few minutes of the final quarter with Brown and O'Connor involved for Lions and Farley and Vincent maintaining a good connection for Wildcats but from the fourth minute onwards it was becoming more a case of Wildcats scoring two baskets for Lions one. In the final two minutes Lions decided to run the bench and provide some of the lesser experienced players with some valuable court time. The result was great as Daniel Wright produced two gems of an assist first to Philip Findlay who collected the pass under the basket but missed a comfortable lay up and then seconds later Wright again found a cutting James Parkin who this time put the ball in the hoop. A determined finish and an overall improvement on the two sides previous meet was a good way for Lions to enter the Christmas break.

 

The MVP was a close decision between two Durham stars with Lewis Fisher and Alex Riley both worthy of the honour. In the end though the 17pts, 16 rebounds, 3 steals & 1 assist from Riley was enough to earn the award.
 

Game Stats   Lions Sharks Coach: James Thomson Asst Coach: Sid Nicholls Captain: Philip Findlay Vice Captain: Shane Beadle Coach: Danny Morgans Asst Coach: Captain: David Benham   Referees Mark Rhodes & Albert Lloyd   Top Scorers 18 6 4 4 4 4 3 O'Connor Brown Beadle Chirnside Parkin Slasor Findlay 20 17 12 6 5 4 Fisher L Riley Farley Fisher D Vincent Gallagher   Rebounds 31 48 9 8 6 3 Beadle Chirnside Slasor Chapman 16 8 7 6 Riley Farley Teasdale Fisher Assists 12 13 4 3   O'Connor Chirnside 5 2 2 Fisher L Benham Vincent Steals 16 25 6 4 2 2 Brown Chirnside Findlay Parkin 5 4 4 3 3 Benham Farley Teasdale Riley Vincent

Game Stats continued   Blocks 2 0 2 Beadle     Turn Overs 36 25 7 6 6 4 3 O'Connor Brown Parkin Findlay Slasor 5 4 4 3 3 Fisher L Benham Vincent Farley Riley       Lions made good progress on the last encounter between the two sides but will be disappointed with their offense, which could have been a lot better at times.

Game MVP: Alex Riley, Durham Wildcats

 

Decorative Concrete Solutions	Tees Valley Leisure Eston Sports Academy	Game Time Basketball Parties	PSD

 

 

Photos by Wayne Beadle

© Game Time