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North Shields Storm 66-79 Middlesbrough Lions

Middlesbrough Lions travelled north of the Tyne Tunnel today to face a team they had already beaten at home in North Shields Storm, although if the last 1pt victory was anything to go by, a tight and nerve racking encounter was in store for players, coach’s and spectators alike.

Lion’s Shane Beadle won the tip but the visitors failed to capitalise and shortly after, Storm took the early lead through Ben Anderson. Lions then forced their case with some early pressure on defence which led to some turnovers by the home side. Dan Brown who led the cause on the press for Lions then did well to draw the foul on Liam Hampton. Brown went to the line to convert 1 of 2 free throws and this up tempo play instigated a flurry of fouls by North Shields over the following six minutes. Within three minutes of play, Storm were in foul trouble resulting in Shane Beadle, Alan Slasor and Brown heading to the foul line on six occasions although poor free throws would amount to only 4pts from a possible 12. Brown hit only 2 of 6 and Slasor only 1 of 4. In this time, Hampton and Spencer Hind combined well to give the Storm a 10-4 lead.

The introduction of David Budd gave Lions a boost as the strong guard scored with two drives to bring the visitors within 2pts, 10-8. Brown was then fouled again which sent the speedy point guard to the line to convert both attempts and tie the game. In the last minute Burnano made a sweet shot under pressure to give the home side the edge, or so they thought as two late baskets from Brown and Budd provided the Lions with a 2pt lead at the end of the quarter as it finished 12-14.

Middlesbrough would see a repeat of the first quarter in the second as North Shields again committed fouls, this time sending James Parkin and Brown to the line although all four attempts would be missed and so far the record was a poor 6 of 18 for the visitors, which reflected 33% shooting from the line and if this was an indication of the game to follow, it would not be good. Fortunately, the Lions extended their lead as Brown made amends for the free throws with a superb drive through traffic. The good fortunes of Middlesbrough were in no small part due to an energetic performance from big men; Beadle and Chirnside with both players pulling down rebounds, gaining steals and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Beadle in particular was in full affect all over the court as the fitness levels of the 6’7” centre continue to impress.

In the third minute, Declan Murphy weaved his way to the hoop for his first points, but Brown went one better as his athletic lay up rattled into the basket after being fouled, for the And 1 play. The rewarding free throw was missed and Henderson was quickest to the rebound. On the next Lions attack, one of the plays of the game was produced as Slasor passed the ball inside to Chirnside who then found the slashing run of Beadle who finished with a sweet left hand lay up for a 14-20 score line at the half way point of the quarter. The involvement of Hinds was somewhat restricted due to the guard’s foul trouble but in the fifth minute he found the basket with a nice shot from the baseline followed by another shot, this time from Follin to reduce the visitors lead to 2pts, 18-20. Brown and Chirnside brought back the cushion but the last four minutes would be a dip in form from Lions as Burnano instigated a 9-1 run for the Storm. Only Alan Slasor with 1 of 2 free throws provided a response for Middlesbrough. In the eighth minute the home side inflicted more misery as Follin rained in a 3 pointer and although Slasor drove to the basket for an open lay up, the Lions were rushing too many shots which were being picked off by the defence and with 6pts from Hampton Lions witnessed a comfortable lead evaporate into a 7pt deficit as North Shields entered the dressing room at half time the happier side with a score line of 36-29 in their favour.

Middlesbrough Coach’s; James Thomson and Dan Cooper led their troops into the locker room for a pep talk but it would be Coach Radu’s warriors who would begin the better as captain; Richard Bolt and Burnano stretched their lead to 11pts with Lions now facing an almighty task. Slasor popped up with a big rebound in the second minute and put back the shot but Storm’s response was immediate as Bolt, who had been fairly quiet in the first half notched another basket with a delicate shot over the fingers of Beadle. By the seventh minute, Middlesbrough were facing serious trouble as Hampton fired a 3 pointer to earn a 17pt lead, 53-36. Coach Thomson had seen enough and called a Time Out. The result of this team talk was nothing short of spectacular as in the final three minutes, the press of Budd, Slasor and ever reliable Brown forced the home side into a number of errors, of which Lions pounced on, to form a 16-0 run, Chirnside and Budd scoring 8pts each in what was a three minute dismantling of shell shocked Storm. A last second basket by Burnano broke the incredible run but the momentum was firmly with the away side as they entered the interval, down only slightly, 55-52.

In the fourth quarter, Beadle went to the line in the first play, after being fouled by Burnano but the big man would miss both and two more, three minutes later in what was a poor shooting display, compensated for, by a superb defensive presence. Bolt and Hind took the Storm lead to 6pts but Brown and Budd brought Lions to within 1pt, 59-58 by the sixth minute and the following three minutes would see no effective offence from both sides. With one minute remaining Hall and then Bolt sunk the hopes of Middlesbrough with two baskets to take the score to 63-58. Shortly after a crucial free throw was made by David Budd and Lions again applied their press to the inbound pass. Hampton managed to break free of the pressure and was fouled on the shot sending the talented player to the line where he missed the first and hit the second.

With the score at 64-60 and less than 9 seconds remaining, the game looked destined for a home win, but Middlesbrough were not finished yet and Budd ploughed through the eye of the Storm to complete his lay up, 64-62 and signal the activation of another press, resulting in a turnover which was retaken by Storm and then stolen by Lions Dan Brown who went from coast to coast to be fouled on the shot by Hampton, whose fifth foul meant he would take no further part in this game.

With four seconds on the clock, the importance of these two free throws could not be underestimated and Coach Thomson called his final Time Out to settle and reassure Brown, whose shoulders the game was now resting on. Brown went to the line under a barrage of noise and pressure form the home crowd to sail both shots into the net to tie the game 64-64 in what would be a memorable conclusion to regulation time as the Storm held the ball for the remaining four seconds to take the game into over time.

Five minutes of additional play would follow with Bolt finding the net with ease as he passed the Middlesbrough defence to shouts of encouragement from the home supporters. Lions response was immediate as Brown was fouled by Burnano resulting in the And 1 play. The free throw was converted by Brown to take a 1pt lead. Shortly after, Lions star; Beadle picked up his fifth foul and he would take no further part. His replacement in Chris Chapman gave a solid performance for the remaining four minutes as the young guard continues to develop his game. In the second minute David Budd continued his rich vein of form with two more strong lay ups to extend the Middlesbrough lead to 5pts, 66-71. The Storm meanwhile were struggling and would fail to score again, despite six free throws. Budd however was not finished for Lions as he made another lay up and then hit the final nail in the coffin with a big 3 pointer to record a 13pt win and the double over North Shields.

The game was a magnificent advert for junior basketball with two talented sides giving their all. Middlesbrough showed true heart in this fixture and a hunger for scoring that has been missing in previous games. Their composure and clinical finishing despite a poor free throw shooting performance in the first half was very encouraging. The efforts of the five on court for the majority of the game restricted the opportunities to run the bench due to how well the group played but when called upon, Findlay, Chapman and Parkin did not disappoint. Oliver Clarke entered the game in Over Time and even in a crucial stage of the match, he did not falter and gained some additional and valuable experience. Referee; Bob Leishman remarked after the game “I can honestly say it was an absolute pleasure to referee the Middlesbrough team, there was not one episode of dissent or disrespect to either the opposition or the officials.”

The MVP was a hard choice, due to the number of players who performed tremendously well for Middlesbrough and in the end, the 36pt haul of David Budd was enough to earn the award. The Redcar guard also managed 5 rebounds, 2 steals & 2 blocks for a remarkable display in only his second game for the Middlesbrough club. In addition to Budd, Chirnside, Beadle and Slasor all contributed impressive stats while the late composure of Dan Brown to hit both free throws to take the game into over time under enormous pressure was a very pleasing factor, to the extent that referee; Albert Lloyd commended Brown for his composure.

After the game, an ecstatic Coach Thomson beamed “What a game! that was our best performance of the season and it all stemmed from the superb defence. We had five on the court giving their all and we showed how much we wanted this game. David was a real asset for us today, but the steals and assists of Alan, rebounding of Shane and Danny and composure of Dan were truly inspirational.”

The early fouls committed by Storm restricted the impact of a few key players for the home side. By the third minute of the game North Shields were already in team fouls which allowed Lions to drive and draw the fouls. This was a huge blow for Coach Alexander Radu as the European mentor struggled to find a solution. “It was hard for us to settle into a rhythm and really we only played well in the second quarter. We didn’t do enough to deserve the game.” added a despondent Coach Radu.
 

Game Stats   Lions Sharks Coach: James Thomson Asst Coach: Dan Cooper Captain: Philip Findlay Coach: Steve Barnett Asst Coach: L. Hall Captain: Robert Bolt Referees Albert Lloyd & Bob Leishman   Top Scorers 36 20 13 7 3 Budd Brown Chirnside Slasor Beadle 21 12 11 10 7 6 2 Hampton Bolt Burnano Follin Hind Henderson Murphy Rebounds 50 57 16 12 8 6 5 3 Beadle Chirnside Slasor Brown Budd Parkin 14 12 11 10 6 Burnano Hampton Bolt Douglas Hind Assists 10 10 5 2 2 1 Slasor Brown Chirnside Beadle 4 4 1 1 Hampton Hind Bolt Burnano Steals 17 12 5 4 3 2 2 Slasor Chirnside Beadle Brown Budd 4 2 2 Bolt Burnano Hind

Game Stats continued   Blocks 7 4 3 2 1 1 Beadle Budd Chirnside Slasor 2 1 1 Bolt Douglas Hampton Turn Overs 12 18 3 3 2 2 Findlay Brown Beadle Slasor 4 4 2 2 2 Bolt Hampton Burnano Henderson Murphy       David Budd was phenomenal in his second game for Middlesbrough Lions, top scoring with 36pts.

Game MVP: David Budd, Middlesbrough Lions

 

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