The MVP was
awarded to Azyd Baksh of
Egglescliffe who top scored with 24 points.
St Michael's Stefan Atkinson was also in
contention with a haul of 20 points. Steve
Huggins, head coach of Egglescliffe was
pleased to see his side move up the table
adding "We are only 1 point behind Norton
and with the guys playing so well its
exciting times for Egglescliffe School."
Scorers
Egglescliffe:
Baksh 24, Cundliffe 4, Crofts 4, Hart 4,
Johnston 4, Harrison 2, Nobbs 2 Curry 2
St Michael's:
Atkinson 20, Bennett 8, Gardner 4
Y8: Nunthorpe Lions 40-16 Blakeston Bulls
Nunthorpe
Lions continued their phenomenal success in
the year 8 league with another dominant
display over the basketball powerhouse that
is Blakeston School. The Bulls found it
difficult to settle under the pressure of
Lions defence and had no answer in their
attempts to halt the scoring superstars,
Philip Findlay and Dan Brown who
appear to take turns for the MVP awards as
Brown collected the award for each of their
first five games and Findlay the last two.
Findlay, for the second game running was red
hot with his shooting, collecting 22 points
while Brown chipped in with 16. Team mate,
Chris McArdle rounded off the Lions scoring
to keep their ecstatic coach, Darren Bunn,
smiling. "The shooting was first class
tonight and although the majority of points
came from two players, every player played
an important role." stated Mr Bunn.
31/01/08 - tbl handicap cup
The
Impossible Made Possible!
Tees
United Lions pulled off an incredible
victory over the unbeaten leaders of
Division Two, Norton Bulls to go through to
the next round of the TBL Handicap Cup. In
this cup competition the higher placed teams
are awarded a handicap which results in
lower placed teams being given a head start
or more points per points scored.
For this game for every point Norton scored
they received 2 points and every point Lions
scored was only worth 1. On top of this
Norton were awarded a head start of 20
points which seemed very harsh considering
Lions are only in third place in D1 with 2
wins and 2 losses while Norton are unbeaten
leaders of D2. The fact Lions had to double
Norton's final score AND score 21 more
points to win was almost too unrealistic but
last night the seemingly impossible was made
possible as Lions produced some stunning
basketball to claim an incredible victory
with a score line of 162-67. Lions superb
performance was also produced by only seven
players making the feat even more sweeter
for the club. Even with a margin of almost
100 points, had Norton scored two more
baskets they would have tied the game,
taking into account the handicap!
All seven players produced
the goods for Lions with the starting five
playing particularly well. Carlos Alemanno
and Alex Moore were commanding with rebounds
and James Burton was a constant thorn in the
side of Norton. Luke Thompson came back to
his best after a poor outing in his previous
game against Tigers in which he was ill and
only scored 8 points. In this game Thompson
hit a massive 61 points as well as claiming
some major blocks!
For full match
report and photos click
here.
30/01/08 - tsl
Kings Of
The Manor!
There will be no shortage of candidates for
player and coach of the month for January as
Darren Bunn's Nunthorpe Lions continue to
roar in Year 8 and Blakeston Bulls, under
the tutorage of Mike Garthwaite in Y9 are
also leading the way unbeaten. Daniel
Seaman, Dan Brown, Philip Findlay, Matthew
Garbutt and Damian McKenzie are just some of
the names up for the Player of the Month
award.
Manor Heat 48-28 Macmillan Academy
Manor College beat Macmillan Academy in the
Y8 League 48-28 in Hartlepool with Poppy
Fisher being awarded the MVP for some great
individual skills which ensured a
comfortable victory. Head Coach; Paul
Atkinson was pleased with his team's efforts
adding "We have just had a string of
National League games for the school and it
was nice to get back to the TSL. Poppy was
fantastic for us tonight." The win places
Manor into joint second place in the League
tied on points with Conyers Cougars.
Redcar Pirates
22-46 Nunthorpe Lions
Nunthorpe Lions are still unbeaten after six
games and are 11 points clear of their
rivals after beating Redcar Pirates 22-46 at
Redcar Community College. The Pirates found
inspiration from star player David Budd who
amassed an impressive 18 points but its was
Lions duo Philip Findlay and Dan Brown who
stole the show. Findlay enjoyed a great game
with clinical finishing to earn the MVP and
top score with 26 while Brown added 12.
St Michael's
26-35 Blakeston Bulls
Year 9 saw Bulls
beat St Michaels at Billingham to increase
their lead at the top to 5 points. Bulls are
still unbeaten in Y9 and with players such
as Matthew Garbutt scoring 14 and Damian
McKenzie chipping in with 8 its little
wonder. Damian McKenzie was awarded the MVP
for his all round performance.
Blakeston Bulls
30-23 Stokesley Tigers
In Year 10 Stokesley Tigers suffered two
defeats at the hands of Egglescliffe
Explosion and the Blakeston Bulls. Bulls are
now top of the league with 14 points, 5
clear of Norton Knights after the victory
over Tigers. Mike Garthwaite, head coach of
Bulls indicated the good teamwork of his
side was a key factor, stating "We had a
good spread of scoring throughout our
players and they all worked hard for each
other." The MVP went to Daniel Seaman of
Bulls who top scored with 12 points.
TSL Game of Week
After a slow 1st period of the game, where
Stokesley were up by 4-2, Stokesley started
to dominate. Tigers' Euan Wardle scored 8 of
his team's 10 unanswered points to lead 14-2
at half-time.
After the break, Egglescliffe came to life
scoring an 11-2 run placing the Tigers
firmly on the back foot. After such a
dominant first half for Tigers, the momentum
was now with the home side with the
emergence of Azyd Baksh and good support
from Sam Johnston but were still 13-16 down
at the end of the third quarter.
In the 4th
period Egglescliffe really took the game to
Stokesley scoring another 10 points and
despite the best efforts of
Tigers'
captain Will Hughes and Buki Adedepo they
looked destined to lose a game which they
had looked assured winners in the first
half. Explosion
can thank their water tight defence as they
closed down the scoring threat of Wardle to
snatch the game 23-20.
The MVP was awarded to Azyd Baksh, pictured
left, of Explosion who hit 14 points and was
inspirational in the second half. Euan
Wardle also finished with 14 points for
Tigers.
30/01/08
Big Game
for Lions Tomorrow
Lions A play Norton Bulls at Norton School
tomorrow night with a 7.30pm tip and will
have to be at their ultimate best if they
wish to advance through the Handicap Cup. In
the Cup Division Two leaders, Bulls receive
2 points for every 1 point they score
whereas Lions have been awarded a handicap
of just 1 point for every point. In addition
to the handicap Norton have been given a
head start of 20 points which in theory
means Lions must double the score of Bulls
plus 21 points! An incredible task,
especially considering Lions have lost two
games this season and re mid table in the
league.
Lions will be hoping their superb travelling
support will be in force tomorrow, with
doors at Norton school opening at 7pm.
28/01/08 - gt cvl
The Lions lost their heads when they lost a
player to injury resulting in their worst
performances of the CVL while the Dodgers
suffered 2 losses and only 1 win which
allowed The Dragons and Jordettes to jump
into 1st and 2nd place respectively. The
Yummy Mummy's produced their best basketball
of the CVL and came close to winning their
first game, although it wasn't to be. Nathan
Duff and Stephanie Edwards were the stars of
the show for this round of games collecting
46 and 34 points respectively. For full
match report and photos visit the GT CVL
section on the left menu or click
here.
26/01/08
TU Lions 61-60 Easingwold Vikings
TU Lions B have been producing some great
basketball in recent games with the young
team beginning to gel very nicely. However
the results have evaded them until this
fixture which saw all the pieces fall into
place to earn a great victory over a much
older, stronger and more aggressive outfit
in Easingwold Vikings. Click
here for
full report.
24/01/08 - tsl
Unbeaten
Bulls Go Top
The Blakeston Bulls beat St Michael's in Y9
to go top of the league, unbeaten after
three games. Bulls beat St Michael's 34-26.
St Michael's can take some consolation from
the game, especially as Bulls last victory
was a 41 point margin win. St Michael's did
well to come within 8 points of an upset.
23/01/08
Champions; Kilton Thorpe Tigers Celebrate
The third annual Tees Valley Special Schools
basketball Tournament was held at Eston
Sports Academy today and was a massive
success with over 50 young players from 5
schools taking part. Unfortunately Abbey
Hill and Catcote withdrew at the last moment
but the fun wasn't dampened as the
participants enjoyed a mini coaching session
from Game Time coaches and then played their
games. Kilton Thorpe Tigers A and Freebrough
were the picks of the bunch as they won
their respective leagues. Click
here for
full report, winners and photos of the
event.
22/01/08
Handicap
Cup Fixture
Lions B will play Thirsk Thunder at
Blakeston School on Friday 15th February,
7.30pm tip.
Lions A will play Norton at Norton School on
Thursday 31st January, 7.15pm tip.
Lions C will play Richmond Vikings at
Blakeston School on Friday 8th February,
7.30pm tip.
22/01/08 - tbl
Rearranged Games
Hartlepool Heat have cancelled the B team
game which was due to be played on Friday
8th February. The Lions club is trying to
arrange another game for this date. Lions A
will now travel to Hartlepool to play Heat
in the rearranged league fixture on Sunday
17th February at Manor College, 7pm tip.
20/01/08
TBL
Handicap Cup Draws
The TBL Handicap Cup is a competition that
draws all teams from both divisions
together. Lions have entered three teams
into the competition. Lower level teams are
provided with a head start which could be 2
points for every point or a 30 point lead
for example. Below is the full draw
including Lions opponents. The fixtures will
be organised soon. As you will see from the
draws, Lions face a tough challenge to
progress.
Norton v
Lions A
- Norton 2pts per pt and 20 start, Lions on
1 pt per pt
Lions B
v Thirsk - both on 2pts per pt, Lions B 30
start
Lions C v
Richmond B - both on 3 pts per pt, lions C
with 20 start
Easingwold v Tigers - Easingwold 2pts per pt
& 30pts start, tigers 1pt per pt
Hornets B v Mariners - Hornets 3pt per pt
and 20 start, Redcar on 2pt per pt
Richmond A v Heat A - Richmond 2pt per p
with Heat on 1pt per pt
Velocity v Hornets A - Velocity 2pts per pt
with Hornets on 1pt per pt
Heat B v Warriors - Heat B 3 pts per pt and
20 start, Warriors 1pt per pt
18/01/08
Tees
Schools County Cup Draw
The draw for the first round of the Schools
County Cup has been made with Egglescliffe
Explosion (Y7), Newlands Ninjas (Y11) and
Manor Heat (Girls U16) proceeding to the
second round after drawing a bye pass. The
game of the round, at least on paper, looks
to be between Blakeston Bulls and Manor Heat
in Y8. Both teams are tied for points in the
league with 1 win and 1 loss each.
The second round draw will take place week
beginning 28th January. For the full draw
view the fixtures page of the schools
section or click
here.
14/01/08
Eston
Session Success
The new Game Time basketball session at
Eston Sports Academy is proving a success,
with more and more participants attending
each week. The session runs from 5-6pm every
Sunday and costs £2. All players, both boys
and girls are welcome to attend. Head of
Game Time; James Thomson added "It is
particularly pleasing to see so many players
coming from different schools in the schools
league. They gain expert coaching and
training to improve them as players which
will enable us to raise the standards in the
Schools League."
14/01/08
Bulls
Continue to Impress
Blakeston Bulls leap frog Norton Knights in
the Y10 league with a 38-28 win over St
Michael's of Billingham. The Bulls, having
played two more games than the unbeaten
Norton are now 2 points clear in the league.
Head Coach Mike Garthwaite will be looking
to maintain their rich vain of form whilst
at the same time hoping Norton can stumble
as the Bulls have already lost two of their
five games this season.
Nunthorpe Lions game against Kings Academy
in Y8 has been postponed and will be
rearranged shortly.
14/01/08
Rearranged Fixture
Lions A will play Hartlepool Hornets on
Sunday 09/03/08 at Brinkburn College, 3.15
tip off.
13/01/08
Warriors
Win Female Battle!
Ryedale Warriors from Pickering, North
Yorkshire were the visitors for Lions female
stars. The game was played in the best of
atmospheres with both teams working hard but
with good sportsmanship all around. Warriors
are similar to Lions in terms of development
and have been gaining experience in the
Leeds League this season.
Both teams came out in determined fashion
but failed to find the target. With some key
players missing from both sides, it was a
case of new players having to step up, which
looked uncomfortable in the first five
minutes of play. At the end of the first
Pickering were in front 0-4.
Lions were not looking their best but did
enjoy a good scoring run in the second
quarter adding 9 points, although Warriors
were still comfortable leaders 9-18.
Stephanie Palmer produced the goods for the
home team with 6 points. Charlie Collins and
Katie Dodgson added the other 3.
The second half was better flowing
basketball from both sides, but still the
points were hard to come by with Lions
hitting only 6 and Warriors fairing slightly
better with 15 to become worthy winners;
15-33. Warriors Head Coach; Martin Roberts
was pleased with his depleted squad and
their resilience, adding "We gave a good
account of ourselves. It was an enjoyable
free flowing game."
During half time a game of knock out was
played between players from both teams for a
special prize, with Lions' Katie Burton the
eventual winner.
11/01/08
Lions
Give Bulls a Scare!
Lions gave Norton a really good run for
their money, coming the closest team to
beating them but in the end the unbeaten
leaders of D2 remained just that!
Lions actually led the first two quarters by
14-10 and 32-31. Norton had their best
quarter in the third and were leading by 7
points in the ninth minute before Tappenden
and Peddie pulled back 2 late baskets to
reduce the visitors lead to 3, 45-48.
Norton went ahead in the fourth and Lions
were having to play catch up. In the end
Norton won the game but it could have been a
different story if Lions didn't force so
many turn overs and missed free throws (19!)
On a positive note for Lions, Norman, Sayer
& Patterson produced their best performances
of the season at the defensive end.
MVP was awarded to Sam Butterworth, pictured
right, who chipped in with 14 points but
more importantly was a constant threat on
defence. Chris Tappenden was the games
biggest scoring threat as he top scored with
27.
08/01/08
Tigers
Win Battle of the Big Cats!
by Stephen Lynas
In the battle for king of the jungle this
was a dream start for Tigers and a nightmare
for Lions. Tigers opened the scoring with a
3 pointer and with only 3 minutes on the
clock it was 13 point to Zero for the
tigers. Lions called a time out and every
coach in sport could do with listening to
what was said in those 2 minutes. Lions came
back out with determination and with Andrew
Marshall, in the next 7 minutes Tigers only
scored another 8 points and Lions scored 19.
The second quarter started like the first
finished and Loins were in the lead after
the first minute. Things settled down then
for the rest of the half and at the interval
Loins were up by 43 points to 39 after Lee
McLoughlin scored a 3 pointer in the last
seconds.
The second Half saw both sides get agitated
with themselves, the opposition and the
referees. James Thomson had to have
treatment for a dislocated shoulder injury,
and was then out of the game. Tigers started
to pull back and after 5 minutes the score
was even and in the
last 5 mins of the quarter Tigers out scored
the Lions by 12 points to 6.
In the final quarter both side were evenly
matched and traded basket for basket for
much of the game, but in the end Tigers
coming out as Top Cat with the score of
79-75. Lee McLoughlin top scoring for Tigers
with 45 points and Alex Moore with 30 for
Lions aided by 16 from James Burton. The MVP
being awarded to McLoughlin, who although
missed a lot of shots was pivotal in the
victory.
08/01/08 - tsl
Macmillan
Draw a Win & Loss!
Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough produced
a strong win over fellow Middlesbrough
Academy outfit; Kings from Coulby Newham in
Year 8 while their Y10 team suffered a big
defeat at Unity City Academy. Head Coach;
Fraser McDowall was over the moon with his
sides character in clinching the 28-20
victory away to Kings, but witnessed a lot
of room for improvement with a lacklustre
display at UCA going down 30-2 and will be
looking for a big response from his players
in the next fixture. Click
here to view the schools league.
06/01/08
Lions v
Tigers
TU Lions A face the only team to beat them
in Division One this season; the Ormesby
Tigers this Tuesday at Ormesby School Sports
Complex. Tip off is at 8pm and the Lions
will need all the support they can get to
keep their title hopes alive. Carlos
Alemanno will be missing due to other
commitments but the Lions welcome back Richy
Kierl from injury.
06/01/08
The Teesside Basketball League hosted the
annual TBL CVL (Central Venue League) with
over 120 players showing off their skills
during the Jan 5th Competition, which took
place at Eston Sports Academy. Four teams
were involved in the Division One League and
eight teams were battling for honours in
Division Two.
“The event is an excellent way for the teams
to come together after Christmas, run off
the turkey and enjoy a great day” added
event organiser; Steve Lynas. Click
here to
read full report and photos.
04/01/08
The fixtures schedule for the TBL Tournament
has been released, with the Lions A team
games taking place between 10 and 1pm. The
Lions B team games will take place between
10 and 5pm due to more teams entered into
the Division 2. To view the full schedule
and rules click
here. Lions
should have full squads for both teams with
the A team putting out their strongest squad
to date. Lions B will face stern tests with
Norton Bulls, Redcar Mariners and Nunthorpe
Velocity and depending on who Easingwold
bring, the Vikings will also pose a threat.
Mariners will be without their influential
guard; Paul Neesam due to other commitments
and Thirsk Thunder have not entered.
02/01/08
Lions
Fixtures Update
Many of Lions' recent games have been
postponed including the game due to be
played this Sunday between Hartlepool
Hornets and Lions A. The next games for both
A & B teams will be this Saturday at Eston
Sports Academy for the TBL Tournament. The
tournament is running from 10-5 and players
need to arrive at Eston for 9.30am.
Two additional fixture that have been
re-arranged are:
Friday 11/01/08
- Lions B v Norton Bulls at Blakeston
School, 7.30pm tip
Sunday 13/01/08
- Lions Female v Pickering at Billingham
Campus, 2pm tip
Teams for TBL Tournament:
Lions A
James Burton
Hayden Patterson
Stuart Davison
Richard Keirl
Luke Thompson
Alex Moore
Michael Wassell
Andrew Marshall
Carlos Alemanno
Steve Butler
Lions B
Michael Peddie
Matthew Brown
Miles Sayer
Matthew Norman
Marshall Patterson
Arash Selahi
Chris Tappenden
Patrick O'Connor
Katie Lamb
Cherrydan Gouldthorp
Katie Dodgson
Charlie Collins
Stephanie Edwards
Dan Brown
Philip Findlay
Alan Slasor
Chris Chapman
Nathan Duff
For the B team, teams for each game will be
picked from the squad of 18 players above.
All players are required to wear their Lions
Tee shirts. Cost is £2 per player.
01/01/08
Happy New
Year
Happy New Year to everyone from Game Time.
We hope you have a great year and enjoy much
success on and of the court!
25/12/07
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to everyone from Game Time.
We hope you have a fantastic day and look
forward to seeing you all soon!
23/12/07
Updates
The monthly awards have been presented with
Dan Brown being the pick of the bunch as he
has led his team to four big wins in
December, averaging 20 points per game for
Nunthorpe Lions in the Y8 league. Nunthorpe
Coach Darren Bunn picked up the coach of the
month award for guiding his team to first
place, 8 points clear of Conyers Cougars.
Visit the Awards section via the home page
or by clicking
here to see
who else are the winners.
The
Fun Room
has also been updated with new photos and
puzzles.
22/12/07 - british colleges cup
Prior;
Beaten But Brave!
Norton College 154-77 Prior Pursglove
College
Prior Pursglove College did themselves proud
after being handed the mammoth task of
facing the renowned Norton College,
Sheffield in the city of steel last
Wednesday. The Norton College is the academy
development team for premier professional
outfit; Sheffield Sharks and even with a
squad of seven players the home side were
way in front in terms of talent and athletic
ability. The Norton players train every day
and this was evident from the offset as the
team attacked, attacked and attacked! Prior
were no pushovers though and capitalised on
Norton's only weakness, their defence. With
all the talent available to them, their
downfall was their lazy defence which
enabled Prior to hit a credible 77 points on
Norton's home court. Nigel Vancostrum led
the show for Norton with 43 points, a number
of steals and some superb assists. Team mate
Daniel Jones was the games top scorer with
43 and with two players hitting over 40
points, its easy to see why this team is
rated as one of the Nations best.
Prior had some good scoring from James
Burton, who was at times the only Prior
player able to match the talent of the home
team and collected 29 points. Jack Sanders
Jack Sanders produced a brilliant
performance in the second quarter to add 15
and Matthew Brown pulled the strings in the
third quarter to add 14 but rarely did the
team play well enough at the same time to
pose a serious threat. Usman Hussain
produced a strong display and showed a lot
of heart, over shadowing the lacklustre
Matthew Norman.
The one player who stood out ahead of even
the big scorers was Prior's diamond in the
ruff in Sam Pitt. Pitt entered the game and
worked his socks off for Prior's cause. His
sheer determination kept him in the game and
brought Prior countless rebounds, steals and
second attempts at shots. Pitt was rewarded
for his efforts with a Game Time Tee shirt.
18/12/07 - british colleges cup
Prior's
Moment of Truth
Prior travel to Sheffield tomorrow for their
long awaited game against Norton College,
the academy team of the Sheffield Sharks.
Prior have a full team available and will be
leaving Guisborough at 10.45am to arrive in
Sheffield with plenty of time to prepare for
the big game. In other games Newcastle
College beat Hartlepool 6th Form 118-74.
18/12/07
TBL Cup
The Teesside Basketball League is hosting
the annual TBL cup at Eston Sports Academy
on Saturday 5th January. Tees United Lions
have entered their A and B teams into this
cup. Players on both teams can post their
availability on the message forum and squads
will be announced soon. Players must arrive
at Eston for 9.30 to suit up and warm up.
18/12/07
Christmas
Break
Game Time sessions have now finished until
after the Christmas break. Blakeston school
will not be on this Friday due to the school
closing on Thursday. Eston will restart on
Sunday 6th January, Blakeston will restart
on Friday 11th and Billingham Campus will
restart on Sunday 13th.
17/12/07 - gt cvl
Jordettes
Dominate as The Losers Suffer Hiccup!
The Jordettes
dominated the female league, winning all
their games to climb up the table. The
girls, aided by new addition; Christina
O'Connor are tied in first place with
Dodgers and Dragons on 22 points. In the
junior league The Losers had their first
taste of defeat with a 14 point loss to the
Lions. The Losers missed their influential
big man; Marshall Patterson, who arrived
late and Lions were only too happy to take
advantage as Dan Brown and top scoring
Philip Findlay enjoyed their famous victory.
To view the full round up, leading scorers
and tables visit the GT CVL section or click
here.
15/12/07 - gt cvl
Here come
the Girls!
The next round of Central Venue League games
will take place tomorrow at Billingham
Campus from 11.30-1.30. The Dodgers in the
female league and Losers win the U16 league
will be hoping to maintain their lead at the
top of their respective tables, but will
face stiff competition from their ever
improving opponents. The former Golden
Oldies team in the female league have been
renamed the Yummy Mummy's and hope the name
change will bring some good fortune!
New players are welcome to come along and
take part and teams are also invited to join
the leagues. Arrive before 11.30 so play can
begin asap. The cost is £3 per player and
this will be the last session before
Christmas.
There are plans to meet for a drink at 3pm
and will be confirmed at the session
tomorrow.
Double Tragedy for Lions as Thunder Strikes
Twice!
Lions endured a nightmare of a trip to
Thirsk as firstly dark and icy conditions
made for a difficult convoy and resulting in
two players missing the game due to a car
accident off the A19. Thankfully the three
people in the car are ok.
When
the rest of the team turned up to Thirsk School,
the Thirsk Thunder had recruited some new talent
and some big powerful players were now the
opponents rather than the youthful team, Lions
entertained at Billingham. Lions actually began
the first three minutes well, taking a 4-2 lead
but for the following six minutes Thunder went
on a rampage scoring a 16-0 run. Tom Williamson
and big man Robert Wright were in splendid form
for Thunder and Lions had little response. New
signing; Chris Tappenden hit a shot in the ninth
minute for Lions, but didn't enjoy the best
first quarter of his career.
Lions doubled their efforts in the second
quarter, hitting 15 points, only 5 points
shy of Thunders haul, but still 19 behind in
the game. Thomson and Peddie combined well
in the quarter to provide 9 and 4 points
respectively. The powerful Robert Wright was
still dominating the offence for Thunder as
he chipped in with another 7. At half time,
Lions had it all to do with a score line of
40-21 favouring the Thunder.
On the restart, Chris Tappenden led a
resurgent effort for Lions as he used his
strength inside the Thunder key to plunder
14 points. There were only two other scorers
for Lions this quarter in Thomson's 'And 1'
and a floating shot from Peddie. Thunder
maintained their consistency and even though
they ran the bench well, hit 21 points to
better the 20 scored in both quarters of the
first half. Craig Wakefield took over the
reins from Wright as he hit the first 10
points for Thirsk followed by a 3 pointer
from Williamson.
The
final quarter was further heartache for Lions as
their usual big hitters in Matthew Brown,
Michael Peddie and Miles Sayer were struggling
to stamp any form of authority on the game
whereas Thirsk were going from strength to
strength. Richard Jackson played particularly
well, controlling the pace of the game at the
right times for Thunder. On a positive note for
Lions, Patrick O'Connor played a tidy six
minutes of the final quarter along with Charlie
Collins who put in her best performance of the
season. Marshall Patterson also played some good
defence as did Matthew Brown, but both players
struggled offensively. The game was a tough
reality check for Lions as they failed to
deliver a worthy performance whilst Thunder
produced a basketball lesson, earning a 27 point
victory along the way. Thirsk, truly worthy
winners 85-58.
The
MVP was awarded to
Robert Wright
of Thunder for
a remarkable performance at both ends of the
court and
collecting 20 points in
the process.
Scorers
Thunder:
Wakefield 21, Williamson 21, Wright R 20,
Liversey 8
Lions B:
Tappenden 25,
Thomson 19, Peddie 8
13/12/07
Thirsk
Thunder v Lions Preview
TU Lions B travel to Thirsk to play the
Thunder tonight. The teams have already met
once, earlier in the season with Lions
enduring one of the most physical games but
most importantly earning the win. The 83-71
score line was kept close by the solo
display from player/coach Craig Wakefield
who hit a massive 48 points. Lions will be
keen to minimise Wakefield's scoring
tonight. In addition to Wakefield, Robert
Wright will be a player to watch. Wright has
amassed impressive figures with 19, 29 & 17
in the three games following his 4 point
display at Lions. So much of the game
though, will depend on the number of fouls
committed by the Thunder. Their inexperience
often leads to silly fouls and frustration
and if they can curb this, they may provide
the Lions with a shock.
As for the Lions, Matthew Norman is
unavailable, but Chris Tappenden will make
his debut after signing from Wynyard
Warriors. The presence of Tappenden should
provide some security in the centre and make
it difficult for Wakefield to be as dominant
this time around. Patrick O'Connor will make
his second appearance after an impressive
first half display for the Juniors last
weekend. Key players; Matthew Brown, Michael
Peddie and Miles Sayer are all fit and
available for Lions and with such a strong
squad and coming off a great display against
Velocity, Lions will be confident in their
ability to win the game.
Nunthorpe
Lions Take Pole Position!
Nunthorpe Lions 29-18 Manor College Heat
The Nunthorpe Lions have moved into first
place in the Year 8 Schools league after
beating Manor College Heat 29-18. Dan Brown
was MVP for the third straight game after
scoring 13 points. Lions had good scoring
support from Daniel Wray, adding 12 and
Philip Findlay chipping in with 4. Lions
leapfrog former leaders; Conyers Cougars to
go 2 points clear at the top. Manor College
Heat are in fourth place with 4 points. Head
Coach of Nunthorpe; Darren Bunn added "I am
so proud of the players, they are really
enjoying their success. The TSL is a big
plus for our kids" To view the League Tables
click
here.
Norton,
Blakeston & Nunthorpe Move On Up!
The action came thick and fast in the TSL
this week. All Saints, who are one of the
more professional outfits with nice
uniforms, good coaching and a big squad of
well drilled players, lost in both their
games to Nunthorpe Lions 31-14 and Blakeston
Bulls 21-10 in the Year 8 League. Against
the Lions, All Saints were the better team
in the first half and looked assured
winners, but for a superb second half
performance from Nunthorpe point guard; Dan
Brown who finished the game MVP and top
scorer with 25 points, 17 of these in the
second half. All Saints only scored once in
the second half but showed their true
capability in the first. The strength of All
Saints Danny Tomlin stood out as he
dominated the rebounds at both ends of the
court.
Against Blakeston, the All Saints came up
against a strong squad of players from a
traditionally strong basketball school.
Blakeston led in each quarter with Lee
Bennett and Den Wilsnone the main threats.
Darreyen Foley was the only player for All
Saints to score two baskets, finishing the
game with 4 points. Den Wilsnone was the
games top scorer with 8 points and the MVP
was awarded to Lee Bennett who set the home
side on track with 5 points in the first
quarter and then controlled the game well to
ensure victory.
In Year 10 Norton Knights leapt into second
place, just 1 point behind Blakeston Bulls
with a game in hand after beating
Egglescliffe Explosion 58-40. Ali Beni, Ste
Green and Dale Harrop forming a trio to
barrage the Explosion with 18, 16 and 14
points respectively. Beni was awarded the
MVP for his control of the game on defence
as much as offence. Egglescliffe were kept
in the game with a sterling performance from
Azyd Baksh
11/12/07 - tsl game of the week
Bulls
Flex Basketball Muscle!
Blakeston Bulls 40-27 Egglescliffe Explosion
In Year 10, Blakeston Bulls were again in
action against Egglescliffe Explosion, who
travelled across the district with a strong
squad of 11 players although Bulls again
showed their muscle in the schools
basketball world in this 13 points win. For
full match report, click
here. Click
on the team logos to visit the team pages.
11/12/07 - tbl game of the week
Bulls
Remain Unbeaten
Norton Bulls 82-51 Hartlepool Hornets B
Hornets B team travelled
to Norton with only 7 players, 3 of whom were
female whereas the Bulls had a strong well
drilled squad and entered the game unbeaten. On
paper, Hornets would struggle to compete, but in
the first quarter they came out firing on all
cylinders with Matthew Holmes shooting well.
Bruce Marshall controlled the pace of the game
to suit the visitors as Chris Winter and John
Wrightson combined well to give the home team an
early warning.
The Bulls didn’t settle until the mid way
through the third quarter, when Sam Butterworth
and free scoring Mark Finmore took over. Graham
Bennett put in another solid, hard working
performance to dominate the defensive rebounds
which led to fast breaks for Finmore and when in
a half court game John Young produced his best
performance of the season finishing the game
with 6 assists. Matthew Holmes tried in vain to
halt the Hornets ship from sinking but had
little support apart from a commendable 11 point
haul from Wrightson.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls wrapped up the
game with Rob Talbot hitting the target from
long range to earn the Bulls a 31 point victory.
MVP and top scorer was Bulls’ Mark Finmore who
moves into fourth place in the top scorers with
a 31ppg average. Luke Thompson of TU Lions A is
the leading scorer with 37ppg while Hornets
Matthew Holmes, who hit 22 against Bulls is in
ninth place with 21ppg.
Top scorers
Bulls:
Finmore 31, Butterworth 16, Talbot 10
Hornets B:
Holmes 22, Wrightson 11
Egglescliffe
star, Azyd Baksh ensured a healthy victory over St
Michael's with a personal tally of 24 points, half of
his teams total! This win moves Egglescliffe up into
third place in the Y10 League and adds some pressure to
the positions of Norton and Blakeston.
