Myerscough earn victory in the North East

16 year old Alex Roberts led the way with 15 points as Myerscough battled to a hard fought victory in front of a packed house in Gateshead.

The fixture was a special occasion as Gateshead welcomed a very inspirational group of people to the game. ‘Oliver’s Army’ which is just that, an army of children and parents who came together to raise an astonishing amount of money in a short space of time for their school friend Oliver, who was suffering from a brain tumour. (http://gatesheadphoenix.wordpress.com/news/).

 

 

With a crowd of well over 300 in attendance a fired up Phoenix started quickly dropping 6 triples in the opening quarter, former BBL player Will Spragg caught fire early netting 12 points during the first. Myerscough kept their cool even taking a 4 point lead following back to back buckets from Earl Russell and Emmanuel Kabengele but a 10 – 3 run from the home side left the young Myerscough side down 3 going into the second.

Myerscough nullified the three point threat from Phoenix during the second and began to assert themselves on the game, Kiko Stravrev sparked a 9 – 2 run as the visitors pushed out to an 8 point lead. With time winding down on the half and a trip to the charity stripe for the home side, the quarter ended Myerscough up 43 – 36.

The Phoenix got off to a hot start after the break and piled the pressure on the visitors; Myerscough who struggled for rhythm had to wait until the 8^th minute of the quarter to find some composure following a pair from the line from Cian Hickey and an excellent finish from Montel Dennis. Myerscough held a slender 1 point lead going into the fourth.

Myerscough held their nerve capitalising on relentless defensive work to power together a 12 – 6 run to start the final period. The visitors showed maturity beyond their years as they controlled the quarter, running out with the win 73 – 66, extending their unbeaten start to the season.

Youngster Alex Roberts was pleased with the performance ‘it was a great venue and a great crowd, I think we showed our class during periods of the game and we did really well in securing the win considering it was our first real road game’, Alex continued ‘I’m really enjoying the season, I hope we keep improving as the season goes on and of course, we keep winning’.

The fixture also saw four brother re-unite, Myerscough's Irish contingent Tadhg and Cian Hickey faced off against Aodhan and Colm, bragging rights will be with the twins (Cian and Tadhg) this time.

Myerscough now take a weekend off before taking on local rivals Preston College on the 9^th of November.

Qtr 1; 24 – 21 Qtr 2; 12 – 22 Qtr 3; 15 – 13 Qtr 4 11 – 17
 

You can watch the whole game here; Phoenix vs Myerscough 

In the other weekend fixture our under 18’s set the tone taking down Sefton Stars on Saturday to keep their undefeated start alive in the north west conference, marching out 99 – 69 winners.

 

 

National Colleges Cup round up

 

With all three team in cup action this past week, here is a round up of the action:

The performance of the day came as our rapidly improving second team faced off against Loreto College:

Wednesday afternoon saw our Myerscough 2 travel to Manchester to take on Loreto 1 in the BCS Cup. After a closely contested game and despite a spirited effort from the Myerscough boys, the game ended 69-60 in favour of the home team.

Myerscough were in control from the initial tip running out to a 6 point lead early in the first quarter. Excellent team defence and superb passing saw this lead extend to 12 points mid way through the second period. Despite an excellent start, Loreto rallied behind excellent shooting from Joe Swindells to take a slender lead into the half time break (39-36).

Starting the second half Kieran Skeffington did a fantastic job of containing the shooter early and quick baskets from Matthew Hodgkinson and Yannick Kablan saw the away side go back up by a point. With the lead changing multiple times during the second half it was a short run of shooting again that saw Loreto take a 5 point lead heading into the final quarter.

After a time out late in the fourth, Myerscough fought back level but a few mistakes in the dying seconds of the game saw Loreto take the win with a nine point cushion (69-60).

Myerscough coach Peter Paraskeva was very positive after the game ' it was a fantastic team performance and considering this group of players have only been together for six weeks it's exciting to think what this team is capable of further down the road'.

Myerscough 2 now go into the half term break for a well deserved rest before taking on Runshaw 1 upon return at Home.

Running Quarter Scores: 
Q1: 14-21  Q2: 39-36  Q3: 54-49  Q4: 69-60.

Elsewhere our 1st team took down Priestley College with no less than 7 players in double figures in the 120 - 43 victory. Myerscough led from the tip and proved too much for Priestley who battled to the end.

In the final game of the day our 3rd team swept aside Blackburn College 120 - 20 to progress to the next round of the regional cup.

Myerscough maintain winning start in the EABL

An Emmanuel Kabengele double double helped inspire Myerscough to a 93 - 42 victory over EABL newcomers Allerton High School (Leeds Force) in Wednesday's North Conference clash.

Allerton opened the scoring only to be met by a 15 point burst from the home side. With Myerscough turning up the heat on the defensive end Allerton struggled to find rhythm, converting only 6 points during the first quarter. Myerscough failure to capitalise on their defensive dominance saw the scoring slow slightly with the lead at 19 - 6 after the first.

In what was a slow start to the second both teams made multiple trips to the line, Allerton dragged the score back to 11 points following back to back buckets to which Myerscough replied with a 21 - 4 run. A Chris Bwana brace from the charity stripe left the score at 43 - 16 at the half with the hosts seemingly out of sight. Impressively Emmanuel Kabengele had collected 19 points and 10 boards as half time buzzer had sounded.

 

Emmanuel Kabengele with 27 & 18

A 15 - 5 start led by smart play from Montel Dennis and Alex Roberts helped extend Myerscough's lead to 36 with 4 minutes played in the third. With Myerscough rotating regularly the visitors took advantage of a lack of concentration from the home side to end the quarter with a 6 - 2 run to leave the score at 63 - 31 going into the final period.

The fourth quarter witnessed renewed defensive energy from Myerscough, Tadhg and Cian Hickey demonstrated great hustle and intensity whilst Kyle Elly cleaned up on the offensive end on his way to 10 points. An 18 - 6 close out for Myerscough saw the home side move to 2 & 0 in the North conference with a convincing 93 - 42 victory.

Tadhg Hickey said this after the game 'I think the team worked hard and we are really starting to click but we know we have a lot more to give, Tadhg continued 'the main thing is the whole team is contributing positively, there is a balanced spread of minutes for all 12 guys and everyone is taking their chances'.

Emmanuel Kabengele finished with a big 27 point 18 board double double whilst chipping in with 3 dimes, Montel Dennis added 16 points 7 boards, Kyle Elly, Alex Roberts and Will Shaw also delivered double digit scoring. 

Myerscough now host Priestley College in the first round of the National Cup (22nd October).

Myerscough maintain winning start in D4

Myerscough had 7 players in double digits as they eased past Liverpool 135 – 50 to keep their 100% winning record alive in Basketball England’s National League Division 4.

Myerscough’s U19’s led from the tip as Emmanuel Kabengele converted from under the hoop – In what was a well-rounded first quarter 9 of the young Myerscough side managed to get on the score sheet demonstrating great team basketball to lead 32 – 8 going into the second.

Liverpool had a spirited second quarter and despite being up against constant Myerscough pressure showed that they could be an offensive threat, Jonny Graham led the way for the home side. As the quarter ran down Myerscough were lifted by back to back triples from David Walsh to stretch the lead out to 67 – 28 at the break.

Into the third and much of the same from the visiting team as Myerscough continued to apply pressure and convert with good efficiency. Montel Dennis was active on the glass grabbing 3 offensive boards as well as scoring 6 points straight. The home side were outscored 37 – 11 in the quarter with the score at 104 – 39.

An active Myerscough continued to play hard in the fourth despite the temptation to take their foot off the gas. Chris Bwana who, as well as Montel Dennis was making his return to the Myerscough squad following International duties with the AASE England Squad went perfect from the floor converting 4 of 4. As time wound down on the game Myerscough cruised to a 135 – 50 victory.

Emmanuel Kabengele who chipped in with a big 25 point 10 rebound double, double commented after the game ‘I think we played well, we could have started stronger but we showed passion and desire especially in the second half, we have 12 guys who can all make an impact this has really helped us to start our season in Division 4 well’.

Stats from todays game;

 

Myerscough now take a weekend off before heading North to take on Gateshead Phoenix on the 26th October.

 

Myerscough ease past Birmingham Met in season opener

 

Wednesday afternoon saw Myerscough host Birmingham Met in both teams first fixture in this year’s Elite Academy Basketball League, the home side coming out on top in a dominating 127 – 46 victory.

 

Myerscough netted the first points of the game, Kiko Stavrev hitting from deep after a well worked offence. In what was a slow start from the home side, Birmingham Met showed their effectiveness at getting to the ring drawing multiple fouls in the process. After a nervy first quarter Myerscough held the lead at 19 – 12.

 

An 11 to 4 run at the beginning of the second helped Myerscough find their rhythm as a short-handed Birmingham struggled to create on the offensive end.  Myerscough’s Earl Russell demonstrated his dominance inside finishing with a powerful jam then following this with a big put back forcing a Birmingham Met timeout. The home side continued to pull away as half time approached and led 46 – 22 at the break.

 

Myerscough attacked the third with ruthlessness and began to find their touch from the field, Nils Ozolins hit back to back triples in quick succession igniting a 26 – 8 burst. Kyle Elly provided a huge spark on defence leading to open looks on the offensive end. Myerscough took the quarter 39 - 10 to go into the fourth with the score at 86 – 32.

 

The fourth saw much of the same from Myerscough as they made the visitors pay for defensive lapses. Will Shaw already with 6 points from deep added 9 more to bring his game total to 15 on 5 of 8 from 3. Five other Myerscough players connected from downtown as the home side caught fire, pouring 24 points from beyond the arc in the fourth. Myerscough's relentlessness in the second half was demonstrated by 7 steals by Alex Roberts whilst Cian Hickey dished out 7 dimes to lead the home side to a comfortable 127 - 46 victory.

 

Myerscough's Will Shaw said this after the game 'We battled hard on the defensive end and executed well offensively, it was great to play our first EABL fixture but it felt even better to see the team play with confidence and get a solid win'.

 

Myerscough host Allerton High School next Wednesday and will look to build on their opening day success.

 

 

 

Super Saturday for Myerscough Basketball

Myerscough’s under 18’s kicked off their National Cup campaign with a hard fought victory over local rivals Preston’s College. Helped by 33 points from Alex Roberts and 15 from Ryan Knowles, Myerscough led by as many as 19 at the beginning of the third before a spirited fight back from the visiting side saw the score narrow to just 4 points one minute into the final period.

Smart play down the stretch and some clutch shots by Kyle Elly and Matthew Hodgkinson opened the lead back up to 11 with 4 minutes to play in the 4^th. Myerscough held their nerve and ran out with a 9 point victory, the final score 85 – 76.

Myerscough now face Cheshire Panthers in the next round and will, without doubt, be ready to make a push in the competition.

(25 – 19) (24 – 17) (18 – 25) (18 – 15)

Myerscough moved to 2 & 0 in Basketball England’s division four after a convincing 30 point victory over Leeds Tigers.

Myerscough started quickly running out to lead by 6 after 4 minutes as the visitors struggled to keep pace – Kiko Stavrev, back from a slight injury, broke up a mini revival from the experienced Leeds side halting a 6 point run with back to back buckets. Myerscough held a 5 point cushion after the first, 18 – 13.

 

Kiko Stavrev  with 15 points personal

 

A scrappy, low scoring second quarter saw the home side; despite excellent ball movement, struggle to knock down open shots. Youngster, Jordie Thomas who has been in excellent form was the bright spark of the period showing great maturity on both ends of the floor. A tip in from Emmanuel Kabengele ended the scoring, Myerscough with a 3 point lead going into the break, 29 – 26.

Myerscough’s raised the tempo in the third and for a team who have only been together for 3 weeks began to show true signs of promise, scoring from multiple positions and linking up for excellent defensive sequences. An Earl Russell jumper opened up a 10 point lead as time wound down on the quarter, Myerscough seemingly having established their offensive rhythm. (50 – 40)

 

Tadhg Hickey leading the break

 

The fourth quarter proved to be Myerscough’s strongest as they outscored the visitors 26 – 6. Leeds visibly worn down by the up-tempo style of play struggled to deal with the pace of the home side. Myerscough were ruthless in their approach forcing multiple stops whilst running the break effectively; Ireland U18’s Tadhg and Cian Hickey linked up well to push the lead out to 30 in what was a dominant quarter for Myerscough, the final score 76 – 46.

(18 – 13) (11 – 13) (21 – 14) (26 – 6)

Kiko Stavrev led the scoring with 15 points whilst adding 4 rebounds, Emmanuel Kabengele delivered a characteristic double, double with 12 points 10 boards, Earl Russell adding a season high 14 points.

Head Coach Neal Hopkins was happy with his team’s second half performance, ‘As a unit I thought we played far better after the break, we were a little sloppy in the first half but every minute is valuable, good or bad’ Hopkins added ‘I though Nils Ozolins was very good today, he chipped in with 6 assists at crucial times, I really want these guys to understand the importance of sharing the ball, Nils certainly did a great job of this today’.

Myerscough head to Liverpool next Saturday after a busy week of college fixtures including their first Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) fixture against Birmingham Met on Wednesday (3pm tip at Myerscough).