Myerscough blow out Bradford in EABL

Myerscough College ran out to an easy victory on Wednesday afternoon as they blew away North Sea conference rivals Bradford College, boosting their league position ahead of some tough fixtures.

Myerscough punched out to a first quarter lead of 24 – 3 and there wasn’t any looking back as Bradford struggled to convert throughout the game.





Bradford opted for zone defence and had success in slowing down Myerscough’s half-court offense in spells but the lack of an offensive threat saw them go into the half with just 7 points to Myerscough’s 50.

A 19 point burst at the beginning of the third by Myerscough was enough to kill the game off and also saw the tempo slow.

The game ended 91 – 15 in favour of the home side, Trevor Samuel continued his fine form by splashing in 25 points and adding 8 boards whilst Montel Dennis added 15 points.

Coach Neal Hopkins had this to say after the game; "It was important to put in a decent performance today; Bradford sat in a zone and made it hard for us at times, I have to credit them for not giving up and playing hard for the full 40 minutes. It is going to be a tough few weeks for us now with some big fixtures and for sure we are looking forward to them'

Myerscough host Priestley next week and will look to build on their 7 - 1 record.

Myerscough edge out Tyne Met in EABL, BCS team hand Stockport first loss

 Myerscough College emerged victorious from a highly competitive EABL clash with Tyne Met College today, winning 79-72. The hosts compensated for their poor free throw shooting with excellent rebounding and defence, pulling down 35 boards and snatching 12 steals.

The game was close throughout, Myerscough led by just three heading into the fourth quarter. Both teams had trouble shooting the ball in a low-scoring second half and all was to play for in the final minutes.

Myerscough's starting five scored 29 of the team's 31 second half points and late three pointers from Trevor Samuel and Andre Gayle were key in securing victory for the home side. 

Myerscough were led by Trevor Samuel (21 points, 8 rebounds) and Andre Gayle (21 points, 3 steals). Montel Dennis (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Chris Bwana (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) were also key.

"Today was a fantastic advert for the EABL, both teams played with great maturity and it was a pleasure to coach. I am a big fan of Tyne Met and the way Coach Steutel has them set up, they play a very intelligent game which is difficult to break down, hats off to our guys for executing our game plan and making the adjustments that were needed"  - Neal Hopkins, Myerscough HC

Today's victory saw Myerscough improve to 4-1 in the EABL as they move to 1st place in the North Sea Conference.

Myerscough 2nd team hand Stockport College first loss

Myerscough's 2nd team, which consists entirely of U17s, faced Stockport away in the BCS North West division today. League leaders Stockport College were yet to lose a game this season, that was until Myerscough handed them a 81-77 loss on their home court.

The young side put on an impressive display of determination and intensity and came up with defensive stops at crucial moments. Today's win sees the 2nd team improve to 4-2. In the coming weeks they will face Loreto in the league and Oldham in the National BCS cup quarter final.

Myerscough dismantle Childwall in 51 point win

Myerscough's 51 point victory over Childwall saw their EABL record improve to 3-1. A hectic schedule of fixtures over the coming weeks will see them host league leaders Tyne Met in what will be their first league game with home advantage, whilst a clash with rivals Loreto College is also upcoming. 

The visitors came out firing in the opening quarter, however their early defensive play left plenty to be desired as they conceded 17 points. Chris Bwana and Emmanuel Kabengele combined to score 14 of Myerscough's 26 second quarter points, giving them a 22 point lead heading into halftime. 

Myerscough caught fire in the third quarter, converting on 73.7% of their 19 field goal attempts. Their deadly efficient shooting, coupled with vastly improved defensive play, saw the guests outscore Childwall 31-9 in the quarter. 

Despite a lapse in defensive execution in the final period, Myerscough kept firing and came away with a 111-60 win. Emmanuel Kabengele led the way with a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double whilst Andre Gayle put on an impressive display of versatility with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. 

Other notable performers included; Trevor Samuel (19 points, 5 rebounds ), James Harvey (11 points, 7 assists, 5 steals), Ryan Knowles (14 points, 7 rebounds). 

As a unit Myerscough shot 44.4% from the floor and 75% from the line in the game. They will look to improve on their poor outside shooting (22.2%) and their alarming turnover rate as they face league leaders Tyne Met at home next week.  

The academy's second team ran out to a gigantic 109 point victory away at Holy Cross. Myerscough attacked relentlessly for the entire game and will look to carry forward momentum into next weeks clash with undefeated league leaders Stockport College.  

Myerscough topple Tyne Met in EABL clash

Myerscough College improved to 2-1 in the highly competitive North Sea conference (EABL) on Wednesday, handing league leaders Tyne Met their first home loss of the season in the process. It was Myerscough's second trip to Newcastle in as many weeks; they suffered a painful 15 point loss to Tyne Met in the second round of the BCS Cup last week.

A closely contested first half saw the two teams tied 43-43 at half time and just two points separated them heading into the final period. The visitors came out on top after a low scoring fourth quarter, winning 72-67. Myerscough's victory was thanks in large part to a dominant rebounding display, they pulled down 43 rebounds in the game, 13 of which were offensive. They shot with impressive efficiency, connecting on 51% of their field goal attempts. Myerscough displayed their strength in depth with four players scoring in double figures and five players pulling down 5 or more rebounds.

Stand out performers for Myerscough were Andre Gayle (18 points, 8 rebounds), Emmanuel Kabengele (10 points, 8 rebounds) Chris Bwana (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), Montel Dennis (8 points, 9 rebounds) and Trevor Samuel (12 points and 4 rebounds).  Big man Connor Tuxford pulled down 5 offensive rebounds whilst Will Shaw provided a valuable spark off the bench, knocking down two three pointers.

Myerscough College Basketball Academy

Tyne Met's Eddie Matthew displayed his outside shooting touch, hitting five three pointers and totalling 25 points. Myerscough prevented two of Tyne Met's primary scorers from having any real impact on the game. Danny Horta and Alan Sasor, who rank amongst the EABL's leading three point shooters, struggled to cope with defensive pressure from Myerscough. Horta (who averaged 24ppg prior to Wednesday) scored 11 and Sasor was rendered scoreless.


Myerscough Head Coach Neal Hopkins was delighted with his team's victory, he commented; "I'm really happy with the guys, I can't see many team winning at Tyne Met - we had a game plan and it was stuck to. I have to praise the players for their maturity in this win, there will always be ways in which we
can improve but today was a big step forward for us, it was great to see such a team effort"

Myerscough will not play another EABL game until the new year following the cancellation of next weeks game against Priestley. Academy players will be training hard up until the Christmas break next week in preparation for January's game against Loreto College.

Report by Ed McNally 

Myerscough College Advance to second round of BCS Cup

Led by a strong 25 point performance from Montel Dennis, Myerscough College beat Preston College 77-74 to advance to the second round of the BCS Cup. The victory is Myerscough’s second consecutive over Preston after taking them down 84-78 two weeks ago in the EABL.

A dominant first half performance saw Myerscough hold a commanding 42-30 lead going into the half time break. Preston reduced the lead to 6 heading into the fourth quarter. Preston rallied towards the end of the game, hitting two three pointers in the final minutes. They then narrowed the lead to two late in the game but 2/4 free throws for Myerscough in the final minute was enough to secure the win and their place in the next round.

Trevor Samuel notched 12 points for Myerscough (8/10 free throws) whilst Ryan Knowles and Andre Gayle hit double figures with 10 points each.

Benjamin Nkossi was again top scorer for Preston with 19 points and Tyler Hamilton contributed 9

.

These two teams will clash again on the 5^th of March in the EABL, when Preston will be looking to pick up their first win against Myerscough in what has become an exciting local rivalry.

Meanwhile, Myerscough will look to improve on their 1-1 record in the EABL when they host Childwall in two weeks’ time.

Report by Ed McNally