Myerscough lose out in MABL cup final

The rise of Myerscough through MABL competitions this year has been rapid; for a programme which is only 7 months old MABL has provided a great platform for our junior players who range in age from 16 to 19 to gain vital senior level experience, the cup competition has been the pinnacle of this.

After a hard fought cup campaign in which Myerscough basketball academy who play under partner club Preston Pride’s banner had knocked out teams from all divisions faced off against club rivals Preston Pride 1, who are currently sitting top in the MABL premier league. With both teams knowing all the finer details on one another the game promised to be an interesting one.

The final held at UCLan’s Sir Tom Finney sports centre provided the perfect environment for the all Preston affair.

Phil Hargreaves opened the scoring for Pride 1 and quickly found range to add another two points, Andre Gayle responded for Myerscough netting from deep – in a quarter that was not pretty to watch both team scrapped for points and traded either way. Pride 1 opened up a 5 point cushion at the midpoint in the quarter before Connor Tuxford converted 2 free throws to bring the score back to within 2. Myerscough looked to have found their touch as the time wound down hitting in quick succession to bring the score to 23 – 24 in favour of Pride 1.

With both teams looking more settled the 2^nd quarter scoring was opened by Montel Dennis of Myerscough. A run from Myerscough saw Pride 1 slip back to 9 point deficit and with Myerscough turning the screw and applying extended pressure Pride 1 almost buckled, up stepped Jonny Graham who halted the Myerscough run with back to back triples at a crucial time. Myerscough continued to probe defensively not allowing the opposition to settle into their offense with the game on a knife edge the half finished 42 – 40 in Myerscough’s favour.

Pride punched out a 7 point run to open the 3^rd, Graham Holland and Alex Hodgson doing the damage, this inspired Pride 1 and with back to back threes from Harry Beenham - Myerscough were forced to use a timeout;  with nerves settled and defense in mind Myerscough got the stops they deserved and attempted to chip away at Pride’s 11 point advantage. Andre Gayle repeatedly got to the line but struggled to convert from the charity stripe, Myerscough missed 7 free throws straight, despite this they managed to pull the lead back only trailing by 3 going into the final period.

A slow start by the young team saw Pride once again put together a 11 point run, this within the first 4 minutes of the quarter put Pride 1 in the driving seat, Chris Bwana who had been a revelation for Myerscough pulled back 4 points to make it an 8 point game with 5 minutes to play. Pride 1 made their experience count and knocked down two quick buckets to extend their lead to 12 with 3 minutes left – this margin proved too much for the battling Myerscough side. With the benched emptied and time expiring Pride 1 took the title 73 – 57, the fourth quarter proving fruitless for Myerscough who only mustered 5 points to Pride’s efficient 17.

In what was a hard fought fixture that saw two top teams test each other and was a great advert for the Manchester Area basketball league Pride 1’s age and experience told and they rightly ran out victors.

Chris Bwana hit 14 for Myerscough with Montel Dennis adding a cool 10

Phil Hargreaves picked up the MVP honours after an impressive performance for Pride 1 netting 16 points Graham Holland poured 23 for Pride.

Coach Neal Hopkins said this after the game “both teams fully deserved to be in this final, on this occasion Pride 1 deserved to win – they are a great team who would do very well in National league, I can’t complain at the result at all. Our young lads have come a long way this season and will learn from this game, which is very important to the ethos of our programme. Hats off to the organisers, especially Bob McGilvary for putting on a great event – it was definitely a show case for the talent in MABL”

Myerscough top Priestley in EABL

Myerscough College put on a defensive clinic in their 90 – 43 victory against play-off rivals Priestley College in the North – Sea conference, with the hosts holding Priestley to an 18 point second half.

The first quarter began with both teams trading baskets as Danny Miller opened the scoring for Priestley. An Andre Gayle dunk saw the momentum in the early goings shift toward the home team; Myerscough built on this to put together a 14 point run. A burst of their own from Priestley, including a three as time expired by Sam Hawkins, saw Myerscough take a  23 – 16 lead after the first quarter.

Myerscough heightened their defensive pressure in the second and Chris Bwana made his impact known, hitting 12 points in quick succession off a series of stops. Priestley struggled with the defensive pressure from the home side and only converted on 4 of their 19 attempts from the field in the quarter, Trevor Samuel made his presence felt on the boards collecting 6 of his game high 9 boards in the second period.  The score at the break was 47 – 25 to Myerscough

Danny Miller once again got the scoring started for the travelling side at the beginning of the third, hitting 2 of his 12 points with a nice move to the ring. Myerscough responded with a 9 point run to push the lead out to 56 – 27 with 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd. Montel Dennis then found his range for Myerscough, hitting back to back doubles to push the lead out to 32. A three by James Harvey after a well worked offense on the buzzer saw Myerscough 70-35 at the end of the 3rd quarter. 

Myerscough hit the first points of the 4th with another 3 from James Harvey.  Myerscough converted 5 shots from deep in a row to extend the lead out to 42. With defensive pressure a constant, Priestley’s offensive struggles continued, Earl Russell providing a high point for the away team with a strong baseline dunk. The game lost momentum down the stretch as Myerscough cruised over the finishing line, limiting the away team to just 8 points during the 4th. The game ended 90 – 43 to Myerscough, further boosting the home side’s playoff push.

Trevor Samuel missed out on a double double by 1 board finishing the game with 19 points and 9 rebounds, Andre Gayle netted 16 and added 8 assists whilst Montel Dennis contributed 17 and 7. Sam Hawkins dropped 8 points for Priestley to add to Danny Miller’s 12. Next week the 2 sides will go against each other again with Priestley expected to come back with vengeance.

Coach Neal Hopkins added this after the game ‘I was really impressed with our guys today, Priestley have knocked off some tough teams this year and it was important for us to put in a solid performance, we are looking strong and hungry but we won’t take anything for granted – we are looking forward to next week’

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.