The weekly roundup is back! Check out the the scores and coaches' thoughts from week 9 of the National league season.
Week 9 saw just six games underway across the North in the Junior & Senior National Leagues.
Let's see how it all went down as we roundup week 9 of the 2023/24 National League season.
Saturday 25th November 2023
COLBA vs Charnwood Riders
NBL Division 3 Men North
Result: 61-84 (L)
Player of the game: Akil Simpson
Coach Matt Newby: "Credit goes to the Charnwood Riders, who showed a high level of discipline in what was sometimes a chaotic game. This week, we did not have the connectivity of the previous 4 outings, with uncharacteristic errors from our senior players. We found it difficult to find offensive rhythm as a team which compounded our overall output, defensively we needed to show more consistency against a mature outfit and unfortunately this wasn’t there today. There were a number of positives throughout the game with Akil Simpson and Max Stead showing their appetite for senior basketball. It is important to bounce back in such situations and we look forward to a week of hard practices to address the balance."
COLBC U16 Girls Gold vs COLBC U16 Girls Black
U16 Girls North Conference
Result: 51-33
Player of the game: Zoe Nathaniel & Elisabeth Asonmwonri
Coach Greta Stout: "It was a tremendous afternoon for the women’s basketball programme at COLBC on Saturday. 17 friends playing in one game was fantastic to witness. It was hard to establish which team the fans were supporting as they were cheering on great shots and plays for both teams. The girls train together at practices on offensive and defensive motions, so it was a great way to test it out in a game scenario against each other. Very early in the game, the U16s Black team showed that they were going to be challenging opponents for the U16s Gold, bringing lots of fight, hunger and fantastic effort on defence and offence. Dynamic duo Rebecca Dragomir and Elizabeth Asonmwonriri enjoyed some great drives in the first quarter. We were trying to use our height advantage to convert it into points on the board and Zoe Nathaniel was at times unstoppable, but a strong U16 Black defence prevented us from advancing at pace.
In the second quarter the girls regrouped, and we had multiple players making shots during our offensive motions. We had improved communication on defence and ball control which made us advance in the game. In the second half the girls tried to bring the same intensity on defence and by pressuring the ball, Victory Uzomah and Francesca Lodice made some fantastic steals which lead to some fast transition opportunities.
We achieved some great offensive rebounds but struggled to convert them into points leading to some great offensive fast break options for U16s Black team. We tried to run some new ‘screen on the ball’ options to maximise our height advantage which turned into some great point scoring opportunities.
It was great to coach alongside COLBC’s very talented coach Katie Lamond whose style of coaching I much admire. There were lots of great positives to take from the game for both teams, especially some fast-break transitions, some wonderful passing, finding an open player and the rotation and communication on defence. As coaches, we are very proud of this exceptional group of girls, and the game stands as a testament to their collective basketball dedication and skill."
Coach Katie Lamond: "Phenomenal effort by the U16s Black Team today! The black team came out fighting in our COLB derby. Despite conceding first , U16s Black retaliated with a brilliant 3pt from No.11 Jasmine Muir. Almost immediately setting the intensity for the next few moments of gameplay. For those moments, U16s Black remained on top, fighting for offensive boards, claiming loose balls and pushing the ball up the court in offensive transitions. Offensive transition being a major positive of today's performance. It was really nice to see the aggression and desire to attack the space and push in transition.
Movement was much more effective and present In today's game. Once again trying to implement actions from practice to gameplay. When Gold found their rhythm, their offensive rebounds were hard for us to handle. Gold often being first to the ball, getting points from good desire to go grab the ball. Opposition movement also put us at a disadvantage. Gold demonstrating offensive proficiency through ball movement, face cuts , off and on ball screens, creating good scoring opportunities, causing disruption to our defence. Clever shot selection by gold also impacted our defensive rhythm.
Although disrupted and a little inconsistent, we did have clear moments where all the girls showed a true desire to help each other, rotate correctly and communicate their movements. Another improvement to their performance by the girls.
Incredibly positive performance today. Beyond proud. The girls found the right amount of aggression and desire today to keep a strong team to 18 points."
COLBC U16 Boys Black vs Teesside Lions
U16 Boys North I Conference
Result: 76-34 (L)
Player of the game: Dimitrious Foutsis
Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "A game which we had anticipated from the start of the season and knew would be a hard game. We started very well and kept the Lions away with some strong perimeter defence from Freddy Lutu and smart finishes from Max Jablonski and Josh Gatsi with a small 4 point difference which is a gap we have fought back multiple times this season. We started the 2nd quarter very slow which ultimately had lasting effects to the result of the game. Regardless of the boys stayed motivated to play defence that created a few transition opportunities of which they were converted by Dimitrious Foutsis and Luca Pogoreanu. In the end, we struggled against the inside presence that the Lions had a lasting effect on the game with multiple players in foul-trouble. A tough game but for many of the boys, it was a goal to reach for when the two teams face one another again. The boys are starting to look far more like a team which plays for one another."
COLBC U14 Boys Black vs Newcastle Eagles II
U14 Boys North I Conference
Result: 41-65 (L)
Player of the game: Zain Ahmed
Coach Alex Scott: "The game started well as we were played some of our best basketball all year. With Yakob Musa showing his defensive versatility both on the perimeter forcing turnovers and inside with some great shot deterrence. He did well to push the ball which was followed with Kobe Wilkinson and Dylan Storey who connected well in transition. The second unit were unable to follow this success defensively however Zain Ahmed and Archie Locke did well to keep the score ticking over. Following this quarter we struggled to keep Newcastle’s bigger bodies off the glass which was where we lost the game but offensively the day was really promising as we had many players contribute to the scoring including a late burst by Charlie Woodward who hit some really tough shots to close the gap."
COLBC U14 Boys White vs East Durham Lions
U14 Boys North I Conference
Result: 38-101 (L)
Player of the game: Sanjoseph Ghafour
Coach Olly Kerwin-Clegg: "A tough challenge lay ahead of The U14 White as a physically imposing and Skilled East Durham side arrived in Leeds. Yet in the First quarter the Leeds players rose to this challenge keeping the game within 3 points through good offensive selflessness and cohesion. However the second quarter didn’t get off to the start we hoped for as East Durham played some great spells of Basketball to start the 2nd which fantastic passing. Nevertheless the Leeds players refused to drop their heads and remained assertive. Including players like Samjoseph Ghafour who got himself to the free throw line 5 times within the game. The response from half time was much better as players continued to hustle in every possession and our help defence improved. Notable standouts on the defensive end were Pavan Doullay who hustled for multiple loose balls and Noah Jones who battled much taller players for rebounds.
Plenty of positives for this side on the weekend against a good team."
Sunday 26th November 2023
Team QE II vs COLBA I
U18 Men North I Conference
Result: 60-90 (W)
Player of the game: Marcello Maffezzoli
Coach Matt Newby: "In a game where the form book suggested otherwise, QE’s second unit came out of the traps with fighting spirit and almost a perfect half from behind the arc, leaving the split to just 8 points at the half. They maintained their gritty defence but the Academy boys raised their intensity and level of discipline, ensuring that shots were readily contested which led to a 4 minute phase of entertaining transition basketball, which blew the game wide open. Critically, we found rhythm at the right time and closed the game out against a well-organised and tough opposition."
Spen Valley Vipers vs COLBA II
U18 Men North I Conference
Result: 52-85 (W)
Player of the game: Rudee Curtis
Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "Another game which saw the U16s Gold take a step-up into the U18s Conference for a challenge against an older Vipers side. We started slow with some turnovers and struggled in some matchups which were later ironed out to slow them down in the first quarter. We continued to play team basketball with a multitude of tidy finishes and good extra passes from Casey Lennon, Callum Conroy and Alfie Donohue. In the 2nd quarter, we got comfortable with the lead and had a few messy plays offensively and defensively which allowed Spen Valley to creep back into a 3-point split.
This did not put the boys off their goal of winning the game and pushed into the 3rd quarter with a new found enthusiasm! It started slow again as we adjusted to the oppositions zone defence but the boys created so many opportunities in transition with strong defensive plays from Curtis Gwata and David Ionita that allowed for easy scores from Rudee Curtis who totalled up 32 points in the end.
A continuation of this team-based basketball meant we could further push into the fourth quarter. The boys continued their offensive dominance with unselfish basketball and strong drives which created for one another which again showed with smart pick & roll decisions from Callum. The intensity in the full-court was too much for the Vipers which allowed us to play at our speed to slow the game down later in the fourth.
A game which showed a lot of strengths but also a lot of weaknesses which need to be worked on in the next coming weeks as we look forward to continue the good form."
Rounding off the ninth weekend of the National League season, COLBC Director Matt Newby was feeling reflective on this season's improvements as we head in to the final few weeks before the Christmas break:
"In a quiet weekend at the Arena, it was great to see our U16s girls sides match up against each other, with both teams showing the strides that the female side of the programme is making, with coaches Lamond and Stout really encouraging our young women to play hard and smart. Fledgling coaches Olly Kerwin-Clegg and Alex Scott continued to improve their sides and although there were losses on the slate, the individual improvement of their units respectively is visible, as is the development of our coaches themselves. I’d like to thank all the supporters that turned out for our Division 3 fixture for their heartfelt support for our young and emerging team."
The roundup will return next week after a 13 game slate on week 10 of the National League season.
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