Under 14 Girls: Richmond Knights & London Youngbloods Lions
Semi-Final 1 –
Richmond Knights 54 v 64 London Youngblood Lions Live Stats
Newham Youngblood was able to make use of a fast start as they ended Richmond Knight’s Final Fours in Manchester. After an even opening at 6-6, the Lions went on a 14-2 run to break the game open and stamp their authority on the contest.
Baskets from Lauryn Masawi (12 points, 14 boards, four steals) helped Richmond back into the game and a 6-2 streak to end the 2nd left the Knights down by just 8 at the interval. That lead was cut further during a well contested 3rd frame and at 51-46 Newham with 10 minutes to go, the game was up for grabs.
The Knights couldn’t find the key plays down the stretch though and that allowed the Lions to pull away. Leia Edwards (20 points, 13 rebounds, four steals) was the top scorer for London and Tinu Fakunle (19 points and 22 rebounds) helped control the glass as the Youngbloods move on to tomorrow’s Final.
3rd Placed Playoff –
Richmond Knights 66 v 52 City of Sheffield Hatters
For the second year in a row, Richmond was able to pip the Sheffield Hatters to 3rd place in the U14 Girls competition.
Leading 36-32 at the end of the first half, only four Richmond players had troubled the scorers but three had made it into double digits. Olivia O’Connell (12), Lauryn Masawi (10) and Molly Lavin (10) were all looking dangerous, with Abbey Whitehouse and Alice Fallon providing resistance for Sheffield.
O’Connell and Lavin both turned on the jets in the second half to finish with 23 and 21 points respectively, and Sheffield was unable to keep up. Whitehouse’s 16 and Fallon’s 17 were good performances, but no other Hatters’ player made it past 5 points.
Final –
London Youngblood Lions 57 v 73 Oaklands College Wolves Live Stats
A 25-9 final period took the Under 14 Girls Playoff Final in Oakland’s favour after a closely contested game to that point. A tied ball game at 48-48 to end the 3rdperiod, the Lions will be left to ponder what might have been after letting this one slip away.
The MVP award went to Oakland’s Onyi Okoye after a 19 point, 19 rebound double-double. Her performance was the perfect complement to her 28 point, 11 rebound effort in yesterday’s semi-final to cap an incredible weekend for the youngster.
London’s Tinu Fakule did everything she could to tip the game in her side’s favour, but even with a stat line of 19 points and 27 rebounds, it still wasn’t enough.
Under 16 Boys: London Greenhouse Pioneers and Haringey Hawks
Semi-Final 1 –
Manchester Magic 78 v 56 London Greenhouse Pioneers Live Stats
In a game where they were comfortable victors, Manchester entertained a partisan crowd as they booked a place in tomorrow’s Playoff Final.
Leading 18-8 by the first change, Manchester really found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter to pour in 24 points and take control of the game. Greg Wild (14 points, three rebounds, four assists), Dan Gargan (13 points, 3/5 3pt, four assists) and Joshua Grant (10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks) all made it to double digits for the Magic as they led from start to finish.
London did manage to cut into the Magic advantage to begin the 3rd quarter, but Manchester quickly regained their composure to push on further. Shooting 2/20 from range hurt the London side, who were led by Luca Bastoni (14 points, four rebounds, three steals) and Louis Grant-Halliday (10 points).
Semi-Final 2 –
Ipswich 59 v 84 Haringey Hawks Live Stats
Haringey was able to move through the gears against Ipswich as they took control of this contest the longer it went on. Leading by 12, 16 and 23 at the game’s 3 changes, the Hawks were comfortably the better side and produced a final score that reflected it.
Moyo Adekeye (22 points, nine rebounds, three assists) was the pick of the bunch for Haringey, with Alex Distras (16 points, 4 steals) and Tashan Gray (16 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks) both providing support. Gray’s performance was key in helping his side dominate the glass, winning that battle 65-48 on the way to 25 second-chance points for the Hawks.
Ipswich did manage to slow their opponents down in the 4th but never looked likely to reel them in, with Jacob Morgan (21 points, four rebounds) the pick of the bunch for the Suffolk side.
3rd Placed Playoff
London Greenhouse Pioneers 60 v 67 Ipswich
Ipswich secured another 3rd placed finish on Sunday as their U16 boys emulated the U16 girls from earlier in the day. It was a close fought game though as Ipswich never led by more than 4 at any break in play.
Roared on by some vocal support and the watching U16 girls side, Ipswich continued to match their opponents throughout and they needed to as London pushed them all the way. A 33-30 score line was reflective of the even nature of the contest and that trend continued as the 3rd quarter ended 51-47. In the end, the Suffolk side got the breaks down the stretch to give them some breathing room, claiming 3rd place in the process.
Final Live Stats
Haringey quietened the local fans as they beat Manchester to claim the U16 Boys Playoff title. Franklin Agu wwas named the game’s MVP award after an 11-point performance, but the young forward’s main influence was on the glass after he collected an impressive 20 rebounds.
The game started quickly, getting the traveling Hawks’ fans and the numerous Magic supporters in attendance involved from the outset. With big blocks, great drives and highlight plays, it was a breathless opening quarter that ended 21-17 Haringey. Manchester’s Dan Gargan (8 points, four rebounds) scored all his points in the opening frame, with Haringey’s Leslie Smith (10 points, three rebounds, six steals, three assists) contributing 7 in reply.
After the Hawks stretched their advantage going into halftime, they came out from the main change with a bang as a 16-6 run ballooned their lead to 19 at 57-38. Manchester replied but it was still a 62-49 ball game with 10 minutes remaining.
Magic gave their fans hope as they opened the 4th on a 6-0 streak to trim the difference to just 7, but a 9-0 run in reply from Haringey sealed the game.
“We’ve been to the Final Fours a number of times. Finalists, third place. We said before this year that we’ve been bridesmaids too many times, we have to win. It paid off!” said Haringey Head Coach Franck Batimba. “This means everything to us. Things like this help to give kids in Haringey some focus, and that’s really important.”
Under 16 Girls: Haringey Angels
Semi-Final –
GCA Haringey Angels 54 v 45 City of Sheffield Hatters Live Stats
Outscoring their opponents 19-6 in the game’s final frame, GCA Haringey Angels were able to pull off a come from behind victory and advance to Sunday’s Playoff Final. Captain Simona Henshaw (14 points, 20 rebounds, three assists) led the charge for the Angels, with Ava Patchesa (18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, three assists) the main contributor for Sheffield.
Despite starting the game slowly, the Londoners grew into the contest as it progressed. Trailing 17-9 after 1, Coach Hayfield’s side did manage to close to the gap in the 2nd but would remain behind 25-21 at the main change. From there the Angels grabbed control of the contest early in the 3rd, only for the Hatters to once again pull away and lead by 4 going into the last. The game’s final quarter would spell the end for the Hatters though as they fell away down the stretch.
Final –
GCA Haringey Angels 44 v 60 Sevenoaks Suns
Sevenoaks claimed the first title of this year’s Jnr. NBL Final Fours with a comfortable victory over Southern rivals GCA Haringey Angels. MVP honours went to Sevenoaks’ Asha Andrews, who won the U14 MVP at last year’s Final Fours. The talented guard led all scorers with 18 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
It was Suns’ shooter Charlotte Redhead (13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks) that took control of the early going, scoring eight in the game’s opening quarter as the Suns led 13-12 at the first break. Both sides remained evenly matched in a defensive second, leaving the score poised 23-22 Sevenoaks by half time.
It was the third quarter that would decide the game though as both Andrews and Redhead would go through the gears to build a sizable lead for their team. With plenty of assistance on the defensive end, a 22-7 3rd broke the game open and left Haringey with too much to do.
“It was a tough game, which is what we expected,” said Suns’ Head Coach Kapil Kumar. “The key thing was to focus, we needed to be great defensively. We learned from yesterday, worked as a five on defence and did fantastic. It was spot on!”
Under 18 Men: London Lewisham Thunder
Semi-Final
London Thunder-Lewisham 53 v 54 Myerscough College Live Stats
In a see-saw battle that kept fans entertained throughout, London Thunder-Lewisham couldn’t get their final shot to drop as they lost out to Myerscough by the narrowest of margins.
With the Thunder enjoying an eight-point lead in the 3rd and Myerscough up by five midways through the 4th, the scores would eventually level up with 44 seconds remaining. Daniel Chima (seven points, seven rebounds) would hit his 2nd free throw though, putting Myerscough up by 1 at 54-53, and that would be the last score of the contest. Lewisham had three chances to win it but each time the Myerscough defence held firm, leading to a memorable win.
Callan Low (17 points, five rebounds) led all scorers for Myerscough, with Michael Adebayo and Josh Adeniyi both scoring 10 for the Thunder.
Third Placed Game
Team Birmingham Elite 67 v 74 London Thunder-Lewisham
Despite being out of contention for a top two finish, both these sides played a hard fought game in a battle for 3rd place. Those honours eventually went to London Thunder-Lewisham as they were just about able to keep their opponents at bay.
Trailing 19-18 at the end of the 1st quarter, Thunder used that as a wake up call to take control. Outscoring Birmingham in the next two quarters provided a nice cushion heading into the last, with Coach Bucknall’s side leading 67-55 with 10 minutes to play. From there Lewisham were able to see the game out, keeping the difference comfortable as time ticked down to the final buzzer.
Under 18 Women: Haringey Angels and Southwark Pride
Semi-Final –
GCA Haringey Hawks 45 v 58 Southwark Pride Live Stats
Maya Hyacienth and Megan Haines were responsible for 36 of Southwark’s 58 points as the talented duo helped their side into tomorrow’s Final. Hyacienth (19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals) and Haines (17 points, two assists, three steals) were able to find the gaps in the Haringey defense time and again on their way to productive performances.
The Angels fell behind early and were never really able to find a way back into the game. With the deficit lingering around the ten-point mark for most of the contest, that allowed Southwark to keep their opponents at a comfortable distance and see this one out. Haringey did put together a late rally in the fourth to get the difference down to six, but they couldn’t find the key basket to really put the pressure on. Teresa Da Silva was the standout for the Angels, she had a team-high 17 points.
Third Placed Game –
GCA Haringey Angels 59 v 41 Manchester Mystics
In a bounce back performance from the Angels, they were able to assert their dominance on Manchester and secure 3rd place in the U18 Women’s competition. After losing out to eventual winners Southwark yesterday, Coach Bowmaker’s side were able to regroup and find the performance they needed.
A third quarter blitz sealed this one for the London side as an even game in the first half quickly became one sided after the break. The Mystics were actually in possession of the lead at the half , up by a single point at 23-22, but 10 minutes later the score line had been comfortably reversed to leave GCA up 40-31.
The final quarter provided no let up for the Mystics as the difference continued to grow. Despite receiving significant local support, the home town fans couldn’t will their team back into this one as they fell to defeat.
Final –
Southwark Pride 53 v 40 Charnwood College RidersLive Stats
Southwark recorded a historic triple as they won the U18 Women’s title for the third year in a row. In a scrappy game against rivals Charnwood, the Pride were able to grind this one out and get their hands on the playoff title.
Megan Haines was awarded MVP honours as she led all scorers with 22 points, adding four rebounds and two steals. Only four Southwark players had troubled the scorers deep into the fourth, with Esther Oluade (10 points, four assists), Maya Hyacienth (nine points, eight rebounds) and Mia Sarkodee-Adoo (12 points eight rebounds) the main contributors.
Charnwood went 3/13 from range in the first quarter, but still managed to lead 13-9 at the first change. Imogen Cook (13 points, three rebounds, three assists) was the only Riders’ player to made it into double digits as the Midlands side shot 22% from the floor in the contest.
Despite their struggles, Charnwood were firmly in the game at three quarter time, trailing by just four at 32-28. A telling run in the final frame by Southwark eventually helped them to a double digit win.
“Sometimes you don’t win pretty, but it’s about grinding out wins,” said Southwark Head Coach Jackson Gibbons. “If I could give advice to any aspiring coach, get a good culture. If you have that, your team will find a way to get the basketball down. It’s never over until it’s over and you’ve got to keep grinding and pushing. The team did that today and I’m really proud.”
