w/e 03/04/05
WOMENS
UNDER 14 PLAY-OFFS Having been unbeaten throughout the regular season, the Swifts under 14 side encountered their first ever play-off game against a very tough Stockport Lapwings side who finished in fourth place in a very difficult North West league. The match was again under the rules where both sides must play 10 of their players in the first half, which is split into four five minute segments. With both teams understandably nervous, scoring was very limited in the early stages; Swifts holding a slender 11-9 first quarter lead. With foul shooting opportunities being spurned by both sides, the scoreline had edged along to just 20-18 at half time, the point at which free changes of players can be made. The hosts looked to take full advantage of this, scoring the first six points but Stockport hit back and with just one quarter remaining the game was wide open at 28-24 to Southend. But from nowhere, Swifts began to dominate. Led by Rachel Armstrong, they made an 8-4 run that took the lead to nine at 37-28. Stockport replied with the next three, but a 13-2 stretch over the remaining four minutes of the game gave Southend a victory by the slightly flattering margin of 50-34 against a Lapwings side that battled right to the end; Armstrong leading the way with 11 points. 26/02/05
GIRLS
UNDER 14 NATIONAL LEAGUE - CENTRAL DIVISION In the first match against Norfolk, Southend came out at a blistering pace taking the first quarter by 16 points to nil, with Hannah Culwick scoring six, Rachel Armstrong four and debutantes Emma Dawson and Sally Degge also getting on the scoresheet. The second period saw a little bit of normality as Norfolk began to show some more confidence, but with Jennie Rodgers and Francesca Whitby scoring six apiece, the score stood at 36-10 at the half time interval. But the third quarter would see a scintillating display from the youngsters. With Rodgers and captain Rebecca Brough scoring at will; they produced some outstanding basketball to take the lead to 55-14 with one period remaining. The final quarter being a slightly more circumspect affair, as Swifts closed to a 69-22 victory; Rodgers with 15 points, Brough 11 and Whitby 10 but, more importantly, all 10 players scoring. After Chiltern had defeated Norfolk 41-36, it was the turn of the Buckinghamshire team to face Southend. With one of the Swifts team unavailable, Chiltern were given a five point start, but with good early scoring from Armstrong, the hosts had made good the deficit to lead 14-12 after the opening seven minutes. The second quarter was one way traffic as Swifts scored 18 points whilst conceding just two to break the game open; national selection Brough contributing 10 points for herself. Amazingly the third period saw exactly the same scoring margin, as Southend moved out to 50-16; Katie Doubleday scoring eight. The final quarter was a rather more subdued event as the home side closed out to a 61-20 victory to go to a 7 and 0 margin. Brough 17, Armstrong 10 and Rodgers and Doubleday 8 each. Next weekend sees three sides at home on Saturday. The under 18 girls face Sheffield, following which the under 18 boys will entertain Waltham Forest. Finally the seniors women will play Reading. The first game starts at 1 pm. On Sunday, in a bizarre fixture list, the seniors women will travel to play Reading for the second time in 18 hours !! 2 9/12/04There was a feast of under 18 and under 16 womens basketball at Greensward College on Wednesday 29th December when Southend Swifts held their second Livemore Partnership sponsored International Invitational Tournament. The teams included the reigning English and Scottish under 18 champions, Ellesmere Port and St Mirren, and offered all of the teams attending an early opportunity to work off their post Christmas lethargy. First into action were Swifts and St Mirren in what turned out to be the most exciting game of the day. In matches of four 7 minute quarters, the hosts were first into their stride taking an early 9-2 lead. St Mirren replied strongly; ending the first quarter just 13-8 behind. Southend re-took the initiative, moving out to 17-11, before 10 straight for the Scottish side, gave them their first lead. Swifts replied with six unanswered before the visitors tied it up at 23 at the half time buzzer. A 9-3 stretch for St Mirren looked to have established a convincing lead, but Swifts replied with seven straight to move one ahead. St Mirren made the next score before Kelly Matthews, with a long range bomb, gave her side a 36-34 advantage going into the final period. St Mirren hit the first eight, capped by a Nadele Strain three, but Southend had the next nine, ended by another Matthews three, to lead 45-42. A 5-2 stretch for St Mirren took them up by two and with neither side able to convert foul shots it was the Scottish side that ended winners by 50 points to 48. Next to play, at under 16 level, were the St Mirren cadet side against Cardiff Clippers. The Welsh side are very much in the development stage but this was a great opportunity for them to experience play against much more relatively experienced teams. The Scottish side held a 17-7 first quarter lead on the back of some good shooting particularly from Lisa Haldane. The second period saw a very spirited performance from Cardiff as they conceded the period by just one point as they got to grips with the big stage. Over the final two quarters however they simply ran out of gas to leave St Mirren convincing victors by 57 points to 21. The next game was between last seasons English Championship finalists Southend Swifts and Ellesmere Port Panthers. The North Westerners had current player of the year Johannah Leedham back from American High School and, not for the first time, she was the difference between the two teams. Swifts started strongly, opening a 7-2 lead but were pegged back by Panthers pressing defence that helped them to 11 of the next 13 points. The home side managed to recover and with some outstanding long range shooting from Kelly Matthews (three three-point shots in the period) trailed just 22-17 after one quarter. A 7-3 run for Ellesmere Port gave them a nine point advantage but with Emma Camp finding her way to the basket the lead was cut to five. A 6-0 run made it a double digit lead for Panthers before yet another Matthews effort from distance left it at 38-30 at half time. But the third quarter would be Swifts undoing as Leedham helped herself to 11 points in the period for her team to take an assailable 58-36 lead into the final stanza. Unsurprisingly the final period was much less intense from both sides as Panthers ran out comfortable 69-46 winners. Next up were Swifts under 16's against Cardiff Clippers. Having seen their older teammates have a tough time, the Essex youngsters went into immediate command, scoring the first 17 points to effectively end the match as a contest. To their credit Clippers battled well, ending the first quarter down 19-9. Southend gave some of their under 14 side the opportunity of some court time and they held the margin to lead 29-19 at the half way point. But the re-introduction of the older players re-established matters and with captain Abi Dempsey in irrepressible form, the lead went to 49-24 with the final seven minutes remaining. Again the younger Swifts players struggled against the much taller Cardiff side but the result was never in doubt as Southend recorded a 59-39 win. The final match of the day was between St Mirren and Ellesmere Port and at 11-10 to the English team at the end of the first quarter, it looked like being a close contest. But the second period would be decisive. Panthers showed their customary aggression and athleticism to open a 34-17 lead that would put the result beyond doubt. St Mirren showed great resourcefulness, actually shading the second half by two, but the final score of 54-39 to Ellesmere Port was a fair reflection of the proceedings. So six tired teams ended a fine days entertainment. No medals, no trophies, just a fun day. Cardiff made their way back down the M4; the other teams move onto Hoopfest at Crystal Palace on Thursday certainly after a good nights sleep. w/e 19/12/04 WOMENS NATIONAL UNDER 16 LEAGUE - SOUTH EAST CONFERENCE LONDON TOWERS 19 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 76 Southend's under 16 ventured to South London to meet London Towers whom they had beaten convincingly just four weeks previously. Swifts travelled without England centre Jane Barclay, who was on duty with the senior team. Despite conceding the first basket, Swifts reeled off the next 15 points showing their usual speed of ball movement as they stamped their authority on proceedings. Towers battled back, scoring seven of the last 11 points, as Southend held a 19-9 first quarter lead. But the Essex side were not in the mood to have the contest even close and from 29-13 midway through the second period, they scored 13 unanswered points, with captain Abi Dempsey scoring 11 personal, having spent the previous 15 minutes feeding her team-mates. The third quarter saw more of the same as the London side were kept scoreless for eight minutes as Swifts added a further 16 to their tally to close the period at 61-19. In the final period, and despite resting their more experienced players, Southend kept up the pressure preventing their opponents registering on the scoresheet even once as they recorded a very comfortable 76-19 victory with Dempsey on 15, Kidd 14, Jobey 12 and Hart 11. w/e 05/12/04 WOMENS NATIONAL UNDER 16 LEAGUE - SOUTH EAST CONFERENCE CROYDON FLYERS 71 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 61 Southend Swifts under 16 girls team travelled to South London to meet Croydon Fliers for their latest league encounter. Swifts were missing their unavailable captain Abi Dempsey, so knew they would be in for a tough battle. Southend came out strongly, scoring the first four points of the match, but Croydon replied with seven straight to take the initiative. Neither side were showing any real fluency but a 6-0 run for the hosts gave them an eight point advantage before a late score for Swifts left it at 17-11 at the end of the first quarter. Flyers extended out to 21-13 before a superb passage of play brought the scores back level at 23 all with Emma Hart and Jackie Jobey sharing the points. But some controversial refereeing decisions went against Swifts England centre Jane Barclay and she was forced to sit out with four personal fouls. This allowed Croydon's newly recruited centre Crystal Turner to make full use of her height advantage but with Swifts Lauren Kidd scoring four straight, the Essex side trailed just 33-30 at the half time break. The home team moved to 36-32 before Hart and Jobey again came to the fore as they lifted their club with a 7-0 run. But the height disadvantage was proving decisive and Croydon hit six unanswered to lead 42-39. Another 9-0 run gave Flyers a double digit lead, which they held to lead 57-46 at three-quarter time. The re-introduction of Barclay helped Swifts to the first three points of the final period but her defensive duties were limited and Croydon capitalised on this to make an excellent 17 point run to put the result beyond doubt. But Swifts youngsters would not concede without a fight and they ended with an excellent 12-2 stretch to lose a good contest 76-61. The two year 10 players had led the way for Swifts, Hart with 26 points and Jobey 14.
GIRLS NATIONAL UNDER 14 LEAGUE - CENTRAL CONFERENCE IPSWICH BOBCATS 34 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 57 WEST HERTS. 17 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 31 The under 14 team went over to St Albans to play the latest in their triangular events, looking to retain their unbeaten record. In the first game, against a good Ipswich side, Swifts opened an excellent 17-2 first quarter lead with some excellent play. The Suffolk side recovered back to 22-14 at the break and it was still close at 36-23 at three-quarter time. But Southend turned on the power again in the final period, easing out to a 57-34 win with Natalie Clark leading the way with 16 points. The second game against West Herts saw a much less fluent performance as Swifts found themselves trailing 7-2 after the opening period. They recovered to 9 all at half time in these shortened matches before moving out to 22-11 after the third period to finish with a 31-17 win; Rachel Armstrong leading with eight points.
WOMENS UNDER 16 NATIONAL
LEAGUE SOUTH EAST CONFERENCE So onto Sunday morning where the under 16 girls were first into action. They soon unleashed a combination of speed and power that brought the first 13 points of the game, as Jane Barclay and Emma Hart found more energy after the long trip the previous day. Excellent defence from the whole side gave Towers few scoring opportunities and Swifts held an 18-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The first 8 points of the second period, shared by Hart and Jackie Jobey, extended the margin and with Megan Roffey orchestrating the play, Swifts finishing was emphatic as they held a 42-13 half time lead and the game effectively over. Despite this, the hosts maintained their intensity in the third quarter. Lauren Kidd was having her best game for the club combining excellent defence on Towers' Yasmin Baker with helping herself to fastbreak points. With Roffey adding steals to her assists, Swifts extended the margin to 62-22 with one stanza remaining.
Unsurprisingly a little
sloppiness appeared as Towers had their best spell, outscoring the home side
6-2, but normal service was resumed as Swifts closed out with an 18-3 run that
saw all 10 players on the scoresheet, with Hart on 25, Kidd a career best 16
and Barclay 13. The youngest Swifts team travelled to Norwich to play two games in their conference. They were first into action against the hosts and Southend soon established their superiority opening a 10-2 first period advantage, that they extended to 16-6 at the half. The third quarter saw some excellent play from the youngsters as they stretched the margin to 36-9 before running out comfortable winners 46-11 with Francesca Whitby leading the scorers with 12, followed by Jennie Rodgers on 10 and Natalie Clark on 9. The team then played Chiltern Pumas, opening an amazing 16-1 first period advantage. The result was never in danger after that as the team maintained their unbeaten record with a 44-21 victory with Rebecca Brough leading the way with 12 points. 13/11/04
GIRLS UNDER 14 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH EAST REGION The format of under 14 basketball is different from other national competitions. Matches are played as part of triangular events, which means that three teams attend on any date and all play each other. In order to improve participation there must be a minimum of 10 players per side and all must take part in the first two quarters of each game. Unfortunately for this first outing for Swifts, the third team were unable to attend which made it a straight game between the two teams from Essex. Unsurprisingly the Swifts team (with 7 of the 11 players making their national league debuts) showed considerable nerves, leading to a number of missed opportunities against a Brentwood team that has already competed this season. But Southend kept in proximity, trailing just 16-14 at the end of the opening quarter, when the second group come in to play. This again saw a tight contest with the home side holding a 32-29 advantage at the half way mark. The second half allows free changes of players and here the Swifts youngsters really got into their stride, taking the third period by a 13-2 margin to establish the first advantage in the game, a lead they consolidated in the final quarter to register a fine 63-52 victory. Rachel Armstrong with 21, Natalie Clark 14 and Rebecca Brough 10 had led the team in a very good performance that saw 9 of the players on the scoresheet. 06/11/04
WOMENS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE A poor start for Southend saw them concede the first six points of the contest and when they did get close to the basket Chiltern made their tactics very clear by constantly fouling the Essex players. Jane Barclay in particular had a torrid time as the Pumas attempted to nullify her height advantage by illegal means. This obviously had the desired effect for the home side, as they managed to keep ahead in the opening period before late scores from Kasey Jennings and Emma Hart tied the game up at 16 at the end of the first quarter. When Kelly Matthews hit a three-point shot at the start of the second period, this should have been the springboard for Swifts to move ahead. But lapses in concentration allowed Chiltern to come back and five points in a row gave them a 25-21 advantage. Southend evened the game up and the scores were still tied going into the last minute when three successful foul shots gave the visitors a 34-31 half way lead. A 9-4 run for Swifts, with five points for Zoe Walkling, threatened to break the game open but Chiltern replied with the next four to trail just 43-39. But the final four minutes of the quarter would see a remarkable transformation as Swifts scored 13 unanswered, capped by a Matthews three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, to hold a 56-39 advantage. When Jennings scored the first three points of the final period, the lead was 20 and the game effectively finished as a contest. Chiltern continued to battle, in more ways than one, but Swifts ended up relatively comfortable victors despite scoring only one point in the final three minutes. Walkling 18, Matthews 16 and Jennings 14 led the way on a day when the team showed only rare glimpses of cohesive play, but with so many regular players missing this was hardly surprising.
WOMENS NATIONAL UNDER 18 LEAGUE So it was left to the junior girls to restore some pride to the club, following the defeats for the senior women and junior boys, when they welcomed Solent Stars to Greensward College. There was nothing in it at the start as the two tallest players, Jane Barclay for Southend and Nikki Scrivener for Solent dominated, but from 8 all the hosts scored 11 of the next 15 points to hold a 19-12 first quarter lead, Zoe Walkling penetrating the opposition defence at will. But the second quarter saw an even stronger performance as Swifts made a 12-2 run to open a 33-16 lead. Pressure defence was turned into attack with superb ball movement as the team started to show their true potential. The home side took the opportunity of giving their younger players some court time and at the half time interval led 41-26. The third stanza saw more of the same. With captain Amy Andrews in sublime form, the lead moved over 20 for the first time, as Heather Clarkson made her mark on the scoresheet, and with cadet captain Abi Dempsey showing her defensive prowess, the score with the final 10 minutes remaining was 64-43. Solent continued to battle, with Scrivener a tower of strength, but Southend were in no mood to let up and with Kelly Matthews getting on the end of Andrews' passes, the margin continued to mount, ending with a convincing 83-52 victory. Scrivener had top-scored with 26, but the Swifts attack of Barclay 18, Andrews 16, Matthews 13 and Walkling 11 had given an excellent balance to the side. 25/09/04
NATIONAL UNDER 18 LEAGUE Earlier in the day, Swifts' juniors found themselves on the wrong end of a disappointing scoreline as they were beaten by Haringey Angels. The London side boast possibly the tallest team ever assembled at junior level, with five players more than 6' tall. Swifts battled back from an early deficit to trail by just 4 at the end of the first quarter and actually took the lead at the start of the second period. But their concentration was poor as they allowed Angels aerial domination to open a 31-24 half time lead.
Southend came out on fire at the start of the third quarter, with Zoe
Walkling scoring six of the first eight points, to take a one point lead.
But again missed opportunities would cost them dearly as Haringey led by 6
going into the final period. This stretched to 14 after 3 minutes before
the hosts looked like they would make a recovery as the scoreline reduced
to 54-45. But sloppy play at the end enabled the visitors to score the
last eight points of the match to run out comfortable winners at 66-46. It was then the turn of the cadet side, who bizarrely faced almost the same squad from Haringey. After the junior result, damage limitation may have been the order of the day, but the Essex youngsters had different ideas. Battling continuously, Swifts refused to succumb to their far taller opponents. Led by the tireless Abi Dempsey and Jane Barclay, they kept last season's National runners up to just 35 points in the first half whilst scoring 17 of their own. But much to the amazement of the home crowd, Southend managed to take the third quarter by 17-10, aided by 7 points from Emma Hart. Although finally losing the contest 61-44, this was a fine performance against a team that will surely dominate this division.
12/09/04 Southend Swifts
under 18 boys team took centre stage in the opening fixture of the season when
they entertained Cambridge Cats in the first round of the National Cup. Both
teams play in their respective area conferences, Cambridge in the Midland
division and Southend in the South East. Swifts had three players making
their National League debuts along with an 11 year old "veteran", so had to
expect a difficult encounter. But it was the home
side that started much the brighter, opening an 11-4 lead before lapses in
concentration brought the scoreline back to 14-10. Nerves were seemingly
settled as Luke Jones twice and Nick Squires hit three-point shots to take the
lead to 23-12, which Swifts consolidated to a 28-16 first quarter advantage;
playmaker Mark Pearl finding his team mates with pinpoint accuracy. A 5-2 run for
Swifts, culminated by a first ever score for Darren Hughes, should have been
the springboard for a comfortable victory. But Southend became tentative,
allowing the lead to go back to single figures, before a late three-pointer
from Squires made it 45-34 at half time; 14 year old debutant Greg Smith
registering on the score sheet. Whatever words were
said in the interval seemed to have the desired effect as the hosts scored the
first seven points to take the margin to 18; Tim Hayes contributing four. But
a 12-4 run for Cambridge took it back to 10 points before the visitors scored
the last five of the period to leave it at 58-53 with one quarter remaining. Baskets from Hayes
and Squires should have calmed matters, but Swifts would manage just one more
point in the next four minutes as the gap reduced to four. Successive scores
by James Harris restored the margin to eight but Cambridge seemed to have the
greater poise as they brought it back to 70-67 with 90 seconds to play.
Squires hit a pair of foul shots but Cambridge replied to leave the margin at
three. Swifts missed two
free throws with 22 seconds left giving the visitors one last chance to tie up
the game. Amidst a crescendo of noise, their long range efforts fell short
and Southend recorded a victory that was far closer than it should ever have
been. Jones 19, Harris 17, Squires 16 and Hayes 15 had been the leading
scorers, but considerable improvement will be needed when the league season
commences. 17/05/04 Three junior girls teams plus two under 14 sides travelled to the splendid new facility at Westcliff High School for Boys in Essex to take part in an invitational tournament on Sunday. The event was sponsored by the Livemore Partnership, Chartered Surveyors with offices throughout Essex, and brought together the top two English Junior teams, Ellesmere Port and Southend Swifts, and the visiting St Kevins High School from Newfoundland in Canada. The under 14 game was between the two English teams youngest sides. First into action were Ellesmere Port and St Kevins. The English side were missing a number of key players but contained Jennifer and Johannah Leedham who have been so instrumental in their clubs success. The Canadians have an excellent pedigree, being local champions on numerous occasions, with their previous squad boasting an incredible 117-0 record over three seasons. Panthers' lack of height had a notable effect on their play, preventing them running their renowned fast break. St Kevins looked to get the ball inside to their taller players which brought them success but in the end the experience of the Leedham sisters won the day as Panthers recorded a 51-40 victory in the matches played over 8 minute quarters. Next up were the under 14's, where Southend seemed to have a huge size advantage against a young Ellesmere Port side. As would be expected of any team coached by Jim McGinn, Panthers played with huge drive and determination and trailed by just 9 at half time. But the third quarter would see Swifts power away and they ended with a convincing 67- 39 victory. This led to the rematch of the National Final between Southend and Ellesmere Port. Swifts knew that they would need to capitalise on their height advantage, and despite Panthers taking an early lead, the defensive changes of the hosts began to reap rewards. A four point lead at half time stayed in place at the end of three quarters and despite Panthers pressure defence, the Essex side retained their composure, actually increasing the margin to 7 with 90 seconds remaining. But the National Champions upped their aggressiveness, which was surprisingly deemed legal by the match officials, to score 9 of the last 11 points of the game to run out victors 58 points to 56. So the final game was between St Kevins and Southend. Unsurprisingly after the emotion of the first game, Swifts made a poor start, conceding the first eight points. But they recovered to lead by four at the end of the first quarter; a margin they retained to half time. The third quarter saw the home side extend their advantage before some excellent shooting from the North Americans made it a two point game going into the final quarter. Neither side could establish a significant lead and Swifts led by four with 30 seconds remaining. St Kevins hit a three-pointer but all Swifts had to do was keep the ball. A debatable charging foul on the Swifts point guard gave St Kevins the ball back, but Southend's defence held firm as they recorded an exciting 50-49 victory to round up a very exciting day of girls basketball. |
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