UNDER-18 MEN'S CLUB REPORTS, 2005-6

 

w/e 02/04/06

BARNET BULLDOGS 46  SOUTHEND SWIFTS 57
A mix up over venue and start time meant that this match was postponed the previous week but with both sides looking to complete their league fixtures a hurried rearrangement was made.  Unfortunately this change meant that Nick Squires was unavailable leaving Mark Pearl as the only remaining Swifts player from the team that started in the under 16 league four years ago, and both now over age for next season.  With Greg Smith and Robert Gould also unable to make the trip, it was a much depleted Southend line-up.

In a slow start by both teams, Barnet scored the first basket but eight unanswered by Swifts gave them an 8-2 lead after six minutes; 15 year old James Gaskin with four.  With the home side struggling to find their scoring range, Southend made an 11-4 run to end the quarter with a 19-6 lead that surprised even themselves; Sam Green contributing five.

Bulldogs came out strongly in the second quarter, scoring the first six points, but seven straight for Swifts took them out to 26-12; Jack Hunter with four.   The hosts, however, would have their best spell of play and they warmed to their enthusiastic supporters by going on a 15-2 run over the remainder of the period to leave the score at 28-27 to Southend at half time but the momentum definitely in Barnet's favour.

When the home side scored the first basket of the third quarter it looked like they would take the spoils but 10 straight for Swifts wrestled the initiative for the Essex side.  Bulldogs replied with the next two before came the passage of play that would settle matters.  In a three minute spell, Southend scored 12 unanswered points with captain Pearl hitting two three-pointers and a pair of foul shots in the run.  Darren Hughes with the other four as well as the final basket of the quarter as Swifts led 52-34 going into the final stanza.

Another Pearl three-pointer helped his side move out to 56-34 and although Barnet fought back to get within 12, it was a case of running the clock down for Southend to record the most unlikely of victories.  It was almost fitting for Pearl to have scored the final basket but his outrageous shot from within his own half with 5 seconds remaining hit the front of the rim as his team calmly saw out the final quarter to win 57-46 and record a remarkable third place in the league with so many new players this season.  Pearl with 21 and Hughes 14 the leading scorers on the day.    

w/e 26/03/06

DIY  “Lightning” see off Trafford 

Trafford             66 – 88              Northants “Lightning” 

When the Northants “Lightning” junior men lost the services of their coach, Richard Leaf because of a family bereavement on the morning of their game against Trafford, things looked bleak for the team. After numerous phone calls under 15 coach, Grahame Yates agreed to step into the breach. There was only one problem, Yates didn’t know the players! The only alternative was for the team to coach themselves led by team captain, Ben Chiou and this they did. That the team returned home with a 22 points victory said a lot for the character of the players and the empowerment style of coaching used by the Northants club.

After the long journey north a slow start might have been expected but quite the opposite happened with the “Lightning” charging out to a 16-3 lead. They were able to maintain that gap and at the end of the first quarter held a 26-13 lead thanks to excellent play from centres Chris Caird and Nick Mabbutt. The teams exchanged baskets at the start of the second quarter then substitute centre, Josh Peart poured in 11 personal points to take his team into a 20 points lead at 52-32. The end of the period saw the only period of undisciplined play from the county boys. Trafford went on a 5 – zero charge to reduce the lead to 15 at the half a gap the home side felt they might be able close in the final two periods of play. 

The third quarter saw a determined rally by Trafford but the “Lightning” held strong and still led 69-55 going into the last ten minutes of play. Any hopes Trafford might have held of winning the game were quickly dispelled at the start of the fourth quarter in the face of some excellent “Lightning defence which saw Trafford restricted to just 4 points in seven minutes. The winning margin of 22 points was a tremendous result for the “Lightning” but with Sheffield “Sharks beating lowly Huddersfield that puts the team on the same number of wins with Sheffield. The final Play Off position therefore, will be decided on the games between the two teams. The “Lightning” won at home by 10 but lost by 17 away which means the “Sharks” will go forward.

In the 88-66 win over Trafford, Chris Caird top scored with 17 points and he received excellent support from Sherrick Archer, Ben Chiou, Nick Mabbutt and Josh Peart all of whom scored in double figures. 

w/e 19/03/06

SOUTHEND SWIFTS 99  BADDOW EAGLES 90 

The final home match of the under 18 mens season saw Southend Swifts welcome Baddow Eagles to Greensward College, a team that has already secured second place in the table. 

Swifts started well, taking a 7-4 lead and with Greg Smith converting fast break opportunities, the score stood at 17-13 after four minutes.  But suddenly Southend put in a 12-0 stretch to break the game open; Nick Squires contributing eight. Eagles came back to 31-20, but good foul shooting by Darren Hughes gave the home side a 15 point lead after the first quarter. 

Baddow come out strongly in the second period narrowing the deficit to 43-38 with some strong defence.  But three pointers from Squires and Mark Pearl restored the margin to 53-40 before Swifts conceded the last six points to lead just 53-46 at the half time interval. 

A poor start for Southend saw them concede eight of the first eleven points to lead by just two, but nine unanswered points restored the double digit advantage; Hughes with five.  The teams traded baskets to 73-61 before four straight for 15 year old James Gaskin took the lead out to 16 before Eagles made the last five to trail 77-65 going into the final period. 

But for once it would be Swifts captain Pearl who would take over the scoring mantle.  Having assiduously fed his team mates over the four year period that Swifts have had boys teams competing, the Westcliff pupil hit a three-pointer to open the scoring; scored two driving lay-ups when Baddow looked to be coming back and then made two foul shots to end proceedings as he and Nick Squires combined for 17 points to end their home age group careers with a victory that gives the team the opportunity of finishing in third place in the conference.  On the day Squires scoring 34 points, Hughes 25 and Pearl with a best ever 24.

Inconsistent “Lightning” blow away East Durham 

Northants “Lightning”     96 – 71              East Durham 

A few years ago the game between the junior men of Northamptonshire and East Durham was one of the highlights of the National League calendar. That was at a time when the East Durham Basketball Academy was attracting players from all over the country. Now with more academies springing up East Durham have lost their advantage and are struggling to maintain their previous very high standards. Last Saturday against a Northants “Lightning” team containing eight players from the Moulton Academy; the Durham boys came off second best by 25 points. 

The game was as good as over as a contest by half time with the county boys leading by 22 points at 52-30 based on a 27-5 surge at the end of the second quarter. All this after a fairly close first period which saw the “Lightning” establish an 18-13 lead. 

Having established such a big lead “Lightning” coach, Richard Leaf was disappointed that his team weren’t able to capitalise more in the second half. That they didn’t was down to carelessness against the East Durham pressure defence which although spirited was very naïve. Time and time again the “Lightning” lost possession of the ball whilst advancing the ball up court and were guilty of over dribbling for most of the game. 

Coach Leaf was pleased that all eleven of his players scored but would have been less pleased that only two players namely Chris Caird and Kurts McKenna with 29 and 14 points respectively managed to get into double figure 

The team’s Play Off position remains unchanged. They have to win their two remaining games and hope that Huddersfield beat Sheffield “Sharks”. This weekend the team travel to Trafford a team they narrowly defeated at home.

w/e 12/03/06

“Lightning” triumph against City of Birmingham

City of Birmingham           47 – 74              Northants “Lightning” 

The Northants “Lightning” kept their Play Off hopes alive with a convincing victory over City of Birmingham in a scrappy game. The Northants boys won all four quarters but they need to win their three remaining games and then hope that lowly Huddersfield beat Sheffield “Sharks”.

Against Birmingham the “Lightning” played excellent defence but their own offence was far too static. Even so by half time the county boys had established a comfortable lead at 32-16. Birmingham was far more competitive at the start of the third period and a 7-2 charge got the deficit down 11 at 34-23. A time out from “Lightning” coach, Richard Leaf got his team back on course and by the end of the period the lead was up to 20 at 50-30.

The two teams exchanged baskets during the fourth quarter until the county boys went on a 12-2 blitz during the last 3 minutes of the game to close out winners by 74 points to 47.

In the 27 points win Chris Caird top scored with 17 points while David Nuttall and Aaron Franks also got into double figures.

This weekend the team are home to East Durham.

w/e 05/03/06

Inconsistency costs “Lightning” – again.

Northants “Lightning”     70 – 84              Manchester “Magic” 

Not for the first time this season the “Hurricanes” displayed the Jekyll and Hyde nature of their character combining superb passages of play with total lack of concentration. Last Saturday against a below strength Manchester team the county boys found themselves trailing 19-11 after the first quarter. Needing to be on top of their game at the start of the second period they produced six minutes of basketball that lacked both intensity and commitment. In that six minutes they 15 points while managing just 5 themselves and 2 minutes later they went into another 9-2 slump and for the rest of the game they were forced to play ‘catch up’. 

Trailing 45-27 at half time Coach, Richard Leaf had stern words for his charges and their performance picked up considerably at the start of the third period as the two teams traded baskets. The came another slip in concentration with players misunderstanding defensive calls as the “Magic” were gifted 11 points without reply. Down 69-47 going into the final period of play a super-human effort was needed to pull the game around and the “Lightning” managed it. A 16-6 charge gave the home side hope and when Nick Mabbutt scored his 15th point of the game with a put back the lead was down to 10 at 80-70 but Manchester were able to re-group and eventually ran out winners by 14 points. 

Once again the county team had showed they have the ability to compete with the very best but yet again some players were able unable to perform with the consistency needed at this level. 

For the “Lightning” Mabbut top scored with his 15 points and he was well supported by Devon Powell and Chris Caird who contributed 13 and 12 points respectively. 

The “Lightning” could still make the end of season Play Offs but matter is now out of their hands. They need one of the top teams to be beaten by one of the non-qualifiers which is most unlikely. This Saturday the team make the short trip to Birmingham.

BRENTWOOD FIRE 59  SOUTHEND SWIFTS 88

In a busy weekend of basketball for the club, the Southend Swifts under 18 mens team were first into action when they made the early morning trip to Brentwood to play a team that had beaten them convincingly earlier in the season.  The intermittent schedule of games was not helping Southend in their quest to finish in the top section of their conference.

Swifts took an early 6-2 lead but Brentwood hit back with six straight to take a two point advantage.  But Southend's defence began to reap rewards and an 11-2 run gave them a seven point advantage although the home side recovered to trail just 19-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Four points for Fire against a Nick Squires' three-pointer seemed to intensify Swifts defensive efforts and they restricted their opponents to just one further point in the remaining seven minutes of the second quarter whilst scoring 15 themselves to take a decisive 37-20 half time lead; Mark Pearl and Squires connecting with three-pointers in the final minute.

The determination remained in place in the third period and with Darren Hughes and Greg Smith converting scoring opportunities, the margin stretched above 20; the scoreline with one quarter remaining at 62-36 to Southend.

The final 10 minutes saw Squires ignore his damaged hand to rack up a further 15 points as the lead extended above 30, although Brentwood fought to the end to bring the final margin down to 88-59.  Squires 38, Hughes 18, Pearl 14 and Smith 12 leading the scorers in a surprisingly emphatic win for Southend.

 w/e 26/02/06

No joy for “Lightning” in the North 

Last weekend was supposed to see the Northants Junior Men playing a double header in the north of England. On Saturday the team were due to take on New College Huddersfield in a re-arranged game and then after an overnight stay in Lancaster they would travel across to play Barrow “Thorns”. In the event the team played just one game because on arrival at Huddersfield the sports hall was locked and there were no opponents. It appeared that when re-arranging the game the Huddersfield secretary hadn’t told his coach or the team. 

Barrow “Thorns”           78 – 59              Northants “Lightning 

If they are to make the end of season Play Offs the Northants “Lightning” junior men need to beat one of the top four teams in the Premier League North. Such an opportunity presented itself last Sunday when they took on Barrow “Thorns”. Usually one of the problems when playing in Barrow is the long journey but with the overnight stay this problem was alleviated. 

Full of confidence the “Lightning” opened up with an aggressive full court man-to-man defence which successfully contained the “Thorns” and restricted them to 20 points in the first quarter. Unfortunately the “Lightning” offence worked only spasmodically and the team managed just 14 points themselves. 

All season long the “Lightning” has been guilty of turning the ball over and so it was in this game with the Barrow pressure forcing mistakes and rushed shots. Barrow just edged the second period 18-17 but at 38-31 at half time the county boys were still in with a very realistic chance of a victory. 

What was needed was a solid quarter of play with the objective being to close the gap on the northerners or at least not let that gap increase. In fact the “Lightning” produced their worst period of the game losing it 20-12 with excellent fast breaks followed by errors. Trailing 58-43 going into the last period the “Lightning” needed a massive effort and although they continued to hold their opponents they were unable to produce the required effort and Barrow ran out comfortable winners by 78 points to 59. 

Coach, Richard Leaf was philosophical at the end of the game and reflected on periods of excellent defence being marred by elementary mistakes and too many turn-overs. Once again Chris Caird led the “Lightning” scoring with 18 while Nick Mabbutt gave good support with 12. 

The 5th placed “Lightning” have another opportunity to ‘slay another giant’ this weekend when entertain league leaders Manchester “Magic” on Saturday night. Manchester have lost just one game so far this season and beat the “Lightning” by over 2 0 points earlier in the season. 

WEST HERTS WARRIORS 79 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 66 

Earlier in the day, the Southend Swifts under 18 mens team had their first game in four weeks when they travelled to Hertfordshire to take on West Herts Warriors, a team they had defeated by one point earlier in the season. 

But the lack of match practice was soon evident as Swifts conceded the first 11 points as they failed to score for the first seven minutes and a rout seemed possible.  But four points apiece from Nick Squires and Mark Pearl brought their side back into the match and at the end of the first quarter, Warriors led 15-8. 

The second period saw the home side extend their lead as Southend failed to convert scoring opportunities.  Five straight points for Sam Green gave some cause for hope but continual lapses of concentration saw West Herts lead 38-26 at half time. 

Darren Hughes began to make more of an impression for Swifts but midway through the third quarter there was a remarkable transformation with Warriors leading 48-33.  In the space of three minutes, Southend made a remarkable 17-2 run that saw the scores tied at 50; Squires putting aside a damaged hand to contribute 14.  The home side scoring the final basket to lead 52-50 going into the final stanza. 

Scores again from Squires and Pearl kept their side in contention at 60-56 but a run of 12 straight for the home side would put the match beyond doubt and despite some good baskets from Greg Smith, returning from injury, the final score stood at 79-66.  Squires 30, Hughes 14 and Pearl 9 the leading marksmen. 

Next weekend sees another hectic schedule of matches.  On Saturday both the under 18 men and under 16 women have matches at Brentwood before the seniors entertain league leaders Cardiff Clippers at Greensward College at 5 pm.  On Sunday the under 16 and under 18 girls have the chance to consolidate their league positions when Haringey Angels are the visitors, the first game starting at 10.30 am. 

w/e 19/02/06

“Lightning sees off Solihull thanks to Caird and Powell 

Solihull “Dakotas”         82 – 88              Northants “Lightning 

When these two teams met earlier in the season the “Lightning” ran out winners by over sixty points. Whether through complacency or massive improvement by Solihull this was a much closer run affair with the bottom of the table “Dakotas” going into the final quarter actually leading by five points. 

The first quarter saw the “Lightning” establish a 21-15 lead thanks in the main to ten points from Devon Powell. That lead had been extended to 11 points midway through the second period and then the proverbial wheels came off. Solihull went on a 16-3 charge and to everyone’s surprise including themselves they found themselves leading 41-39 at half time. 

At this time the “Lightning” was in disarray allowing the “Dakotas” to run in numerous lay ups from fast break attacks. Some of the basic fundamentals of defence play had been forgotten while the team’s passing was careless in the extreme. Stern words were spoken during the half time interval by the Northants coaching staff whilst Solihull stepped out on court for the third quarter full of confidence. The initiative had now swung to the “Lightning” who outscored their opponents 14-5 to take a 53-46 lead. A Solihull time out changed all this as the home side managed a 15-3 surge which gave them a five point lead which they would hold on to for the remainder of the period which had seen Powell and Chris Caird score all but five of the county’s 24 points. 

For eight minutes of the final period the two sides traded baskets with the county boys unable to gain the lead and with just over a minute of the game remaining Solihull held the lead at 82-81 A very real shock was on the cards but two scores from skipper Ben Chiou plus a put back and a brace of free throws from Caird saw the “Lightning” home 88-82 thanks to that 8-0 run in the final 100 seconds. Coach, Richard Leaf commented, “A win is a win but we need to play much better than this.” 

In the 8 points win Chris Caird dominated the scoring with 33 points. He was well supported by Devon Powell with 18 points while James Crawford had his best game of the season with 12 points. The win keeps the “Lightning” in 5th place, one place off the Play Offs and in need of a win against one of the top teams. That opportunity comes this weekend with the team away to Huddersfield on Saturday then after an overnight stay in Preston they will travel to Barrow to take on the “Thorns”. 

w/e 05/02/06

Appalling third period does for “Lightning” 

Junior Men’s Premier Division North

Northants “Lightning”            68 - 92        Doncaster “Eagles” 

With Play Offs places up for grabs this was a massive game for both teams in the battle for the fourth and final place. The game was extremely competitive for the first two quarters with the “Eagles” edging the first period 24–17 despite some excellent shooting from Devon Powell.  

Trailing 32-21 after 3 minutes of the second quarter the “Lightning” stormed into the lead with an 18-2 charge thanks to some excellent pressure defence. Doncaster recovered at the end of period and at half time held a narrow 42-41 lead. 

The N.S.B. crowd were all ready for a highly competitive second half but the “Lightning” well and truly ‘left their game in the locker room’. The “Eagles” pressure defence forced numerous errors and the Northerners went on a 22-7 blitz to establish a lead which wouldn’t be seriously challenged by the shell-shocked county players. 

The fourth period was a non-event as Doncaster closed out the game aided and abetted by the “Lightning” players sending them to the free throw line in the desperate hope that they would miss. 

The 92-68 loss sees the “Lightning” slip to 5th in the Premier Division North table and with games running out they need to beat one of the top teams if they are to have any chance of making the Play Offs. For the “Lightning” Devon Powell and Chris Caird both scored 14 points while Kurtis McKenna and Ben Chiou both contributed 11. 

This weekend the team is without a game so it is likely that the top teams will extend the gap in the league table.

w/e 29/01/06

SOUTHEND SWIFTS 87  SEVENOAKS SUNS 91

Once again illness and injury left Southend Swifts under 18 mens team severely depleted, which gave 15 year olds James Gaskin and Jack Elston their first outings for the team. 

Surprisingly Swifts scored the first nine points of the game as they rapidly turned defence into attack.  But the visitors hit back strongly to trail just 21-14 at the first interval.   

The second quarter saw Southend stretch the lead to 33-22 off of a Nick Squires three-point shot but again Suns battled back and at half time the score stood at 41-34 to the home side. 

But fatigue began to affect the Swifts performance and numerous lapses in defensive concentration would cost them dearly as a 15-2 run for Sevenoaks took them ahead at 59-52.  But Swifts began to shoot well from the foul line and with Mark Pearl scoring on the quarter end buzzer, the match was tied at 65 all going into the final period. 

With Gaskin showing his athleticism close to the basket, Southend took a 75-71 lead but six straight for Sevenoaks took them ahead by 2.  Southend made a similar run, which Suns again reciprocated but a 5-2 stretch should have given the hosts the edge.  But simple errors allowed the visitors to score the final six points to emerge winners 91-87.  Squires, whilst never at his best, scored 47 with Hughes on 16 and Pearl 9. 

w/e 22/01/06

“Lightning” far to strong for “Dakotas”

Junior Men’s Premier Division North

Northants “Lightning”            104 – 43            Solihull “Dakotas”  

The Northants “Lightning” junior men bounced back from their disappointing loss at Sheffield with a comfortable win over a gutsy but light-weight Solihull team.

Early in the game both teams seemed to find the early Sunday morning start a problem as error followed error. Despite their lethargy the “Lightning” led 24-14 at the end of the first period then took control of the game with 16-zero and 15-zero charges in the second and third periods.

Solihull battled to the end but was unable to contain the “Lightning’s” big players or cope with the county boy’s aggressive pressure defence.

In the sixty points mauling Chris Caird, Devon Powell, and Nick Mabbutt led the scoring with 21, 17 and 15 points respectively

The team is without a fixture this weekend.

w/e 15/01/06

Slack second quarter costs “Lightning” dear against Sheffield 

Sheffield “Sharks”           83 – 66              Northants “Lightning”      

At the start of the season the Northants “Lightning” junior men got the better of the Sheffield “Sharks” by just 10 points so they knew the return game in Sheffield would be tough for them; and so it proved. The “Sharks” coached by former England senior men’s coach, David Ransom were well up for the contest but the Northants coaching staff weren’t best pleased that the game was refereed by a Sheffield parent.

Getting officials is becoming a nightmare for club secretaries but this game might well decide which team advances to the Play Offs so neutral officials would seem to be a priority. Having said that the “Lightning” have only themselves to blame for a sloppy undisciplined second quarter for their defeat. They lost this period 26-13 and although they were narrowly outscored in the other three periods it was the second quarter margin that did the damage.  

Coach, Richard Leaf was disappointed that with the exception of Chirs Caird his ‘big’ man just didn’t step up to the plate in a very physical contest. Caird totalled 11 points and the other three the same total between them. Leaf also felt his team was intimidated by the opposition who weren’t slow in voicing their opinions to the match officials. “We can beat anyone in this league but just don’t seem able to mainatain our intensity throughout the whole of tough matches.”  

That defeat sees the county boys slip to 5th in the Premier Division North so with just four teams advancing to the Play Offs the “Lightning” will need to take at least one big scalp in the remainder of the season. 

In the 17 points defeat Chris Caird top scored for the “Lightning” with 11 points. Sherrick Archer managed the same total while Ben Chiou and Kurtis McKenna both managed 10. Also worthy of mention was Devon Powell who managed 9 points but worked manfully on defence. 

This weekend the “Lightning” are looked to have an easier task against bottom of the table Solihull “Dakotas”.

w/e 08/01/06

“Lightning” open 2006 with a big win at Shropshire

Shropshire “Warriors”       57 – 107       Northants “Lightning”      

The Northants “Lightning” junior men got 2006 underway with a convincing win over Shropshire “Warriors”. The win showed the value of playing in the Hoopfest as the Northants boys showed a hunger and game sharpness which the Shropshire lads just couldn’t match. 

After a lethargic start the “Lightning” soon got into their stride and took the first quarter 27-16 with the “Warriors” finding it difficult to contain Nick Mabbutt and Chris Caird close to the basket. The Shropshire boys battled hard in the second quarter and prevented the “Lightning” racing into a big lead but by half time the county boys had established a 49-31 lead. 

Again, in the third quarter the “Lightning” was unable to pull away from the “Warriors” who displayed soon good perimeter shooting while the county were able to mount numerous fast breaks from their zone defence.  Leading 75-46 going into the final period of play the “Lightning” finally cut loose in the last ten minutes outscoring their opponents 32-11 to record a 107-57 victory. 

For the “Lightning” Chris Caird top scored with 22 points and he got good support from Nick Mabbutt and Josh Peart who netted 18 and 15 points respectively while Mark Swann enjoyed his best game of the season with 14 points. 

This weekend the “Lightning” are ‘on the road again’ when they travel to Sheffield “Sharks”

SOUTHEND SWIFTS 74  BRIXTON TOPCATS 73

The final game of the weekend saw the Southend Swifts under 18 mens team take on undefeated Brixton Topcats, who look certain to return to the Premier Division next season; the South London side having recorded a comfortable victory when the teams met earlier in the season.

Southend started well, with Nick Squires scoring freely, as the hosts led 16-8 after six minutes.  Brixton replied with the next four only for Swifts to score the next eight as captain Mark Pearl began to find his colleagues with pinpoint accuracy.   However a lack of concentration allowed Topcats to begin to exert pressure and at the end of the first quarter the home sides lead was just 27-20. 

But if that was bad for Swifts, the opening seven minutes of the second period would be disastrous as Brixton showed why they are the top team in the division. They went on a 22-4 run that gave them a 42-31 lead with guard Ian Beresford converting four three-point shots in the stretch.  Only a 7-3 run for Southend, culminating in a basket on the buzzer from Carl Aquilina, keeping the score within bounds at 45-38.

Brixton continued to take advantage of their superior athleticism and stretched their lead to 59-44 with four minutes remaining of the third quarter before a major change occurred.  With Darren Hughes starting to utilise his 6' 8" frame at both ends of the court and 15 year old Greg Smith taking on his illustrious opponents, Swifts scored the last nine points of the quarter to bring the deficit down to 59-53 with one stanza to play.

But doubt had been put into the minds of the South London side.  From 63-57, Swifts scored the next seven with Hughes contributing the final five.  Brixton scored the next five and despite woeful foul shooting from Southend (just two from eight attempts) the score was tied again at 68 with two minutes remaining.  Topcats scored the next two but baskets from Squires and Hughes made it 72-70 going into the final minute. 

Brixton hit a three-pointer to retake the lead and with 25 seconds to play Southend took a time-out to structure their last play. But after just five seconds the visitors committed a foul that would send Pearl to the foul line for two crucial foul shots.  A Brixton time out added to the tension but the Southend captain calmly scored both shots to give his side a single point advantage.  Topcats would still have the opportunity for at least one last attempt but Swifts defence remained strong as they kept a last ditch shot out to record the unlikeliest of victories with Squires on 28 points, Hughes 19, Smith 10 and Pearl 9 with seven out of eight foul shots.