Reports from first half of Season; Reports from second half of Season w/e 01/05/05 Cauthorn Bomb Clinches Classic Treble for Cardiac Arrows Reading Rockets 71 Arrows 74 Basketball legend Todd Cauthorn hit a dramatic “3 pointer” with 1.5 seconds remaining to bring the Arrows their third piece of silverware in a dramatic Play Off Final victory over the Reading Rockets at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham by 74 – 71. In a game that had everything, the scores were tied at 71 – 71; Ryan Patton dribbled the ball for the final shot of the game, he drew 2 players as he moved to his left and dramatically found Todd Cauthorn outside the 3 point arc at the top of the key, as the arena held its breath, the experienced Cauthorn steadied himself and nailed the game winning “3 pointer” as the crowd went wild. There was only 1.5 seconds remaining time only for Reading to launch an unanswered prayer, while the Arrows were victorious, with Todd Cauthorn deservedly named the games’ M.V.P. for his 22 points and more importantly his dramatic winner. Earlier the game had begun brightly for the Arrows, baskets from Anderson and Cauthorn twice had seen them lead 7 – 2, however the Rockets replied emphatically with Harrison and Parillon prominent to lead 26 – 15. The Arrows responded with a pair of Mike Payne free throws and a Patton “3 pointer” but still trailed by 28 – 20 as the quarter came to a close. The Arrows responded at the start of the second quarter by unleashing Scottish International Jamie Davidson, who immediately brought a sense of urgency to proceedings, scoring 7 points and igniting the Arrows offensively as they regained a foothold in the game and began to close the scores. The Arrows suddenly began to score freely as Cauthorn, Patton and Payne began to find their range. Patton was at this point slicing through the Rockets defence and laying on baskets for his team – mates, one no – look pass to the hard working Guy Renton brought gasps from the crowd, while Mike Payne’s basket to end the half, capped a remarkable 16 - 4 scoring blitz by the Arrows who now reached the interval leading by 48 – 46. The Arrows continued to hold the momentum at the start of the third quarter; baskets from Cauthorn, an “alley – oop” from Anderson and a “3 pointer” from Patton were highlights in a 9 – 2 tear that saw the Arrows lead 57 – 48. However just when the game appeared to be turning the Arrows’ way, the Rockets responded with Harrison inspiring another counter scoring blitz of 16 – 5 to give the Rockets the lead at 64 – 62. The Arrows were visibly shaken but once again the introduction of Davidson gave the Arrows renewed energy as he quickly registered another score while Patton hit a long range “3 pointer” to bring the quarter to a close in favour of the Arrows at 67 – 64. The fourth quarter was not for the faint – hearted, as the two teams re enacted their tense finale to the Cup Final back in January which had gone the way of the Rockets after the buzzer. Tensions were high and scoring was at a premium; in fact it took some 3 minutes before a Ryan Patton drive saw either team score but this was cancelled out by scores from Rockets’ Kelly and Harrison to trim the Arrows lead to 69 – 68 with some 5 minutes remaining. Both teams were clearly feeling the immense pressure as neither side could create a clear cut opportunity, Adrian Anderson rose above the crowd to tip in a vital score but this was cancelled out by a Ted Smith free throw and another Harrison basket which tied the scores at 71 – 71, inside the final minute. The Arrows then failed to get off a shot and possession with 30 seconds remaining passed over to the Rockets however Seamans effort fell short and Anderson grabbed a vital rebound before out letting to Patton. The leagues’ MVP, held the ball with some 16 seconds remaining waiting to begin one of the most famous sequences of events in EBL Final’s history. His dribble to the left and assist to Cauthorn for the winning “3 pointer” as the arena crowd stood in anticipation was to cap a remarkable season for the Arrows, delivering a treble of trophies; League Championship, Trophy Winners and now Play Off winners. Garnet Gayle held the Trophy aloft as the Arrows who were well supported throughout not only by their own travelling support but by fans from Hatters and Sharks, both unfortunate losers on the weekend. It was particularly pleasing to see Mike Payne collect a well deserved winners medal in front of a large arena crowd in possibly his final game, which was ended by his close friends Todd Cauthorn’s last gasp decider. Scorers; (Arrows) Cauthorn 22, Patton 19, Davidson 9, Payne 8, Anderson 7, Gayle 6, Renton 2, Richards 1 (Rockets) Harrison 25, Parillon 8, Seaman 8, Wellings 6, Gardener w/e 17/04/05 United knocked out of Semi FinalsUnited were knocked out in the semi finals of the play offs today in front of a packed crowd at Brunel as they beat Reading Rockets by a point 98-97 which was not enough to make up the 13 point loss they suffered at Reading last week. In a game that saw United up by 12 points with 2 minutes remaining and the flow going their way captain Pete Deppisch inconceivable gave a away two Technical fouls and that effectively took the game out of reach as the lead was cut by 6 with the conversion of the 4 foul shots and the 2 points from the possession. United could only try to foul Reading on each play to try and make up the deficit as Jagodka did his best to drive to the basket on each offence. It was not enough for United to take back the initiative and the game was won by a single point at 98-97 not being enough to see them through to the finals at Birmingham. United's game plan was to try and make up the 13 point deficit by trying to win each quarter by 4 points giving the team a short term goal. By the half they were almost on track leading by 7 and looking every part the dominant side, however it was Reading's American import player EJ Harrison who was the constant scoring threat for Reading always bringing them back into contention with crucial scores from his great individual display. With Steve Vear picking up an early ankle injury for United Junior Williams stepped up to lead United's scorers on the day with an impressive 23 points as Deppisch scored 6 three's to chip in 18 and Callender as ever scoring from inside the paint with 17. Reading's EJ Harrison lead all scorers with 36 points. Arrows spectacular tames the Wolves Arrows 92 Worcester Wolves 65 The Arrows reached the National Play Off Final overturning a 12 point first leg deficit in spectacular style, with an exhibition of enthralling basketball that delivered a 92 – 65 victory on the night for an aggregate victory of 15 points. The Arrows clearly wounded from last weeks reversal opened with tenacious defence and this coupled with a 13 – 0 offensive blitz inside the first two minutes which featured consecutive “3 pointers” from Cauthon, another “3 pointer” from Patton and baskets from Anderson and Gayle, firmly established the Arrows intentions and wiped off the first leg deficit. The Wolves eventually responded with a basket from Lamble and free throws from Prince, but the Arrows were relentless as Mike Payne hit two “3 pointers” and Todd Cauthorn racked up 13 points in the quarter, which ended with a Patton “3 pointer” to give the Arrows a 32 – 17 advantage. The second quarter was closer as the Arrows led by the outstanding rebounding of Adrian Anderson, began to pick up a number of fouls, this affected the flow of the game and a much lower scoring quarter saw the Arrows still ahead at 48 – 31 ahead on the night and by 5 on aggregate. The Arrows tore into the Wolves after the interval, Ryan Patton leading the way with 7 points and a towering “alley – oop dunk” from Anderson capped a 9 – 1 blitz which saw the Arrows 57 – 32. The Arrows, bomb – squad began to rain – down “3 pointers” Patton, Gayle, Cauthorn and Davidson were all on target, while their defence remained miserly as they closed the quarter ahead, 76 – 49. The Arrows controlled the game throughout the final quarter, refusing to give the Wolves any chance of a come – back, to win 92 – 65 on the night and by 15 on aggregate. Scorers; Patton 25, Cauthorn 18, Payne 16, Gayle 15, Anderson 10, Renton 5, Davidson 3. This victory books a Final spot on May 1st at Birmingham where the Arrows will meet the Reading Rockets in a re – run of the National Cup Final which Reading won controversially by 71 – 70. This defeat still rancours with the Arrows and they will be desperate to end the season in style. This has been a tremendous season for the Arrows and particularly for player coach Garnet Gayle who has led the team from the front to within sight of a treble. Arrows wound Wolves too heavily City of Sheffield Arrows: 32 48 76 92 Worcester Wolves: 17 31 49 65 Sheffield opened very strongly. Garnet Gayle sunk the first points of the game with 2. This was followed by two 3 pointers from Todd Cauthorn. Barry Lamble finally sunk Worcester’s first points with 2 after around 2 minutes of play. Coach Jim Smith called a Worcester timeout on 2¾ minutes with the score at 15-2 to Sheffield. Fouls came thick and fast from Sheffield, with 7 fouls by the end of the quarter compared to only 1 from Worcester. Worcester gradually gathered pace, but Sheffield’s lead was solid and by the end of the quarter, Worcester trailed 32-17. Richard Onions attempted a 3 pointer at the opening of the second quarter, but was heavily fouled. Despite being right in front of one of the referees, no call was made. Sheffield continued to commit fouls at an incredible rate. After 4 minutes, Sheffield still had a steady lead of 35-21. Worcester were continually frustrated in offence. Garnet Gayle committed his fourth foul on around 5 minutes and soon went off. Matt Collins took a great steal in defence, passed to Colin Chiverton, who was promptly fouled. Worcester battled on, but failed to make any great impression on the score gap: the quarter ended 48-31 to Sheffield. Rikki Prince was floored in the first few seconds, but by the time the referees noticed Josh Cooprider had lined up for a 3 pointer. Ty Shaw was then blocked on the way to the basket and sunk 1 of 2 free shots. He was then blatantly held by Garnet Gayle, but no foul was called. Sheffield’s defence was proving hard for Worcester to penetrate. Cooprider was fouled by Cauthorn, his fourth personal foul. After 5½ minutes, the Arrows led 62-41. Worcester were looking more and more tired as time went on, and the score reflected this. On a close 2 attempt, Ty was blatantly fouled by several players, but no foul was called. In his frustration, he ended up getting a technical foul, with Sheffield sinking both shots. The quarter ended 76-49. Rick Solvason opened the scoring in the final quarter with 2 points from close range. However, Sheffield rapidly built up pace again and the gap between the teams began to grow yet again. After 2¾ minutes, Sheffield had an 83-53 lead, and matters did not improve for Worcester. Garnet Gayle appeared to block Cooprider, but no foul was called. Minutes later, Rick Solvason was fouled and no call was made… he complained and was given a technical. Worcester kept battling on until the end, but the deficit was now too great. Richard Onions scored the last points of the game, with a fast break and slam for 2 points. The game ended 92-65, and an aggregate score of 172-157 to Sheffield. City of Sheffield Scorers: Patton 25, Cauthorn 18, Payne 16 Worcester Scorers: Chiverton 13, Shaw 12, Cooprider 11 w/e 10/04/05 Wolves make Arrows quiver Worcester Wolves: 30 50 69 92 City of Sheffield Arrows: 12 36 54 80 Barry Lamble started the game, winning the tip and getting the ball back to sink 2 for Worcester. Josh Cooprider followed this up with 3. Worcester quickly took control of the game, and Sheffield looked flustered. After 5 minutes, Worcester led 15-10, and they continued to build their lead through the rest of the quarter. The whole Worcester team gave good account of themselves both in attack and in a very effective zone defence formation at the other end of the court. Sheffield continued to struggle to find the basket, and the quarter ended 30-12 to Worcester. Sheffield began the second quarter with possession, but Worcester again opened the scoring, this time with 2 from Matt Collins. Worcester continued to dominate, peaking at a 43-23 lead on 5½ minutes. However, in the latter part of the quarter, Sheffield began to regain lost ground and the gap between the teams slowly closed. With seconds remaining, Rikki Prince battled through to sink 2 from close under the basket. Sheffield moved quickly down the court, but Ryan Patten dropped his 3-point attempt short of the basket. On the buzzer, Worcester still had the lead at 50-36. Worcester opened the third quarter with possession, but Shaw was fouled on his first attempt at the basket. He fed Barry Lamble who then sunk 2 points. Shaw sunk his 4th 3-pointer of the season on the next offence. Worcester continued to work hard at both ends of the court, but by now Sheffield were getting into their stride. Worcester’s lead decreased a little as the quarter progressed, but for most of the time Worcester managed to respond sufficiently to Sheffield’s attacks on basket to stay well ahead. Both Josh Cooprider and Colin Chiverton were fouled whilst in offence in the last couple of minutes, both sinking 1 of 2 free shots. The quarter ended 69-54 to Worcester, and looking increasingly like an upset for Sheffield was on the cards. Patten opened the final quarter with a fast break, but missed his shot. Garnet Gayle attempted a tip but also missed and Shaw caught the ball. Cooprider sunk 3 points on the next offence. At the other end of the court, Garnet Gayle ended up with both arms around Shaw in full view of the referees, but Shaw was called for travelling! Coach Jim Smith called Shaw off court to cool down. Barry Lamble took his place on 4¾ minutes with Worcester’s lead down to 74-62. In the latter stages of the quarter, both teams began to commit an increasing number of fouls, particularly as it looked for a time like Sheffield might take the lead. With 8 minutes gone, Worcester led 85-73. Sheffield battled hard, trying to gain the lead, but failed to get any closer than within 6 points. The last points of the game came from Rick Solvason: a 3-pointer from the corner… it finally dropped through the ring after rolling around three times. Sheffield tried for a final basket, but failed, and the game ended 92-80. Worcester now have to travel to Sheffield on 16th April to play the return leg of the semi final. The final result of the semi final will then be decided on the aggregate score of the two games. Worcester scorers: Lamble 22, Shaw 21, Chiverton 16 Sheffield scorers: Patten 38, Gayle 20, Cauthorn 9 London United lost the 1st leg of the National Semi final playoffs away to Reading on Thursday night 73-86. Now needing to win by more than 13 at home on the 16th April at 3pm they have a tough task to complete if they are to progress to the National Finals. United started brightly in the first quarter with Mantia Callender scoring inside at will and with Damian Reid backing him up by dominating the rebounding. United took a 2nd quarter lead of 10 points, with only 2 minutes remaining in the half, but they proceeded to turn the ball over on 4 occasions to give up the lead at the half by one point at 42-43. In the second half Reading stepped up their defence and made it difficult for the London guards to get the ball into the low post as they also made easier attempts for themselves on offence, scoring layups on the fast break. By the last quarter United were struggling and found themselves 20 points down and it took some real effort to get the game back to a more manageable 13 point loss.This now means London must win by at least 14 points to go through to the finals.Londons top scorers were Mantia Callender 21, Damian Reid 14 and Steve Vear 10.Tickets will be available on the door for the exciting home encounter on the Saturday 16th April at Brunel Uxbridge tip off at 3pm.READING ROCKETS 86 LONDON UNITED 73 THURSDAY 7TH APRIL 2005 Rockets powered to an impressive victory in the first leg of the Championship Play off semi final against London United. The poet laureate of the basketball court EJ Harrison produced a sublime performance top scoring with 27 points but providing so much more with his team play. Head Coach Matt Johnson was cautiously optimistic: ‘It was a good display and if we can maintain that level in the second game we have got every chance of getting to the final’. Rockets stuttered at the start of the game as London got into their stride and took an early lead. However a mixture of good defence and some great play by Wellings, Parillon and Harrison allowed Rockets to level at 10 each half way through the quarter. Errol Seaman produced a brilliant turn around jump shot, Harrison drove to the basket and scored when there was little chance of doing so and the back to form Adam Kelly used his rock solid shooting to make a jump shot. In the last moments of the quarter although Rockets were trailing Harrison showed his variety sinking a big three and then making two from the base line. A Seaman finger roll signalled the end of the quarter with Rockets 23 – 27 down. Rockets quickly drew level at the start of the second quarter thanks to a big three from Lloyd Gardner and a James Cook jump shot for two. Rockets were struggling on defensive rebounding and Coach Johnson took a timeout to rectify the problem. Wellings showed great anticipation to make an interception which he converted into two points and Harrison did likewise moments later. Parillon made a big three to give Rockets a 43 – 42 half time lead. Rockets really turned up the heat in the third quarter and restricted London to just 16 points with an impressive and intensive defensive effort. Kelly shone again scoring 6 points, Ted Smith opened his account with a jump shot and Harrison weighed in with more points, celebrated by rapturous home support in a great atmosphere at the ‘Mead. Rockets 64 – 56 lead going into the final ten minutes was thoroughly deserved. The battling Ted Smith signalled Rockets intent with a big 3 and Steve Parillon made a strong rebound under intense pressure at the start of the final quarter. When Harrison drove the length of the court and made 2 points out of nothing London took a time out with Rockets leading 71 – 60. The team work and unselfish play of Rockets really is a feature of Matt Johnson’s coaching and London were starting to buckle. After a deliberate foul by London, Harrison made from two from two at the line and Parillon made a breathtaking reverse lay up, increasing Rockets lead still further. Smith made another three to give Rockets an 84 - 69 lead with 3 minutes remaining and Coach Johnson took a timeout to organise his end game. Rockets held on and played intelligently right to the end and have given themselves every chance when they face London in Uxbridge at 3 p.m. on the 16th April in the second leg. Top scorers EJ Harrison 27, Steve Parillon 17 and Richard Wellings 9. w/e 03/04/05 United win through to Semi-FinalsLondon United won a comfortable quarter final encounter with Teesside Mohawks at their home court Brunel University on Sunday. Gaining home advantage by finishing in 2nd place in the EBL Division One they were matched against 7th placed Teesside and lead from start to finish. Deppisch opened the scoring for London nailing a 2 point lay up and then hitting his first of 9 three's in the game, 7 of which came in the first half. United went on an early run as Deppisch was found open time and time again against a zone defence. He scored 4 consecutive long range threes in the first quarter giving Teesside no choice but to switch their defence out of the zone. By the end of the quarter United were 12 up at 28-16. The second quarter continued with Deppisch scoring another 3 and then changed their emphasis by getting the ball inside to Callender and Reid to score some buckets under the ring. United stretched the lead out to 15 at the half at 51-36 comfortably keeping Teessides main scorer Jean Michael-Nation to only 2 points due to Walid Mumuni's close marking. United man of the half with 23 points was no doubt Pete Deppisch whose extra work in practice has paid off proving his ability to switch on what United have been missing since the Christmas mid season break. United kept up the pressure in the second half to take a 20 point lead again through three consecutive 3 pointers from Deppisch to end the 3rd quarter up 72-52. With United threatening to blow the game away Mohawks American shooting guard Corey Jackson decided to step up and scored 11 consecutive points with 5 last quarter three pointers of his own. However this run was to late to make an impact on the game as United finally took the game by a 12 point margin at 88-76 to be matched up against Reading Rockets in a two leg semi-final clash starting in Reading on this Thursday evening, returning to London's home court Brunel University on the Saturday the 16th tip off at 3pm. Injured players Peter Van Elswyk, Junior Williams and Jacek Jagodka played no part in this game and are being worked on by the Club Physio Alex Anzelmo, to get them back playing at least by the return leg. United's top scorers were Pete Deppisch with 33 Steve Vear 14, Mantia Callender 13 and Walid Mumuni with 12.
City of Sheffield Arrows 103
(22,52,75) The Big Cats were not helped by Mark Quashie being ejected for dissent midway through the third period - but by the game was effectively over anyway. Laurent Irish led the visitors' scoring with 17 points, while Troy Selvey added 14. Steve Ogunjimi, who had led the Leopards' scoring for four consecutive games saw his points tally drop off, but he went close to a triple double with nine points, ten rebounds and eight assists. Quashie opened the scoring, and doubled his tally with a second basket to put Leopards 4-2 up. However that proved to be as good as it got for the Big Cats. By the time Leopards next got on the scoresheet, with a Selvey lay-up, the home side added 16 straight points to take a lead they were never to relinquish. Although they produced a good defensive performance to prevent Sheffield's outstanding American point-guard Ryan Patten to just 12 points, they were unable to stop the rest of the Arrows' offence, as they reached the first break with a 13 points lead and took that advantage to 22 at half-time. The third period saw Leopards open aggressively, but it did not stop Irish picking up the game's first technical foul for complaining after being clattered while going to the basket, as Leopards reached the final break down by 31. With Quashie's ejection after an altercation with Adrian Anderson, and later technical fouls called on Roger Lloyd and Selvey saw the lead grow to 40 in the final period. However, the visitors refused to lie down, and Ben Stacey became the ninth and final member of the Big Cats roster to get on the scoresheet. They did manage to make inroads into the the lead, but it was too little too late as the Leopards saw their campaign to an end. Leopards: L Irish 17, T Selvey 14, R Alexander 11, S Ogunjimi 9, B Moore 7, M Quashie 6, R Lloyd 4, B Stacey 2, M Eames 1 Reading Rockets [3] 88 (18, 34, 59) Parillon 35; Harrison 21; Gardner 8 Manchester Magic [6] 59 (21, 40, 51) Lovedale 21; Roberts 16; Shaw 13 In a defensively driven 1st half Manchester kept Rockets at bay, played extremely well themselves and deserved the 6 point lead at 40 – 34. Shaw was prominent with 13 points though Lovedale was doing it at both ends. Rockets looked disjointed and with Wellings taking a charge in the second quarter that not only meant he didn’t play for the rest of the game but also meant the other Rockets players were going to need to step up and hit the 3s often attributed to Wellings. In the second half, Gardner and Parillon hit a brace each and Harrison added a 5th 3 as Rockets sprang into life and quickly overcame a young and talented Manchester squad but who had no answer to Rockets’ experience and upbeat offensive play following the 25:11 3rd quarter. Once Rockets had the 8-point lead at the end of the third, they increased the lead progressively to win by a 19-point margin. Thunder fails to distract Wolves Worcester Wolves: 22 40 64 84 Worthing Thunder: 23 40 56 81 Worcester opened the game with an attempted shot by Rikki Prince from the tip. He was fouled, and the first points of the game went to Barry Lamble from a rebound. The pace of the game rapidly became frantic. Controversy surrounded almost every foul call, though particularly in the Worthing camp. After 5¼ minutes, Worcester had a fragile 15-11 lead. The score gap was best described as fluid, as each team struggled to gain the upper hand. Ty Shaw assisted Rick Solvason to 2 points, but Worthing still led by a narrow 23-22 on the buzzer. Worthing opened the scoring in the second quarter. Worcester responded a few moments later with 2 from Shaw. Both teams entered foul trouble relatively quickly, reflecting the fraught atmosphere of the game. After 4 minutes, Worcester had regained the lead 30-25, but just 2 minutes later, the teams were tied 33-33. The score remained static for the next minute, and only changed when Josh Cooprider was fouled, sinking both bonuses. On around 8 minutes, Butterworth of Worthing was given a technical foul. Shaw was called for a foul with 1.4 seconds remaining, and one of two free shots tied the score 40-40 going into half time. Matt Collins opened the third quarter with 3 points for Worcester. Lamble followed this up with another 2. Worcester prevented Worthing from scoring for the first five minutes of the quarter, opening a safe looking lead up for themselves. Teon Knox was called for a technical foul, his fourth personal foul of the game. In the latter half to the quarter, Worthing battled hard to close the gap and Worcester’s lead began to dwindle. With 1.8 seconds remaining, Worcester had possession on the end line. A well-weighted pass to Cooprider from Solvason allowed him to sink another 2 points for Worcester right on the buzzer… 64-56 to the Wolves. Worcester opened the scoring again in the final quarter and it was looking as if a win was almost certain. However, on 2¾ minutes Cooprider was given an offensive foul, and things began to go downhill for Worcester. Shaw was given a technical foul, after having been obstructed coming out of defence. Worthing began to close rapidly, and on 6½ minutes they drew level 75-75 (briefly before this, Teon Knox was fouled out). The pace became increasingly frantic as the minutes ticked by. On 8½ minutes, the teams were again tied: 79-79. With mere seconds remaining Shaw battled for a rebound and Worcester were awarded alternating possession. With 3 seconds left, the score was 82-81 to Worcester, who now had possession. Shaw threw a long ball to Colin Chiverton, who was deliberately fouled by Ugbana of Worthing. Chiverton sunk both shots to give Worcester 84-81 and possession with 2.1 seconds remaining. Matt Collins received the ball and played out the remaining time to give Worcester an 84-81 win. Worcester Scorers: Solvason 20, Shaw 17, Cooprider 15 Worthing Scorers: Gayle 34, Moore 23, Knox 10. |
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