w/e 03/04/05
WOMENS SENIOR
PLAY-OFFS QUARTER FINALS (AFTER DOUBLE OVERTIME SCORE AT REGULATION 62-62. AFTER ONE OVERTIME 66-66). So after the disappointment of the under 18 game, it was left to the senior side to see if they could reach their semi-finals. Their opponents were the second team of Sheffield Hatters, the perennial English champions, who brought with them an uncompromising brand of physical basketball. Hatters took an early 6-1 lead as Swifts struggled against the very physical nature of the Sheffield defence. The home side battled back to trail just 10-8 before losing the influential Kirsty Clark, who received an elbow to the face that required medical attention. Hatters took advantage of this to score the next three baskets and they stretched their advantage to 21-12 at the end of the first period. A three-pointer from Jo Andrews gave Swifts some hope, but for the next seven minutes Southend would be restricted to just five foul shots as Sheffield opened a 14 point margin at 34-20. Two baskets from Martina Michalickova reduced the deficit but Hatters kept their composure to lead 41-28 at the half time interval. But whatever was said during the break had a dramatic effect on proceedings. Five points from Louise Robinson sparked the revival and with Swifts pressing defence reaping rewards, a 10-4 run brought it back to 45-43 to the Yorkshire side. Still Southend forced the pace and a 10-5 stretch gave them a 53-50 lead with one period remaining; a 25-9 third quarter turnaround. Eight of the first ten points in the first five minutes should have made the game safe but the loss of Fran Hitt and Vikki Willmore each to five fouls disrupted Southend's rhythm. Sheffield took full advantage and they scored the next 10 points to regain the lead at 62-61 with one minute remaining. Kirsty Clark scored one out of two free throw attempts and although Swifts won the ball back to have one final attempt, they failed to convert leaving the score at 62 all and one period of five minutes overtime to be played. Neither side could break the deadlock for the first three minutes before Sheffield made the first score. Swifts had the next four, leaving them two points ahead going into the final minute but Hatters would make two foul shots to leave the score at 66 apiece and a further five minutes of extra time to be played. With the nerves of players and spectators totally frayed, again neither side could score for the first three minutes. But Sheffield made three straight and although Swifts managed a solitary free throw, they could get no closer to lose a heartbreaker 69-67; a very sad ending to the club's best-ever season at senior level. Emma Camp and Fran Hitt led Swifts with 12 apiece whilst for Sheffield Kate Loftus led all scorers with an excellent 25. w /e 20/03/05SOUTHEND SWIFTS 73 SOLENT STARS 59 The outcome of the league table went right down to the last games of the season as Southend Swifts battled for their first-ever senior title. Swifts and London Towers both held 12 wins out of 13 games but the London side had a better record in the matches between the two sides so Swifts needed a victory and for Towers to lose their final match of the season. Just as with all the other club teams at the weekend, the senior side were not a full strength against a very tall Solent team. But Swifts came out very aggressively, opening an 11-3 lead with Vikki Willmore contributing six. Solent fought back to 13-10 but the entry of Sophie Day seemed to energise Southend and she scored five quick points to help her side to a 21-12 first quarter lead. With Fran Hitt dominating rebounds at both ends of the court, Swifts moved to a double digit lead for the first time. A further score from Day made it 35-20 before 13 year old debutante Rebecca Brough calmly slotted home two foul shots as her team led 37-23 at half time. Two three-pointers from Solent looked like it would get them back into the contest but a 16-5 stretch for Swifts took it to 55-34, Willmore and Jo Andrews with three-pointers. Solent recovered to score the final eight points of the quarter to leave Swifts 55-42 ahead with 10 minutes remaining. A further Willmore three-pointer should have put the game beyond doubt but Solent had the next eight to make it just 58-50. But a determined display from Martina Michalickova and further good work from Day gave the hosts back the initiative to record an excellent 73-59 victory. Willmore 23, Day 17, Michalickova 12 and Hitt 11 heading up a very good team effort. London Towers victory meant Swifts finished in second place in the league table, the club's best ever senior performance. w/e 06/03/05 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 106 READING ROCKETS 73 Having already qualified for the play-offs, Southend Swifts knew they had to secure victory in their quest for their first-ever senior league title, when they met Reading Rockets. The Berkshire side are in their first season in the National League and have acquitted themselves well with a 4 and 5 record. The opening exchanges were even, with Swifts holding a 9-8 lead before the home side unleashed a scoring barrage that surprised even their own supporters. Guards Jo Andrews and Vikki Willmore seemed to be in their own private world as they scored five three-point shots between them to take their team on a 26-7 run that simply blew the game open; Willmore also adding three two-pointers as the score stood at 35-15; debutante 14 year old Jacquelyn Jobey scoring with her first shot in senior basketball. When Abi Dempsey scored a trey of her own at the start of the second quarter, Rockets were truly reeling and another Willmore three-pointer made it 44-18. Nine unanswered points took it to 55-22 before Reading showed their resilience, closing out with a 12-4 run of their own to make it 59-24 at half time. Southend were in no mood to let up and a 13-2 stretch took the lead to 72-36, with Fran Hitt scoring six. Reading's 14-6 run reduced the arrears but scores from Martina Michalickova and Kirsty Clark restored the margin back to 29 at 83-54 with one stanza remaining.
Another good run from Rockets got them a little closer at 88-63 but Swifts were
determined to break the 100 point barrier and record a thirty point victory and
this they did by finishing with an 8-2 stretch to win 106-73. Willmore 23, Hitt
17, Michalickova 16, Clark 12 and Andrews 11 spreading the scoring load. By a quirk of fate, the two teams met again with 15 hours of finishing the first game. Both sides had changes in personnel in what would undoubtedly be a difficult encounter as Reading would be looking for some recompense following their convincing defeat the previous evening. And so it proved as the home side scored the first seven points. Southend recovered to make the next 11 but there was nothing in it for the remainder of the opening quarter as the visitors led by the slenderest of margins at 18-17. But after trading scores in the first minute of the second period, there would be the decisive sequence that would effectively decide the game. Over the next eight minutes, Swifts scored the next 19 points as their pressure defence forced numerous Reading turnovers. Led by the terrier-like Kasey Jennings, they constantly turned defence into rapid attack that left the home side trailing; Kirsty Clark and Emma Camp sharing 14 of the points. The half time score standing at 44-27. But Reading came out with huge determination going on a 10-1 run that brought the margin back to just 45-37. Swifts scored the next eight to restore their superiority as 14 year old Emma Hart put in her best performance for the senior team with some excellent rebounds at both ends of the court. Both sides were starting to show signs of fatigue following the previous evenings excursions and the score stood at a rather modest 58-41 with one quarter remaining.
Just 11 points were scored in the first five minutes but both teams managed to
find a second wind as Clark and Willmore combined for 10 further points as
Southend recorded a comfortable 78-57 victory that keeps them top of the table.
Clark 23, Camp and Willmore 16 apiece and Hart 9 leading the scorers. CARDIFF CLIPPERS 57 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 76 With just four games to play in the regular season, Southend Swifts ventured to Cardiff to play a Clippers side they have already beaten three times this season in league and cup contests. Swifts needed victory to maintain first place in the table as they looked for the first ever senior championship. Southend came out strongly, scoring the first five points of the contest, but Cardiff hit back with the next six to lead by one. What was evident was that the visitors pressing defence was causing difficulties for the Clippers guards and this manifested itself in a 10-2 run as Swifts moved to a 15-10 lead. A Kirsty Clark three-pointer and two foul shots for Louise Robinson made it a 10 point margin, which the Essex side retained to lead 22-12 at the end of the first quarter. Swifts were determined to kill the game off early and a 14-5 stretch took the lead to 19; Jane Barclay and Clark sharing 10 of the points. Cardiff hit back with eight unanswered but Southend regained their composure, scoring the final six points to lead 42-25 at the half time interval; under 16 captain Abi Dempsey with four. Both sides struggled to score in a scrappy third quarter as Cardiff tried every method to get back into the game. Swifts had to rest Clark, who picked up her fourth foul in the seventh minute, but with neither side showing any fluency, the scoreline stood at 52-38 with one period remaining; Swifts with a disappointing 10 points in the stanza. A score from Vikki Willmore and a three-pointer from Emma Camp took the lead back to 17 but Cardiff went on their best stretch to get back to just 12 down. Swifts refused to panic and it was their youngsters who finished the job off as under 16's Barclay and Dempsey who scored freely to see the final result of 76-57.
Leading the scoring was Willmore, with her best game of the season, on 17, Clark
and Barclay 12 apiece, and Camp, just back from yet another injury, 9. SOUTHEND SWIFTS 73 PLYMOUTH RACERS 47 Southend Swifts senior team looked to maintain their position at the head of the league table when they entertained Plymouth Racers at Greensward College. Plymouth were league champions for six successive years, but have lost a number of influential players over the past two seasons, and are now struggling to make an impact in the division. Swifts, however, are having their best-ever campaign at senior level with just one defeat in their nine games played. Southend took an early 9-4 lead, with Jo Andrews scoring five, but seemed to lack the intensity shown in recent matches. Racers took advantage of this lapse, scoring 10 of the next 12 to lead 14-11, but three successive baskets from Kirsty Clark gave the home side a 17-14 margin at the end of the first quarter. The second period saw a much more positive display from Swifts. With Jane Barclay dominating the rebounds at both ends of the court, they were able to get good scoring opportunities they gratefully took. Three pointers from Louise Robinson and Andrews again, took the lead into double figures, but it was a superlative shooting display from Clark, with 21 points in the first half, that was the foundation of a 40-26 half time lead. Whilst the Scottish international took a well-earned rest at the start of the third quarter, her teammates were in no mood to let their illustrious opponents back into the match. Martina Michalickova, back after injury, found her scoring touch and with Vikki Willmore taking advantage of some Plymouth fatigue, Swifts extended the margin to 63-36 with just the final ten minutes remaining.
Unsurprisingly the final stanza was a much more subdued affair, with Swifts
failing to score in the last four minutes, having taken the margin over 30. But
the scoreline of 73-47 was an accurate reflection of events and keeps Southend
in joint first place in the table. Clark 25, Willmore 14, Andrews 11 and
Michalickova 10 leading the way. EXETER EAGLES 42 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 97 A combination of injuries and work commitments forced Southend to include four under 16 players in their eight player squad for the long trip to Exeter to face the home side who are without a victory this season. The West Country side have a number of very tall players and Swifts knew they would have to be sharp in order to remain as joint leaders of the league. Swifts opened an early 7-2 lead as Vikki Willmore found her way through the home sides defence but Exeter tied it up at 9 apiece. Swifts made the next eight including a three-pointer from Emma Camp with the teams sharing the final four baskets for the visitors to hold a 21-13 first quarter lead. But the second period would see a total change as Eagles were restricted to just three points as Swifts pressing defence started to reap rewards. Fran Hitt, back playing on home territory, was instrumental in steals as her team opened a huge 40-16 half time lead. The third quarter would see an even more dominant performance from Southend as they racked up a huge 32 points as Kirsty Clark and Jane Barclay took rebounds at both ends of the court to lead the charge. With Willmore and Camp scoring three-pointers and under 16 Lauren Kidd showing her great athleticism, the scoreline stood at 72-25 with one stanza remaining. Unsurprisingly the intensity dropped in the final 10 minutes, although it gave Swifts the opportunity to give extended court time to Tamsin McCarthy who was making her senior debut; the Greensward College pupil responding with some excellent defensive work as well as getting in the score sheet. Although Exeter managed seven unanswered points in the last two minutes, Swifts just failed to make three figures despite scoring the final two baskets of the contest. An excellent point spread with Camp 22, Hitt 20, Clark 17, Willmore 15 and Barclay 13. Matches next weekend are in some doubt at present as the age group opponents struggle with unavailabilities due to the half term holidays. The only confirmed games are the seniors against Plymouth at 5 pm on Saturday and the under 16 girls against West Herts at 10.30 on Sunday, both at Greensward College. Solent Stars 70 (17, 37, 57) Reading Rockets 29 (4, 8, 14) When Solent Stars Women’s 2nd team last visited Reading Rockets, they left feeling very disappointed after loosing a game they felt they could have and should have won. They didn’t want to experience those same feelings again and so the focus before the game was to go out feeling positive in themselves and their abilities and the game plan was to play tough defence. Solent started the first quarter as they meant to go on , as has happened many times this season Kath Hield opened the scoring, closely followed by Eszter Ball putting the ball into the hoop. Solent’s man to man defence was hurting Reading as they were picking up their payers early to stop any chance of a fast break. Offensively, Solent slowly gained their composure and were able to attack Reading’s zone, with some excellent driving to the basket by guard, Rosie Chase. Reading were only able to score 4 points in the opening quarter and this was repeated in the second. Solent’s defensive intensity was superb and it ensured that in the first half Reading score only 4 from 28 shots taken compared to 17 from 42 from the home team. The stars also managed to keep the fouls off in the first half, which has been a problem in the last couple of games. In the last 4 minutes of the second quarter, Solent went on a 14-0 run, with Kath Hield scoring 2 from 2 free throws. The crowd (mainly the first team) went crazy! At half time the score was 37-8. During the half time break, injury prone Christies Rourke strapped her hand after bending her fingers and Coach, Ken Walton, re-emphasised the need to control the defence and keep up the intensity and to organise the offence more. Solent’s offence was much better and they were able to get the ball inside and keep it moving, with some excellent cuts and passing movement from Eszter, Jodi and Rosie. The were also able to keep up defensive pressure allowing Reading to score just 6 points in the quarter. But tiredness was slowly creeping into a team who, without exception have had either an injury or illness since Christmas, and the fouls began to appear with Eszter and Nikki each on 4. Reading were still applying the pressure and in the last quarter had a burst of energy, while Solent started to slacken off and Eszter and Nikki both picked up their 5th fouls. Coach Ken called the players in and reminded them not to turn the game into a scrappy full court running session and to keep composure. At half time, Ken threatened to put Bex Norman, team manager and 8th player on if the girls were still leading comfortably and true to his word, he did just that with 2 minutes to go. After an excellent defensive hustle resulting in a jump ball, Bex got the ball and took a shot, which rolled off the edge of the ring, much to the disappointment of the crowd! The only comment afterwards was “I can’t believe no-one went for the rebound!” An excellent game was had by all and a great warm up for the next day's national trophy semi-final encounter with Sheffield Hatters. Solent Stars: Rosie Chase 18, Kath Hield 14, Nikki Scrivener 13, Eszter Ball 12, Christie Rourke 6, Shelley Steele 4, Jodi Jerram 3 Reading Rockets: E. Hout 13, J Rees 7, R. Clarke 5, C. Kawana 2, M. Patch 1, S. Brownfoot 1. w/e 06/02/05
SOUTHEND SWIFTS 53 LONDON TOWERS 43 But Swifts seemed to have learned from their earlier defeats and employed aggressive defence against the team currently unbeaten in the league. This had the desired effect as it forced the London side into errors which should have led to a comfortable lead. But again the Swifts offence failed to convert opportunities and although Louise Robinson and Jo Andrews scored three-point shots the lead was just 20-15 at the end of the first quarter. The second period saw a disastrous start for Swifts as they failed to score for six minutes. The only good fortune was that Towers fared little better as they scored just seven points to lead 22-20. But Southend recovered their composure and three pointers from Andrews and Vikki Willmore and foul shots from Kirsty Clark made it 28-22 at the half time interval. Another trey from Andrews should have settled the home team but neither side could find any fluency as tough defence and desire took over. Willmore and Emma Camp were both outstanding defensively, but Swifts could not extend the margin as they led 38-32 going into the final stanza. Towers brought it back to 40-36 before three-pointers from Willmore and Camp made it an eight point game with two minutes to go. The visitors scored three out of six foul shot attempts to leave it at 48-43 going into the final minute but a foul shot and lay-up from Camp and two foul shots from Robinson gave Southend a victory that was by no means pretty but takes them into joint first place in the table. Willmore 13, Clark 10 and Andrews and Camp 9 apiece leading the way. w/e 09/01/05 Solent Stars 62 (12, 27, 43, 62) UWIC Stealers 47 (11, 21, 35, 47) In the first of three weekends away in Cardiff, Solent’s Stars senior women’s second team were in high spirits on the bus travelling to UWIC where they faced what we knew to be a tough opposition. The players all had a desire to do well after a very disappointing last game against London Towers prior to the Christmas break. With the loss of Shelley Steele, due to illness, and Rosie Chase who had family commitments, juniors, Holly Over and Emily Brookfield were enlisted to play. The game started very slowly with neither team being able to score for over 2 minutes, UWIC broke the deadlock with a lay up. Solent’s defence was slowly working but the offence was very hesitant with players not entirely sure with what was meant to be going on. Eventually, after 6 minutes, Nicki went to the line having been fowled and scored 1 from 2. After this Solent started to get into the swing of things and Kath Hield scored the next 4 points. UWIC were still making Solent work hard defensively and Christie Rourke was producing offensive chances scoring and scoring an impressive 7 points in only 1 minute. Defensively, Eszter Ball was vital managing to get 23 rebounds through the game stopping second chance shots by UWIC. At the end of the quarter Solent were leading by 1 point. During the second quarter, the emphasis was to keep playing tough defence, but also to take more chance on offence and to set up the offence. UWIC’s Hannah Watkins was the first to score in the second quarter meaning that they took the lead but it wasn’t long before Eszter replied. The next couple of minutes were a difficult time for Solent as they couldn’t keep the same defensive pressure and the offence just wasn’t coming together and they were getting into foul trouble. After a time out called by Ken Walton, they were reminded to play their game and to keep the defensive pressure up. They were also encouraged to keep scoring and taking good high percentage shots. Solent did just what they were asked and Nicki, Eszter and Kath all scored, pushing Solent into a 6 point lead at half time. After a talk of encouragement at half time, Solent went out strong in the beginning of the third quarter. Jodi Jerram got her first points of the game from the free throw line and she and Christie were working well together as guards keeping control in the offence. The man to man defence was still working but Solent had a lapse of concentration for a couple of minutes and allowed UWIC to score 9 point in quick succession without reply. Coach Walton called a time out to allow the player to gather themselves ready to make the final push into the final quarter. The final quarter saw some outstanding play from all players with Jodi scoring her first points from the floor. Eszter kept on rebounding and Kath managed to get the inside game working and the team managed to score the most points of any quarter in the final one. All players kept up the intensity until the final whistle when they went to their bench with a well deserved win. Solent: Christie Rourke 16, Eszter Ball 15, Kath Hield 11, Nicki Scrivener 9, Jodi Jerram 8, Holly Over 2 Emily Brookfield. UWIC: Wagstaff 12, McCann 8, Watkins 6, Doherty 6, Nicholson 5, Diffey 4, Rowlands 4, Bernard 2, Trott, Welham SOUTHEND SWIFTS 77 CARDIFF CLIPPERS 46 In the first game after the Christmas break, Southend Swifts met old rivals Cardiff Clippers, looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches. The teams had met earlier in the season, when Southend secured victory in a National Cup tie by just eight points. Swifts made a lacklustre start, trailing 6-2 after three minutes, before the introduction of Vikki Willmore had the desired effect, inspiring the home side to a 14-0 run; Willmore and Kirsty Clark combining for 12 of the points. Clippers showed their customary toughness and reduced the deficit to just 20-13 at the end of the opening quarter. But Southend were determined to establish their superiority and with captain Jo Andrews leading the way defensively they made an 18-4 stretch over the next six minutes to move out to what should have been a comfortable 38-17 margin; Martina Michalickova scoring eight. But a change of defensive formation by Cardiff unsettled the home side and they conceded the final four minutes by 11-3 to lead just 41-28 at half time. When the visitors scored the first four points of the third quarter, it looked like becoming a close encounter, but Swifts regained their defensive intensity leading them to a 12-3 stretch that took the score line to 53-35. Clippers made the next six before a three point shot from Louise Robinson left it 56-41 with 10 minutes remaining. But the final quarter would show how much the side has progressed this season. With young Jane Barclay dominating at both ends of the court, Southend went on a 16-2 run that put the result beyond doubt. A Kelly Matthews three-pointer and some excellent foul shooting from Emma Camp sealed matters as Swifts ended with an excellent 77-46 win that keeps them firmly in second place in the league table; Clark 16 and Michalickova and Camp with 12 apiece leading the way in a nicely balanced team display w/e 19/12/04 DIVISION 2 SOUTH PLYMOUTH RACERS 46 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 87 Swifts senior womens team looked to continue their four match unbeaten run when they made the long trip to Plymouth to meet the side that had been league champions over a six year period up to 2002. Southend welcomed Emma Camp back into the line-up having missed the England senior international for the past nine weeks with injury. Swifts came out strongly, scoring the first six points, and a three-pointer from Jo Andrews made it 9-2. Unsurprisingly Racers battled back and some good shooting from Julie Pinch and Vicky Larsen enabled them to tie the game up at 10. Swifts tightened up defensively, with Louise Robinson prominent, and baskets from Kirsty Clark and Martina Michalickova gave the initiative back to the visitors and a three-point play from 15 year old Jane Barclay enabled Swifts to hold an 18-15 first quarter lead. But the first four minutes of the second quarter would be crucial as Swifts went on a 9-2 run, triggered by a Vikki Willmore three-pointer. Plymouth got back to 23-29 before 8 straight for Southend with back-to-back threes for Willmore and Camp made the gap 14 which turned into 41-25 at half time. Another six straight made it a 20 point gap for Southend and with Fran Hitt putting in her best performance of the season, the points were well spread, despite Clark and Michalickova having to sit out with four fouls; the margin standing at 60-37 with 10 minutes remaining. A change of defensive formation for Swifts had the desired effect and two more three-pointers from Willmore made it 70-38. The Essex side continued to pile the points on ending with a 17-8 stretch to record a fine 87-46 victory. Willmore 27, with five three-pointers, Michalickova 19 and Hitt 12 leading the team that sees them in second place going into the second half of the season. Reading Rockets v Exeter Eagles 57 - 55 Sunday saw the National Ladies travel to Exeter to play Exeter Eagles. The first quarter saw Exeter quickly scoring 6 pints. Katie Talbot scored a good 2 points, with Claire Bryden to the line for one, but it was a tough quarter, finishing Exeter 11 Reading Rockets 5. The second quarter saw Steph Brownfoot take 3 baskets quickly, whilst an assist from Katie Talbot led to a fantastic basket from Manu Huot, and Michelle Patch's lay up then ended the 2nd quarter Exeter 26 Rockets 19. The third quarter saw some good defensive work by Rockets. Gillian McKimm started the quarter with a fantastic basket and Steph Brownfoot went to the line for 2. Katie Talbot and Michelle Patch worked well on some good offensive play, leaving the score at the end of the third quarter Exeter 37 to Rockets 32. As the fourth quarter started, the Ladies were fired up and ready to get stuck in and with quick baskets from Gillian McKimm and Lauren Pfeiffer, the Ladies stepped the pace up. Manu Huot went to the line and with 53 seconds left on the clock, the scores were level. The tension was high but an awesome basket from Manu and a quick follow on one from Gillian saw the Rockets win 57 - 55. What a fantastic way to enter the Christmas break. The exciting news also is it takes the ladies to fourth in the league. w/e 05/12/04
SOUTHEND SWIFTS 90 EXETER EAGLES 35 A scrappy opening by both teams saw Swifts lead just 3-2 on the back of a Jo Andrews three-pointer but good defence began to turn the tide as an 8-0 run made it 11-4 for the home side; Michalickova and Kirsty Clark sharing the points. This run settled Southend and with Louise Robinson hitting two three-pointers, the second as the buzzer sounded for the end of the period, gave Swifts a 21-7 first quarter lead. Despite a Clark score and another Andrews three-pointer there was no great fluency for Swifts against a team who are likely to struggle at this level this season. Vikki Willmore scored six quickly when she came in but Swifts could manage just four points over the final four minutes to hold a 38-15 half time lead. But the start of the third period would see a much better display as seven straight for Michalickova followed by 5 for Andrews opened a 50-16 lead. The introduction of some of the younger Swifts players had the desired effect as Abi Dempsey, Jane Barclay and Emma Hart, who all played in the earlier junior game, led the team to a resounding 70-22 margin with one stanza remaining. It is always difficult to retain focus with such a margin between the teams and Swifts 15-2 stretch over the first eight minutes was really just going through the motions. Exeter continued to play hard and they had their best spell of the game, scoring nine straight to make it 85-33. All that was left was for a most improbable ending; Southend running an offensive formation to allow Barclay to take (and score) her first ever three-point shot at this level of basketball, much to the delight of the home supporters. Clark and Michalickova with 17 each and Andrews and Willmore 15 apiece led the team to a very convincing victory that will certainly keep the team in second place in their division. Solent Stars Women’s II 71 (21, 38, 57) Reading Rockets 72 (23, 44, 59) Solent Stars Women’s 2nd team had a bitter fought encounter with a newly formed Reading Rockets only to come off worse after a timing error with the table. The first quarter started with Reading able to score an easy lay up after some confusion n the Stars defence. But they sorted themselves out with Kath Hield, who played on of her best games for Solent, opening the scoring and Eszter Ball having been fouled adding one to the score. Kath and Eszter score the next 4 points for the Stars while Reading could only score 1. Reading called and early time out to try and find a way of getting past Solent’s dull court press and they came out on court much stronger and score a 13-1 run, while both Christie and Eszter picked up 3 fouls meaning early substitutions bringing Carrie Jones and Jodi Jerram into the game. Solent had a flurry of points led by Kath Hield, but this wasn’t enough to regain the lead. The second quarter opened with a frustrated Eszter and Christie on the bench and a vitalised Reading scoring 7 before Kath Hield again replied for Solent. The 2nd quarter saw Solent and Reading trading baskets but the opening 3 minutes meant that Solent went into half time 6 points behind. Coaches Over and Walton emphasised at half time that if they wanted to win, they had to want the ball and stop the ball early in defence so Reading couldn’t score easy points. Solent opened the 3rd quarter with their starting five and were looking more confident, playing tougher defence and scoring some important points. But they still allowed a tired Reading to stay in the game by letting them shoot inside shots. Eszter Ball played some fantastic defence, hustling for the ball and scored 8 points in the quarter to help Solent come back to within 2 points of Reading. Going into the fourth quarter, Solent came out strongly with Kath and Eszter, again, opening the scoring. With four minutes to go for the first time in the game, Solent took the lead but they allowed Reading to score a 3 point shot bringing it to a 1 point lead. Solent scored again courtesy of Eszter but Reading pulled it back to 1 point again and after a turn over, Reading scored a lay up of a fast break. When everyone thought the game was over, the table said there was a problem with the clock and there was 2 seconds left to play. Solent had the put in at the half court and threw an over head pass to Eszter who score the basket but this was disallowed as the clock had run down, although no buzzer was heard, leaving the Solent 2nd Women’s team distraught and Reading having won their first game of the division 2 journey. Solent have got to go back to training this week and try to get over 3 consecutive losses, looking at what they need to do to improve and be ready and prepared to play Cardiff next Saturday at Hamble for a 2.00pm tip. Solent: Kath Hield 22, Eszter Ball 15, Carrie Jones 13, Rosie Chase 5, Shelley Steele 5, Jodi Jerram 4, Christie Rourke 3, Gemma Cleal. Reading: Kawana 29, McKimm 14, Talbet 12, Patch 9, Clarke 4, Poole 4 27/11/04
SOLENT STARS II 47 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 99 After a scrappy opening by both teams, Swifts scored the first four points through Kirsty Clark but Solent replied with five straight to edge into the lead. What was evident was that Southend were playing with the great intensity and they scored the next 12 points as Martina Michalickova started to exert defensive pressure that led to fast break opportunities. With Jane Barclay dominating the rebounds at both ends of the court, the visitors consolidated their position to lead 23-8 at the end of the first quarter. Unsurprisingly Solent battled back as Nicky Scrivener made her presence felt around the basket and they reduced the deficit to 30-18. But Swifts introduced Vikki Willmore, who has re-signed for the club, and the England International scored nine in a 13-2 run that took the lead over 20. With superb long range shooting from Clark (16 points in the first half), Southend moved out to a 47-22 lead at the midway point. Swifts have often suffered third quarter lapses but on this day they were in no mood to relax. Clark, Michalickova and Barclay all scored with ease to take the margin above 30 before captain Jo Andrews took charge. She scored two huge three-point shots as well as a pair of fouls shots as her team's relentless defensive pressure brought continual rewards; the Essex side holding an unassailable 77-35 advantage with 10 minutes to play. When Solent scored the first four points of the final period, they must at least have thought they could limit the margin. But Swifts hit 17 unanswered to take the lead over 50 as Fran Hitt and 14 year old Emma Hart helped themselves to more unchallenged baskets. And when the hosts did manage to score, their first in six minutes, up again stepped Andrews to drain her fourth three-pointer of the half to complete an excellent performance from Southend. Michalickova 23, Clark 20, Andrews 16, Barclay 13 and Hitt 10 had led the scorers in a very well-balanced display that augers well for the rest of the season. Solent Stars II 47 (8, 22, 36) Southend Swifts 99 (23, 47, 77) Having come from a close defeat to Plymouth last week, Solent Women’s second team had to pick themselves up ready for a tough encounter with a strong and confident Southend Swifts. Solent’s newly established Women’s team were facing a well prepared Swifts under the guidance of Lee Ryan as both their coach, Ken Walton, and assistant coach, Paul Over, were unavailable. Solent were also had the pleasant surprise to see ex team-mate Claire Wiseman as a spectator on a whistle stop tour back from South Africa. Swifts took an early lead and were playing with a real sense of ease and confidence as the Solent team tried to settle into their game. It took both teams a few offences to score but after 4 minutes both teams looked fairly even. But before Solent really found their stride, Swifts pushed things up a gear and score 12 unanswered points. During a time out called, Coach Ryan emphasised to the players to stay clam and to step up and play their game. Eszter Ball and Kath Hield again took the lead in doing this and played some good defence and scored some very needed points. Christie Rourke went down injured after 6 minutes and limped off having aggravated a previous foot injury. During the second quarter, Solent came out a lot stronger, playing tougher defence and were making Swifts work harder for their points, but again, they had moments when they looked like they had only just met and were unable to create anything. Nikki Scrivener, in for Eszter Ball who was on her 3rd foul, started to look like a threat at the offensive end but things were still not gelling on the defensive side and former Solent payer, Vikki Willmore, took full advantage scoring 10 points in 3 minutes. Half time came and went and players and coach agreed that they needed to up the intensity to get back into the game. Rourke, having strapped her foot, went back in and there were periods when Solent were looking positive. However, Eszter Ball picked up her 4th foul and before she could get subbed picked up her 5th foul meaning that a vital member of the Solent team had to sit on the bench for the remainder of the game. Junior player, Emily Brookfield, raised her game putting some pressure on the ball forcing Swifts to turn the ball over while Shelley Steele was making Swifts feel uncomfortable when they had the ball forcing more mistakes but it didn’t stop them from scoring for long. The fourth quarter came and went and with 3 minutes to go, Solent seemed to have finally found their groove, but not before Swifts had scored a devastating 99 points against them. A game where every player left disappointed and frustrated will make for an interesting weeks preparation ready to face Reading Rockets next Sunday. Solent: Shelley Steele 13, Nikki Scrivener 10, Christie Rourke 9, Kath Hield 5, Eszter Ball 4, Rosie Chase 4, Jodi Jerram 1, Emily Brookfield Swifts: Michalickova 23, Clark 20, Hitt 10, Andrews 16, Barclay 13, Willmore 10, Hart 8, 21/11/04
SOUTHEND SWIFTS 91 UWIC
STEALERS 57 Swifts opened a 5-2 lead on the back of a Jo Andrews three-pointer but UWIC replied with some strong play to go ahead 9-7. Neither side could break open the deadlock and two fouls shots for Swifts Louise Robinson tied the game up at 15 at the end of the opening quarter. A good start for the visitors saw them open a five point lead but good foul shooting from the inexhaustible Jane Barclay (playing her third game of the weekend) levelled the game at 24. A 6-2 stretch for Swifts, with scoring from Martina Michalickova and Kirsty Clark, should have opened the game up but the final four points for the visitors saw the game tied at 30 at the half time interval. A 6-4 run for Swifts, with four points from Fran Hitt, kept the hosts noses in front before the match took an entirely unexpected turn. A change of defensive formation for Southend had an immediate effect as they scored 12 unanswered points, all shared by Michalickova and Clark. Amy Andrews was continually splitting the defence with pinpoint passes and despite conceding the final four points of the third period, Swifts held a 58-45 lead going into the final 10 minutes. But this would see the Essex side at their best. An 18-4 run over the first 5 minutes ended the game as a contest as Michalickova in particular found the scoring touch that had deserted her in recent weeks. UWIC had no answer to the speed of play which saw a huge 33 points in the period leading to an emphatic 91-57 victory; Michalickova 27, Clark 22 and Barclay 15 heading the scorers. 13/11/04 LONDON TOWERS 70 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 36 The three week break since the end of the regional leagues was too much for Swifts as they turned in a poor lacklustre performance to go down heavily to London Towers. The team could find no rhythm from the start as they spurned scoring opportunities that could have at least put pressure on the home side. Four points in the opening eight minutes told the sorry tale and the scoreline of 16-7 to Towers almost gave it an air of respectability at the end of the first quarter. The second period was little better as Southend managed just a further seven points to trail by a horrible 28-14 at the midway point. The third stanza saw the hosts move out to a 20 point lead after just four minutes but Swifts found a little resolve, fighting back to 38-24 before conceding five of the last six points scored, to trail 43-25 going into the final 10 minutes. But the last quarter would be disastrous as Southend conceded five three-point shots to end up losers by 70 points to 36 in a match they will quickly want to put behind them.
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