06/11/05 BRIXTON TOPCATS 54 (14,24,37) SOLENT STARS 71 (19,29,47) Solent Stars gained revenge for their early season league defeat against Brixton Topcats with a 17 point victory in the National Cup Quarter Final shootout at the Brixton Recreation Centre on Sunday. The game was always likely to be a tough physical encounter and so it turned out. The first quarter saw Solent start confidently. Catherine Bownsell scored in transition, then Zsuzsa Tarnai added another fast break basket. However Donna Henry started well for the Topcats and despite tight defence managed to score the home teams first six points. After Brownsell scored again – continuing her improved offensive displays – it was Louise Gamman and Caroline Ayres who kept the score ticking over. Donovan and Odusanya responded for Brixton but first Lizzy Cloke scored going coast to coast then Katerina Syngellakis hit a beautiful turn around jump shot in the lane. A late three point shot by Dixon saw Brixton keep in touch as the quester ended with Stars leading 19-14. The second quarter started brightly for Stars with first Ayres scoring from the charity stripe then Tarnai hitting two baskets inside. However with Brixton raising their defensive effort Solent’s offence slowed down with only two more buckets coming in the last five minutes of the quarter from Ayres and Sarah Cooper. Meanwhile Brixton were working their way back into the game from the free throw line as Solent got into foul trouble. As the half ended Solent went into the break with only a five point advantage. Solent came out after the half time team talk and in the first four minutes added 13 points and stretched their lead to double figures. The team moved the ball excellently with Tarnia and Ayres scoring inside and Drummond-Brown attacking the basket off the dribble. They managed to maintain their double digit lead and as the fourth quarter started they led by 10 points, 47-37. The first three minutes again saw Solent clicking on offence first attacking the hoop inside and drawing fouls, then scoring from the perimeter as Brixton collapsed to help. With Solent up by 19 points however Brixton refused to lie down and continued to play with commitment bringing the deficit back down to 12 points but with Jodie Jerram and Louise Gamman maintaining their cool from the foul line Solent never looked in danger and their victory now gives them a Semi Final away against Sheffield Hatters in two weeks time on Nov 20th. Final Score 71-54. “This was a much improved performance from us. Maybe several people were expecting us to lose in this game but the players have been working hard in practice and our confidence at the offensive end is coming back. We have always played excellent defence but have been struggling to execute on offence. However there is still a lot more to come form this group of players and it is another great compliment to the team that we are in the Semi-Final of the National Cup again”, commented Coach Ball. “We now have a big league game next weekend against Nottingham Wildcats and then the Cup Semi Final game against Sheffield Hatters. E will start as underdogs in both games but we are now improving from game to game and on our day could provide an upset.” Scorers: Ayres 21, Tarnai 17, Gamman 7, Drummond-Brown 7, Brownsell 6, Jerram 5, Syngellakis 2, Powell 2, Cooper 2, Cloke 2, Jones 09/10/05 WOMENS NATIONAL CUP - SECOND ROUND DONCASTER PANTHERS 51 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 74 It is very rare to see giant killing in basketball. Generally teams in higher divisions have greater talent and experience and are able to see off their opponents who come with great heart but are rarely able to sustain it over 40 minutes. But the circumstances of this match were far different from the norm. Doncaster Panthers, one of the most famous names in womens basketball, have lost a number of senior players including last years two top scorers. They requested that the governing body allow them to drop down to division 2 this season but this was denied as the fixtures had been set. Their results so far this season have shown the huge gap with other Division 1 teams but Panthers are making use of their outstanding development programme to bring youngsters through. This is also the Swifts philosophy and despite missing captain Jo Andrews, Natalie Stafford and Rebecca Rambin, the team made the long journey north in good spirits, looking to produce what, on paper, would be an upset. The home side came out strongly, taking a 5-0 lead as Swifts showed early nerves, before four points from Louise Robinson steadied matters. Doncaster hit the next four before Southend made a decisive 8-0 run that took them 12-9 ahead; Kelly Matthews contributing five. The teams exchanged baskets leaving the visitors 19-15 ahead at the end of the first quarter. Southend came out with the first 6 points of the second quarter as Amy Andrews and Vikki Willmore began to exert pressure before Panthers had their best spell going on an 11-1 stretch that tied the game up at 26 all. The Essex side, however, recovered their composure scoring the last five points to take a 31-26 half time lead. But whatever was said during the interval had a profound effect. Swifts change of defensive formation restricted Doncaster to just three points in the quarter whilst scoring 16 themselves to open a decisive 47-29 lead; Fran Hitt being particularly effective with eight points and five steals. The final period saw Southend ensure there would be no comeback by the hosts as they opened with a 9-2 run to lead 56-31. With Andrews and Willmore continuing to score, the margin stretched to 66-37 with four minutes remaining which went to 74-44 before Panthers scored the final seven points that nevertheless left Swifts with an excellent 74-51 victory. Willmore 17, Andrews and Hitt 13 and Robinson 10 had led Southend to the National Cup quarter final for the first time on their history. Their reward is another trip to South Yorkshire, this time to play Sheffield Hatters, the most successful British womens club ever. 11/09/05 Senior Women’s Cup 1st Round Southend “Swifts” 69 – 41 Northants “Lightning” Last Sunday the Northants “Lightning” took on Division 2 outfit Southend “Swifts” in the 1st Round of the Senior Women’s Cup and returned home battered, bruised and well defeated. The county junior women’s (under 18) team enter the Senior Cup in order to get early season games and in past years have been successful in beating senior teams but not this season. The game started in a disappointing way with one of the appointed referees failing to turn up. An official of the Southend club deputised until half time when a local referee agreed to officiate the final two periods of play. At that time the home side had established a 37-25 lead thanks in no small part to 14 points from their Australian import Natalie Stafford. The game, already physical became even more so after the interval with Stafford running amok and pouring in another 10 points to put the game well and truly beyond the “Lightning”. With the game won Southend sat down Stafford and “Lightning” coach, John Collins ran in his Cadette (under 16) players. To their credit the Northants players never gave up but were unable to cope with the physical pressure they were placed under. This led to countless turn-overs and easy scores for the “Swifts”. Nauel Saeed top scored for the “Lightning” with 12 points, new recruit Danielle Ward contributed 11 before being forced out of the game with face and knee injuries while Angeline Field gave of her all in scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Commenting on the game former England player Karen Goodrich pressed into service because of the absence of Erin Clarke commented, “The game was very physical. In my opinion too physical but it seems that’s the way the women’s game has evolved over the past few years. Having said that Southend played with a great deal of skill and intensity and deserved their win” Next Saturday the “Lightning” continues their pre-League season programme with a friendly game against Manchester “Mystics”. That game will be played at Northampton School for Boys and tips off at 4.15pm WOMENS SENIOR NATIONAL CUP - 1ST ROUND SOUTHEND SWIFTS 69 NORTHANTS LIGHTNING 41 The first competitive match of the new basketball season saw Southend Swifts senior team in National Cup action against old adversaries Northants Lightening. Swifts have seen a large number of changes in personnel during the summer, with Emma Camp now at University in the United States, Kasey Jennings studying in Cardiff, Kirsty Clark moving to her home town team in Colchester and Martina Michalickova on maternity leave. With England guards Jo Andrews and Vikki Willmore on holiday, this was certainly an experimental line-up for an important fixture so early in the new campaign. Southend have added Natalie Stafford to the squad but otherwise it was the tried and tested method of promoting their own players that would lead the Essex side in this opening encounter. Stafford found her touch early on, scoring the first four points, as the hosts moved to a 7-3 lead. Lightning brought it back to 9-7 before a three-pointer from Abi Dempsey and another Stafford score took it to 14-7 with Southend easing to a 17-11 first quarter lead. A quick Amy Andrews basket helped Swifts to a 25-15 margin before Northants reduced the deficit by three. But a change of defensive formation for the home side would have a dramatic effect on the match as they outscored the Midlands team 10-2 to take a decisive 15 point lead; Fran Hitt and Louise Robinson sharing eight between them. The visitors scored five straight before a late Hitt score left it at 37-25 at the half time interval. The play was understandably scrappy for so early in the season and after five minutes of the third quarter the score stood at just 45-32, although Northants' Angeline Field looked to be starting to dominate. But three straight baskets from Stafford sparked her team to 12 unanswered points that gave her side an assailable 57-32 lead with just the final 10 minutes to play. Swifts were able to leave Stafford and Hitt on the bench for the remainder of the game and three-pointers from Kelly Matthews and Louise Robinson ensured the margin did not diminish as they ended comfortable victors by 69 points to 41. Stafford, on her debut, scored 22 points, with Hitt on 12 and Robinson 10 but with all 10 players on the scoresheet, this was a good team effort.
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