Trailblazers aim to take care of business against Leopards - Mar 12, 2010 (by George Manousidis)
Derby Trailblazers remain joint top of England Basketball league division one going into Saturdays match at home to London Leopards, but after an overtime defeat away to London Mets last weekend, they now have very little room for error.
Of the other clubs in the top five, only Derby and Leicester Warriors failed to pick up points last weekend, meaning the title race is now closer than ever. With five games left, the Trailblazers have 26 points [read more]
Derby Trailblazers remain joint top of England Basketball league division one going into Saturdays match at home to London Leopards, but after an overtime defeat away to London Mets last weekend, they now have very little room for error.
Of the other clubs in the top five, only Derby and Leicester Warriors failed to pick up points last weekend, meaning the title race is now closer than ever. With five games left, the Trailblazers have 26 points. Second placed Leeds are also on 26, but have played a game more. Third placed Manchester are two behind, while fourth placed Bristol are on 22, with a game in hand.
Blazers captain Matt Shaw (188-G-78) says its therefore essential for Derby to forget what happened last weekend and step up their effort over the remaining league matches:
Losing twice in overtime to Mets is really tough to take, but you have to give them a lot of credit because theyre a good team and they played really tough in both matches, he said.
In contrast, I dont think we played well enough. I hear people saying the referees should have been better but we should have played better too! Martyn Gayle (G-89) had a great game, but apart from him, I didnt think anyone really stood out. We must play better both individually and as a team if we want to win the league, he said.
This weekends opponents have had a difficult season and come to Derby in ninth place. However, one of their five wins came against the Trailblazers. The Londoners have a multitude of problems in terms of personnel, but Shaw says despite their shortage of bodies, the Leopards are still capable of providing problems:
Leopards wont be easy, he said. They out played us when we met in November and they have some fine offensive weapons and good team cohesion. Theyre the only team in the league we have not beaten so we have to show them a lot of respect.
When we lost against them earlier in the year it came straight after our loss to Manchester and we went into the game feeling down on our luck. Its vitally important we don't respond the same way as were again going into the game after a difficult defeat.
We have to show the sort of energy and desire we had at home to Taunton or away to Reading where we got off to fantastic starts. At the end of the season, the only thing that matters is whose name is on the silverware.
Trophies never say such and such a team shouldve won it but they were unlucky. No one cares about that and no one remembers it either. We need to take control of our own destiny and play a lot better than weve done in recent weeks if we want to win the title, he said.
The match against London Leopards tips off at 7:30 on Saturday, at Derbys Noel-Baker school, as the Trailblazers regular venue is unavailable.
Thunder Prepare for Roaring Tigers - Mar 12, 2010 (by Andy Webb)
As they continue their push for that eighth Playoff spot in their second season in the league, Worthing Thunder prepare this weekend for Everton Tigers and Guildford Heat, and Assistant-Coach Alan Sweetman Hicks said that the Tigers are far from a one dimensional team that is reliant on one player: Everton is one of those teams that you just look at and can't focus on any one player in particular as there are threats everywhere you look [read more]
As they continue their push for that eighth Playoff spot in their second season in the league, Worthing Thunder prepare this weekend for Everton Tigers and Guildford Heat, and Assistant-Coach Alan Sweetman Hicks said that the Tigers are far from a one dimensional team that is reliant on one player: Everton is one of those teams that you just look at and can't focus on any one player in particular as there are threats everywhere you look. He said: Last time out, we really struggled physically with Olu Babalola (198-F-81, college: Clemson) so we will be working on how to contain him collectively. Trey Moore is obviously one of the stand-out players in the BBL so again we can't just rely on one guy to shut him down. If you focus too much on those two then the likes of (Jerome) Gumbs, James Jones and Marcel Jones will capitalise on the extra space you give them.
Whilst Sweetman-Hicks refused to focus on one player, Tigers coach, Tony Garbelotto, identified former Molten BBL Player of the Month, Reggie Bratton, as the main cog in the chain for the South Coast outfit. He said: With a player like Bratton, you hope that you can reduce his touches and limit his options, but I think he has one of the best all round offensive games in the league.
Meanwhile, Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders entertain PAWS London Capital at the John Sandford Sports Centre, and despite a 110-38 defeat of the Londoners last time they visited Leicester, Riders boss Rob Paternostro is not taking them lightly: The Capitals again have a new look, they have a little more size than the last time we played so we have to be prepared for that he said: We are looking to improve each and every week, the guys are hungry right now, and everyone is working hard to improve their game. We are playing very well as a team right now - I have nine guys who continue to improve and are all contributing each game. We need to come out this week against London and continue to improve, we want to keep the momentum going in the right direction.
Essex Pirates welcome Airwaves Plymouth Raiders on Saturday evening, which will see Israeli born point guard, Haggai Hundert, match up against his former employers, whilst the second leg of the BBL Trophy Semi Final between Cheshire Jets and Marshall MK Lions takes place on Sunday at the Northgate Arena, as both teams play for the chance to face Newcastle for the second piece of silverware of the season.
Tickets are now selling thick and fast for the BBL Trophy Final, on Sunday 21st March, so click here to buy your tickets now.
Macaulay Demands Defence - Mar 11, 2010 (by Andy Webb)
Marshall MK Lions boss, Vince Macaulay , has challenged his side to put in a massive defensive performance when they face league leaders and BBL Trophy Finalists, Newcastle Eagles, tomorrow night: We will need to combat all the bodies that Newcastle have, as we are shorthanded at the moment he said: It is important that we control the tempo of the game he added: I feel we can execute well against them, as long as we have leave our poor defence behind us which has probably cost us this term [read more]
Marshall MK Lions boss, Vince Macaulay , has challenged his side to put in a massive defensive performance when they face league leaders and BBL Trophy Finalists, Newcastle Eagles, tomorrow night: We will need to combat all the bodies that Newcastle have, as we are shorthanded at the moment he said: It is important that we control the tempo of the game he added: I feel we can execute well against them, as long as we have leave our poor defence behind us which has probably cost us this term.
His Eagles equivalent, player-coach Fabulous Flournoy, is not taking the Lions lightly either: This weekend will be a tough test for us. M.K are going to be ready for us this time round, and when we played them last, they were with out Frank Holmes, which is a big loss for them. When you lose a player due to injury, the coach has to find a way to work out how they will full the void. Luckily for us when we played against them, Vince (Macaulay) did not have any time to work on that. I expect MK will be ready to get back on track.
Flournoy may baffle a few fellow play callers and fans around the league with his decision to bring leading players Joe Chapman and Charles Smith off the bench more often than not, but the New Yorker explained that this ensures he gets the best out of his players, as well as limiting the oppositions opportunities to focus on one of the Eagles many weapons. He commented: There is no one reason that I bring Charles and Joe off the bench. At some point in time, everyone on our team has started. Unlike most teams, where you have players that start, we have players that can start or come off the bench and it is not an issue because everyone on our team wants to win. He also attributed much of the Eagles title success in recent years, to this, adding: It is one of the reasons we are so successful - because we have some many guys that can hurt you that you can not concentrate on one. Plus, unlike most of the other teams, our players are playing half the minutes everyone else is and are much more productive.
Also taking place tomorrow night is the clash between Glasgow Rocks and Cheshire Jets, and Rocks player-coach, Sterling Davis, is relishing the challenge of taking on the BBL Cup finalists and Trophy semi-finalists as he sweats on the fitness of explosive point guard, Rob Yanders: We have seen Cheshire a few times this season and each game we have been involved in with them has been a great spectator game he said: Rob Yanders is still out right now and day to day on his return. Thats the only major injury in our team. He added: We have guys with niggling injuries but nothing to stop day-to-day participation.
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