Colliers Dig Deep Against Blaze
National League Division 2 Junior Men
October 18th, 2015
Colliers travelled to the Crags centre in Edinburgh to play against Boroughmuir Blaze hoping to beat a tough squad on their home patch.
The Colliers started strong in the first quarter really putting the pressure on Blaze in transition. Defensively the team were working collectively to stop the strong ball handling ability of the Blaze squad and to prevent rebounds from the opposition’s big men. With this in mind the Colliers tenacious defence allowed them to push ahead 23-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started much the same as the 1st with the Colliers applying the pressure defensively. The transition game began to seize up however with a few easy looks being missed right at the basket.
The last two minutes proved costly for the Colliers as a lapse in concentration allowed Blazes point guard to steal the ball several times, shifting the moment his teams’ way. Blaze finished out the quarter strong with 8 consecutive points unanswered. Despite this Colliers went into the half with a 41 to 29 lead.
It was to be a tale of two halves for the Colliers. Blaze ramped up their hustle, finishing at the hoop much easier than they had previously. A number of bad shots from the Colliers really opened the game back up for Blaze.
Going into the 4th Colliers nerve was being tested as the Blaze side put on the pressure. Again easy opportunities meant that the game was drawing closer as the clock was ticking. With 30 seconds to go Colliers were up by 3 when they were sent to the line for two shots. Both were missed and a costly foul in transition put Blaze on the free throw line for two as well. They scored both leaving the Colliers up only by 1 point. The shot clock was off and Blaze had no option but to send the Colliers to the line for two more opportunities to seal the game. This time both free throws were made giving Colliers a 3-point cushion. A last ditch attempt at a 3 pointer from Blaze closed out the game and Colliers came out the other end of a hard fought game victorious.
Coach Ross Mathison said post-game: “I am really proud of the squads’ performance today.”
“They managed to handle the adversity that was put in front of them and to persevere when the going got tough.
“I feel that we could have won the game by a considerable amount more and we made it harder for ourselves than it had to be but ultimately they came away with a terrific win away and have grown as a team because of this result.”
Final Score Colliers 62 – 59 Blaze