S.L.B.A Div3 & Div4 Preseason Tournament
At the Paisley Lagoon Centre
September 13th, 2015
The Colliers division 3 men played in the annual S.L.B.A. preseason tournament as a warm up for the season ahead.
The preseason tournament was used by the team as a chance to give all players game time to develop their skills as well as their ability to play as part of a cohesive team. The team this season features some younger players with the potential to develop and make significant contributions, along with some more experienced players too. They also have new additions from last season’s Under 18 team and some players who have experience playing in higher leagues for other teams.
Playing a variety of line-ups and styles in the tournament meant that there was a chance to experiment, but all of the players showed a commitment to playing hard with a winning attitude throughout the day.
The day started with a comfortable win against the Chryston Cougars. In the game the Colliers were most effective when able to play at a high tempo.
The second match up was against a much more physical Paisley team with a big front line, the Colliers were a little undersized but managed to keep the game close until the final minutes ultimately conceding the win.
Game 3 saw a tough loss against a hot shooting Ayrshire Tornados team. Close throughout with the lead changing consistently, the final basket, scored by the Tornadoes, snatched the win. A good effort from the Colliers but some frustrating defensive lapses meant that they were disappointed not to get the win.
The fourth game started with a line-up that put a lot of defensive pressure on the Dunoon Lions, the Colliers got out to an early lead. Again, outside shooting allowed the Lions to get back into the game, but the win was clinched by a last second basket from a well executed out of bounds play by the Colliers.
The final game was against a team from Lockerbie with a lot of size, the Colliers made an effective defensive adjustment and were able to score by attacking the basket from all positions. A close game but a good win for the Colliers to end the day on a high.
Head Coach Derek Milligan commented: “Overall, the tournament was a success in terms of clearly identifying things for us to work on - but we were also able to demonstrate our potential to play good basketball and this is something we’ll look to build on throughout the season ahead.”
The Div 3 men will be back in action against Glasgow Fever in an SLBA Division 3 at Hillhead high School on Monday September 21st. Tip off at 7.15pm
Their first home game will take place on the 4th of October at the Alistair McCoist Complex in East Kilbride, tipping off at 8.15pm against Dumbarton Dodgers.