SL Colliers vs Grampian Flyers

National League Div 2 Under 18 Men

 

February 14th 2016 – the U18 Colliers faced a tough opponent on their home court in the Grampian Flyers side who had handed the Colliers a big loss in the previous encounter in Aberdeen. This match however, played out with a different ending.

 

Both teams got off to a slow start. Grampian couldn’t make their shots but the Colliers struggled to capitalise on these mistakes when running on the break which kept the game close. Colliers began to find their feet near the end of the first and finished a couple of easy jump shots to head into the 2nd quarter up 15 to 12.

 

The second saw much of the same of the first with the Colliers working incredibly hard defensively causing several turnovers but yet again they were struggling to take full advantage. The defensive intensity began to pay off allowing the Colliers to push the lead to 7 leaving them going into the half with the score line sitting at 31 to 24. The second half was poised to be a tough one.

 

As expected, the Flyers made a big push in the third quarter by raising their defensive pressure and finishing some easy ones on the fast break. The Colliers were hanging in by a small margin and tried to raise their intensity yet again leading to a couple of unnecessary fouls which allowed the Flyers to close the gap to 1 single point by the end of the third quarter.

 

It was down to the last quarter to seal the game. Fast pace basketball was on display with both teams pushing the basketball with a sense of urgency. For 5 minutes the 1-point lead was exchanged between teams. It was a game in the balance but one that the Colliers were not about to let slip away.

 

The squad showed great composure towards the end of the game by slowing the ball down and being smart with their decisions. This forced the Flyers side to foul and with some clutch shooting on display from the free throw line the game was decided.

 

The match ended with a huge cheer from the Colliers team who were delighted to get the win against such a strong side who had previously beat them in the first half of the season.

 

Final Score: Colliers 76 Flyers 71

 

Coach Ross Mathison said post-game: “What a fantastic win for us, it really is testament to how hard the boy’s are training and putting what we have been working into practice.”

 

“It is about control down the stretch when the game is close and being able to hold your nerve which they displayed the ability to do in this game.

 

“We had a big loss to this team in the first half of the year and to come away with the victory today really does highlight the progress the whole team is making.”