U18 Colliers struggle against Kats
U18 Division 1 National League
October 3rd, 2015
With a couple of players missing from the U18 girls team, it was always going to be tough as they faced up to a strong Kats team. Early on, the Kats imposed full court pressure which the Colliers found tough to break and with the added pressure of stopping their outside shooters, the first quarter left the girls a little shell shocked.
Niamh Shannon and Carla Crowther kept the Colliers girls alive though combining for 10 of their 14 first quarter points.
The Kats didn’t ease up in the second and continued to pressure the Colliers and displayed some really good team basketball. Niamh Shannon and Amy Poulton were the driving force behind the Colliers offence as they tried to keep some momentum going to stay within reach of the Kats.
As the girls went into the 3rd quarter trailing 48-26 they knew they had to improve their defence if they were to limit the Kats scoring run.
Unfortunately, the Kats got off to a flying start and hit their first 5 outside shots to extend the lead further. The Colliers couldn’t break through the Kats tough full court press which led to several turnovers in a row and easy baskets for the Kats. The Colliers girls never gave up though and continued to fight against the physical Kats team.
The determination paid off in the fourth quarter for the Colliers as they managed to find some rhythm and gave the Kats more of a game. Morgan Hazelwood connected on two long range shots and Rachael Tonnar got to the basket to convert some tough lay ups, but it was too late as the Kats ran away to a 42-point lead.
Top Scorers: Niamh Shannon 15 points & Carla Crowther 12 points.
FINAL SCORE: City of Edinburgh Kats 90 SL Colliers 48
Head Coach Ross Hutton commented: “Kats had several players who could really shoot the ball and we didn’t deal with that early on.”
“They moved the ball and made strong cuts to the hoop which we struggled with and that was a blow early on.
“Credit to the girls though, they never gave up and despite fatigue and being bumped and bruised by the physical Kats players, they just got on with it.“