|
VIP PACKAGES
CLICK HERE
SEASON 2011/12 FIXTURES CLICK HERE
7
February 2012
Just gr-eight for Leopards
Leopards 78 (19,27,51)
Brixton Topcats 66 (20,33,50)
LEOPARDS made the perfect start to life at their new Basildon
Sporting Village home with their eighth straight win as Brixton
Topcats were beaten 78-66 on Sunday.
David Buchberger led the scoring for the first time in his Leopards
career as the Big Cats overcame a poor start to gain revenge for
November’s loss at Brixton.
The American-British dual national finished with 18 points, six
assists and four rebounds in 33 minutes as a half-time change of
tactics from coach Dejan Mihevc proved key.
With point guard Vernon Teel receiving little protection from the
refs as he appeared to be repeatedly fouled while dribbling the ball
down the court, Buchberger was switched to his spot, and the move
paid off as the home side outscored Brixton 51-33 in the second
half.
Ousman Krubally posted another double-double, finishing with 16
points and 14 rebounds, with John Lister (13) and Lukas Volskis (10)
also finishing in double figures as Teel was limited to eight points
and as many rebounds – adding five steals and four assists.
Coach Dejan Mihevc gave 15-year-old Josh Steel his first start as a
Leopard, and he opened the scoring with a three for the Leopards to
cancel out Nathan Ashley’s score from downtown.
Five straight Volskis points, followed by scores from Teel and Zak
Wells saw Leopards rush into a 12-4 lead, but that proved to be as
good as it got for the Big Cats in the first half, and Tom Adoiran
tied things at 14 with four minutes of the opening quarter
remaining.
Both coach Mihevc and Volskis picked up technical fouls as Topcats’
physical play helped them go on a 9-2 run, and despite the home side
scoring the final five points of the period – including a Wells dunk
– they still trailed 20-19 at the first break.
Neither side could buy a basket in the first four and half minutes
of the second quarter, before Andrius Vaiteikus broke the deadlock.
Buchberger’s three-pointer levelled things at 22, but Brixton
replied with a 9-0 run capped by two Papa Demba-Kasse baskets to
lead 31-22 with three minutes in the half remaining to force a
Leopards time-out.
The move worked to an extent, with Buchberger doubling his tally
with another three and both Wells and Dominic Norton hitting a
free-throw, but it was the visitors who went into the locker room at
half-time with a 33-27 lead.
The third period saw Leopards fight their way back into the game,
with Krubally opening the scoring and Buchberger cutting the margin
to a single point at the five minute mark.
Ashley answered from downtown, but Krubally tied things at 47 going
into the final two minutes of the period and Lister hit a long two
to put Leopards 51-50 ahead at the final break.
A strong start to the fourth quarter saw Buchberger hit the first
five points, and a massive Krubally dunk made it a six point game
with just over two minutes gone.
The 14-4 Leopards’ run was capped when Buchberger grabbed Teel’s
miss to score from close range as the home side went into the final
five minutes with a 65-54 lead.
Sam Toluwase, who top scored for Brixton with 24, made it a nine
point game, but that was as close as the visitors came, with
Leopards ensuring that they took the head-to-head decider as Bradley
Wilkinson scored off of Joe Lockwood’s assist, and Lockwood then
stealing the ball to seal the double digit win.
Leopards: D
Buchberger (18), O Krubally (16), J Lister (13), L Volskis (10), V
Teel (8), Z Wells (7), J Steel (3), B Wilkinson (2), D Norton (1), J
Lockwood, R Addison (DNP), S Bublys (DNP)
7
February 2012
Dejan delighted with victory
LEOPARDS’ coach Dejan Mihevc and guard Lukas Volskis were both
delighted as the Big Cats continued their good form with a 78-66
victory against Brixton Topcats on Sunday.
“It was important to start with a win after winning a Cup last week”
said Mihevc after Leopards’ debut win at Basildon Sporting Village.
“We always knew that it won't be easy, specially against, Brixton,
and it wasn't. They played really aggressive with a lot of contact
and we didn't respond really well in the first half. But we knew
that we just need to play hard in defence the whole 40 minutes and
we did.
“In the second half we also made open shoots that we didn't in the
first half and in the end we came to a very important win, that
brought us closer to a play-off position.
I would also like to thank to all the fans that came and support us
in spite of bad wetter condition. I believe that at our next game at
Basildon we can expect a full stadium.”
Volskis was also pleased with the victory and the Big Cats’ new
home: “It was exciting to play at Basildon Sporting Village with it
having such fantastic facilities. It was a little bit more special
for me as I live in the area so it was like a true ‘home’ game for
me. I was impressed with the crowd that turned up to watch us,
especially with the snow causing havoc. It just shows that people
are interested in basketball .
“To top it off we got the win, so it was a great weekend for us.”
The Big Cats return to Basildon Sporting Village on Sunday February
19 when they host Leeds Carnegie, but before then they travel to
Bristol Academy Flyers in the National Trophy semi-final on Saturday
and host Leicester Warriors at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday (4
pm).
2
February 2012
Lukas ready for home comforts
IT will be home sweet home for Leopards’ guard Lukas Volskis when
the Big Cats make their Basildon Sporting Village on Sunday
afternoon.
Volskis lives in Basildon, and they can’t wait to step out to face
Brixton Topcats in a key EBL Division game.
“I'm looking forward to Sunday as the game is literally round the
corner from where I live” said 22-year-old Volskis. “It will be nice
playing locally and having my friends and family there. Brixton will
be a tough opposition that will be ready to play every time they
step on the floor. It will be a tough game considering they beat us
already but this time round we have everyone healthy so I know we'll
be alright.”
Volskis is in his fourth season with the Big Cats, and is the club’s
longest serving player, and he was clearly delighted after his side
lifted the National Cup with a thrilling victory against Bristol
Academy Flyers on Sunday: “Winning the Cup was an unbelievable
experience considering how the game went and how hard we fought to
win. It must have been one of the best finals in a while for the
fans to watch as the excitement and adrenalin levels must have been
through the roof. Seeing how much the win meant to our fans and the
whole Leopards organisation just made it extra special.”
The Leopards’ guard isn’t looking back, though: “Having said that,
the win is behind us and we are back on our daily grind as we
prepare for the rest of the season. I think this will be extra
motivation for us and having had the feeling of winning will make us
work hard in order to experience it again. Without being arrogant I
honestly think we are more than capable of winning the league,
Trophy and the playoffs. Of course it will be a monumental task but
we have a group who are prepared to put the work in.”
The game sees a showdown between the last two National Cup winners,
and Brixton go into the game on place ahead of the Big Cats in
seventh spot with a 7-5 record.
Andy Powlesland’s side have specialised in close games with half of
their 12 Division One match-ups being decided by six or less points.
Having only played nine of their 24 league games, Leopards face a
tough run-in during the final ten weeks of the regular season as
they look to move up from their success eighth spot. However, they
go into the game on a seven game winning streak and have only lost
once in their last ten games.
2
February 2012
Dejan ready for Basildon debut
LEOPARDS’ coach Dejan Mihevc is looking forward to the game: “It is
a real London derby where there is no favourite team. Brixton is
playing really well this season and has strong and experienced team
that already beat us earlier in the season. We will do our best to
win the game and get closer to the teams at the top of the table.”
The Leopards play-caller is excited at seeing his side playing at
their new venue for the first time: !We are also all very exited to
play in our new facility in Basildon which is really nice and I am
expecting a lot of our new and old fans to support us and we promise
we won’t disappoint them.”
The Big Cats lead the all-time series 4-1, but will have revenge on
their minds on Sunday as they lost 84-75 in their opening Division
One game of the season at Brixton Rec.
With Ousman Krubally missing, a strong fourth period comeback wasn’t
enough as the Big Cats struggled inside, and looked tired after the
previous night’s overtime classic against Reading Rockets.
The visitors trailed by three at the first break and went into the
locker room 37-26 down. Scores from John Lister and Vernon Teel saw
Leopards open the second half strongly, but they struggled for long
spells against their London rivals, and trailed 58-46 going into the
final break.
Back-to-back threes from Mantis Adomantis saw Leopards open the
fourth period with an 8-0 run, and they grabbed the lead for the
first time since the opening stages with seven minutes remaining
when Teel completed a streak of 13 straight points.
A John Lockwood free-throw saw Leopards only trailing by a single
point going into the final minute, but a curious offensive foul call
on Josh Johnson saw both coach Mihevc and Lukas Volskis pick up
technical fouls, and Topcats wrapped up the win for the line.
Teel finished with a game-high 37 points, with Lister again adding
14 and Buchberger scoring seven. Noha led the home team with 26
points.
Leopards also opened their league season at Brixton Rec last season
and the crowd where treated to a thrilling game which went down to
the final second before Josh Sharlow sunk a three-pointer to give
the Big Cats an 81-78 victory.
The return league game proved to be a more comfortable victory for
the Leopards as Krubally finished with a 22 point, 15 rebound
double-double on the way to an 81-69 win. The sides also met at
Brentwood in a National Trophy pool game, and 31 points from
Krubally together with a 38-25 fourth quarter helped the Leopards
overcome a stubborn Topcats side 91-77 to qualify for the
quarter-finals.
The first competitive meeting between the teams came in the 2009/10
season as Leopards knocked the eventual Division Two champions out
of the National Cup with a 96-73 victory.
Leigh Greenan scored 24 points and pulled down 18 rebounds as a
Leopards side missing leading scorer Carl Latham-Henry due to a back
injury reached the final four for the second time in their history.
Five of the Big Cats eight man squad finished in double figures,
with former Topcat Ronnie Baker finishing with 21, Ignazio De
Ferrari 18, Chris Michaelides 12 and Marlan Henry 11.
The home side did a good job of keeping veteran point guard Paul
Mundy-Castle quiet, limiting him to just nine points off three from
15 field goal shooting, with Avelino Antonio leading the Brixton
scoring 18.
The game was won on the boards as Leopards out-rebounded the
visitors 47-27, and they also out-shot Brixton from both inside and
outside the arc.
30
January 2012
Leopards win Cup
Leopards 64 (10,26,38)
Bristol Academy Flyers 63 (24,38,50)
A stunning final five minutes saw Leopards come from behind to the
win 2012 National Cup final with a 64-63 victory against Bristol
Academy Flyers.
In front of a packed house at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, the Big Cats
recovered from a poor first half to lift the oldest piece of
silverware in English basketball.
Vernon Teel picked up the Most Valuable Player award as he finished
with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Ousman Krubally came up
with another big double-double, finishing with 15 points and as many
boards, while five of David Buchberger’s 11 points came in the final
80 seconds as the Big Cats finished strongly. Dejan Mihevc’s team
couldn’t buy a basket in the first period as Enrique Garcia opened
the scoring for the Flyers, and they hit the first eight points
before Teel finally broke the duck with 200 seconds gone.
Zak Wells doubled the Big Cats’ total to leave them trailing by
nine, but they missed four of their six foul shots in what proved to
be a prelude to a woeful display at the foul line as they scored
just seven of their 21 attempts.
Douglas McLaughlin-Williams sent the West Country side into the
first break with a 24-10 lead and another shot from downtown by the
same player saw Bristol’s lead grow to 17 at the start of the second
period.
Krubally and Lukas Volskis added to Leopards’ score, but they still
trailed 30-14 before Buchberger made it a 30-16 game at the five
minute mark.
The closest Leopards came in the rest of the first half was when
Volskis made it a ten point game heading into the final minute, but
Davis Bowne grabbed his own rebound and scored to put Bristol 38-26
ahead going into the locker room.
Leopards started the second half brightly, and Wells – who did an
excellent defensive job despite picking up four first half fouls -
made it a six point game with 4:17 remaining in the third period,
but Bristol replied with a 6-0 run to keep their 12 point lead alive
going into the final period.
The fourth period finally saw Leopards spark into life. All 26
points were scored by Teel, Krubally and Buchberger, but there was
some excellent defensive work from Dominic Norton and the Big Cats
noticeably wore the Flyers down.
Teel started and finished a 10-2 run to open the fourth period and
make it a four point game with three minutes gone.
Garcia broke the tear, but Krubally responded immediately before
Teel tied the score at 54with 4:34 remaining n the game.
Greg Streete restored Bristol’s lead and , but it wasn’t until the
3:30 mark that Leopards took their first lead of the game when
Krubally scored off Volskis’ assist.
McLaughlin-Williams – who led Flyers with 21 points – put the West
Country side back up by one with three minutes remaining, and after
Leopards had forced a shot clock violation, Buchberger scored off
Teel’s assist with 80 seconds left on the clock to level the score
at 59.
Greete missed a two pointer and Buchberger saw a trey rim out before
the latter sunk what proved to be the biggest shot of the game as
three sweetly dropped to put Leopards 62-59 ahead with 48 seconds
remaining.
Flyers called a timeout, and Buchberger sent Streete to the line
where he hit one of two foul shots to make it a three point game.
Teel was then fouled, and scored the first before missing the second
but Tyrone Treasure’s shot rimmed out and led to a jump ball.
The possession arrow was in Bristol’s favour, but
McLaughlin-Williams saw his three-pointer miss, and Krubally grabbed
the rebound before being sent to the line by Garcia.
The Leopards captain hit the first foul shot but missed the second,
and although Treasure hit a three that just beat the buzzer it was
too late to prevent the Leopards’ celebrations starting in earnest.
Leopards: V
Teel (23), O Krubally (15), D Buchberger (11), L Volskis (6), Z
Wells (6), J Lister (3), D Norton, J Lockwood, B Wilkinson, S Bublys
(DNP), J Steel (DNP), R Addison (DNP).
30
January 2012
Dejan's delight at Cup win
COACH Mihevc couldn’t hide his delight after Leopards won the
National Cup with a 64-63 victory against Bristol Academy Flyers:
“It couldn't be better! I am very happy for all the fans that really
support us all the way, for our programme and all the people that
are working hard around it and especially happy for our players who
are working hard for each other everyday.
“To win a competition like cup is always something special, because
you are not allowed to lose and the champion is the team that is
perfect in the whole tournament. And to do it with basically the
youngest team in the league was even bigger challenge and great
experience for all the players and everybody around them.
“I would like to thank and to congratulate to all the players once
again because for that group of players I can only finish with a
sentence that when all is said and done, it's not the shots that won
the championship that you remember, but the friendships you made
along the way.”
Vernon Teel picked up the Most Valuable Player award as he finished
with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Ousman Krubally came up
with another big double-double, finishing with 15 points and as many
boards, while five of David Buchberger’s 11 points came in the final
80 seconds as the Big Cats finished strongly.
Leopards return to league action on Sunday when they make their
debut at Basildon Sports Village to face Brixton Topcats. Tip-off is
at 4 pm, with the National Cup expected to be on display.
Photographs courtesy of
www.essexsportsagency.com
For full past previews and news,
go to News Archive
|
