U14s

Central League game stats

Leopards 32 (10, 23, 27)
North Herts Knights 26 (10, 24, 26)

In their last meeting Leopards won by twenty points – Knights had much to prove and came out with all guns blazing. Their cause was helped by the Leopards poor start playing as if the game was a forgone conclusion – never the case in basketball.

Gradually the Leopards began to get into their stride and played more intensely on defence and began to win the boards. This swung the momentum back to the Leopards and their superior experience enabled them to control the game through the last two quarters. The first two had belonged to the valiant Knights.

Leopards: Neil Addison 10, Michael Darlow 6 , Omar Ibrahim 6,
George Keys 4, Tom Bryan (V.Capt.) 4, Jack Morley 2, Joe Graves (Capt.).

‘Champagne Moment’: Team defence in the second half – turned the match

Leopards 38 (10, 18, 22)
North Essex 33 (10, 18, 29)

This was always going to be a crucial game in this league and the intensity of the match reflected this from the tip. Both teams were fired up for the encounter and Leopards had learnt valuable lessons from their first match of the day against a rejuvenated North Herts Knights.

Many of the players knew each other from national league duty and this added extra spice to the affair. North Essex moved the ball well outside but could not find the penetration they had enjoyed in their previous game with Harlow – the Leopards players knew how to defend. Both teams traded good team baskets and the crowd were witnessing a high quality game of U.14 basketball.

In the third period the Essex team edged ahead and were looking the more composed but the unbeaten Leopards are many things including resilient – they refused to allow the momentum to switch completely to North Essex. A time-out and change of offence helped to stem the tide.

The final quarter saw the Leopards saw the Leopards call on their experience and gradually pulled themselves back into the game with some excellent team defence which they then used to re-ignite their offence. At last the Big Cats passed more effectively and created many openings as North Essex struggled to hold the Leopards. The pressure began to tell as the Leopards eased in front, extended the lead with cool shooting, and closed out a pleasing team victory to maintain their 100% record and inflict the first loss for the impressive North Essex team. A great advert for the game of basketball.

Leopards: Laurence Levy 12, Neil Addison 6, Michael Darlow 6, Joe Graves (Capt.) 4, Tom Bryan (V.Capt.) 4, Jack Morley 4, Omar Ibrahim 2,
George Keys

‘Champagne Moment’: Joe Graves ‘ice’ free throw which moved the game beyond North Essex

Leopards 42 (12, 20, 30)
Harlow Hawks 22 (8, 12, 12)

The third game of the day saw the Leopards looking a little tired. This gave the lively Hawks a real boost and they started the game well as the Leopards struggled to find their offensive rhythm.

Gradually the Big Cats began to box out and control the boards (something they had failed to do in the previous two games well) and this then made it very difficult for the Hawks to get close.

During the second period the more experienced Leopards players on court began to dictate the direction and pace of the game and got their offence moving. The Hawks tried to stem the tide but found the power and pace difficult to deal with.

The final two quarters saw the Leopards passing and moving with the skills and accuracy that they had lacked earlier and this allowed a points cushion to be developed. The Hawks tried gallantly to close the gap and scored some good baskets in the final three minutes as the Leopards tired. It was never going to be enough as the Leopards strode to the buzzer to maintain their 100% record in this league – ‘A lovely early Christmas present’ said Coach Graves ‘ Everyone worked hard today and the new players settled well’. Jack and Omar made pleasing debuts for the club.

Leopards: Neil Addison 10, George Keys 6, Joe Graves (Capt.) 6, Laurence Levy 6, Tom Bryan (V.Capt.) 4, Jack Morley 4, Michael Darlow 4, Omar Ibrahim 2

Coach: Terry Graves
Scorer: Jillian Graves

‘Champagne Moments’: Neil Addison’s fake and drives and Jack Morley’s steals

U18s

Leopards 70 (18, 36,56 )
Westminster Warriors 41 ( 6, 19, 34 )

Leopards: Nathan Wilson 24, Adam Edwards 17, Ben Warden 10, Mike Jarvis 7, Stephen Edwards 6, Ryan Westley 5, Russell Stonehouse 1.