11 April 2010
Pirates outlast LeopardsLeopards
70 (32,40,54)
Essex Pirates 84 (20,45,62)
LEOPARDS
found the strength in depth of BBL neighbours Essex
Pirates too strong on Sunday as their season ended
with a defeat in the Essex Challenge Cup.
The
Big Cats were unable to build on a stunning first
period performance which saw them lead by as many as
16 points, as once again their short bench saw them
tire.
With
leading scorer Carl Latham-Henry injured and Mike
Holbrook unavailable, Leopards drafted in Bradley
Wilkinson (who started the season with them) and
Jesse Chuku from Barking Abbey for coach Jon
Burnell’s final game in charge.
Leigh
Greenan and Sam Richardson led the hosts with 12
points apiece, while Chris Michaelides and Marlan
Henry each added 11 in a balanced scoring effort.
Burnell’s
team raced out of the blocks as Michaelides drained a
three and Greenan converted from close range.
A
rare trey from Richardson followed by a pair of
free-throws from him put Leopards 10-3 ahead, and
that lead was extended to 14-3 with scores from
Michaelides and Greenan.
Volskis
also scored from the Land of Plenty before Jamal
Anderson sparked a 7-0 run for the Pirates to cut the
lead to 17-12.
Leopards
response was immediate with a 10-0 run which saw
Michaelides and Henry both sink threes and Volskis
score the other four points as they opened a 27-12
lead.
Anderson
replied with a single free-throw before Greenan
scored again to give Leopards what proved to be their
biggest lead of the game.
Pirates
scored the final four points of the period through
Taner Adu and Sam Toluwase to cut the lead to 32-20
at the first break, and that set the tone for the
second quarter.
Only
Chuku got on the scoreboard for Leopards in the first
five minutes as Pirates opened with a 10-2 run, and
although Wilkinson broke the run with a free-throw,
the visitors replied with another nine straight
points to take the lead for the first time.
Three
points from Wilkinson plus a Henry jump-shot kept
Leopards in the game, but American forward Randy
George completed the first half scoring to send
Pirates into the locker room with a 45-40 lead.
Adu
opened the second half scoring as Pirates scored the
first five points, and although Richardson scored
five points – including another trey - in the
third period, the visitors stretched their lead to
62-54 at the final break.
Any
thoughts of a comeback were quickly erased as Pirates
– who effectively wore Leopards down with their
14 man rotation – opened the final stanza with a
16-2 run, as only Chuku troubled the scorers for the
Big Cats in the first seven minutes.
A
timeout from Burnell stopped the rot, and with Chuku
burying a three-pointer and Greenan scoring
back-to-back baskets, Leopards outscored the visitors
15-4 in a three minute spell before Michaelides
finished as he started by hitting a buzzer-beating
three to finish the season.
Leopards:
L Greenan 12, S Richardson 12, C Michaelides 11, M
Henry 11, L Volskis 9, J Chuku 9, B Wilkinson 6.
3 April 2010
Leopards shot down by
Arrows
Sheffield
Arrows 89 (16,35,60)
Leopards 66 (28,38,60)
THE
Big Cats rounded off their league campaign with a
disappointing 89-66 loss at already-relegated
Sheffield Arrows on Easter Saturday.
Jon
Burnell’s team had started strongly, rushing
into a 28-16 lead at the first break, and their lead
peaked at 34-18 two minutes into the second period,
but that was as good as it got as a six minute
drought saw Arrows gain the momentum.
Carl
Latham-Henry, who led the Leopards with 24 points,
six rebounds, four assists and three steals, opened
the scoring after 18 seconds with a drive to the
basket, and scores from Sam Richardson and Leigh
Greenan set the tone for the first period as the
visitors rushed into a 6-0 lead.
Lukas
Volskis, who finished with ten points and four
assists, extended the Big Cats’ lead to 9-2 with
a trey, and a tree-point play from Latham-Henry saw
their lead reach double figures.
Another
Latham-Henry and-one put Leopards 22-11 ahead going
into the final three minutes of the period, and
scores from Volskis and Latham-Henry sent the Big
Cats into the first break ahead by 12.
The
visitors’ domination continued in the opening
stages of the second period continued, and after
Latham-Henry had opened the scoring, baskets from
Marlan Henry and Greenan made it a 16-point game.
An
then Leopards fell to pieces. They stopped pumping
the ball inside to Greenan, and with Sebastian
Chitagu scoring freely on the way to a 40 point
night, Arrows reeled off 14 straight points to cut
Leopards’ lead to 36-35 going into the final 30
seconds of the half before Latham-Henry ended the
drought and make it a three point game going into the
locker room.
Scores
from Latham-Henry and Greenan kept Leopards ahead in
the early stages of the third period, but a Semi
Eboigbe three-point play gave Arrows their first lead
of the game at 44-43 with 6:42 on the clock.
The
third quarter remained tight, and Leopards were 52-50
up with three and a half minutes remaining when
Greenan was called for a harsh foul, and when the
young centre protested he was hit with a technical
foul, and promptly fouled out of the game.
Greenan
had scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds
in his 23 minutes of court, and his departure clearly
hurt Leopards, though they were still level at 60
going into the final period following a Chris
Michaelides three-pointer.
The
fourth quarter saw the visitors totally lose
composure, and their lack of numbers came back to
haunt them again.
A
Mike Holbrook basket meant they only trailed 64-62
after a low scoring first four minutes, but the lead
quickly reached double figures as Josef Faddoul sunk
a trey, and with only Richardson and Latham-Henry
troubling the scorers in the final four minutes,
Leopards were outscored 27-4 to give Sheffield only
their third league win of the campaign.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 24, L Greenan 14, L Volskis 10, S
Richardson 7, M Holbrook 4, M Henry 4, C Michaelides
3.
28 March 2010
Leopards lose to Magic
Leopards
71 (15,39,58)
Manchester Magic 83 (22,38,56)
LEOPARDS
suffered another poor fourth period as they went down
to an 83-71 loss against Manchester Magic at Barking
Abbey on Sunday.
The
Big Cats had led by two at the final break, but their
lack of depth again cost them as they were outscored
27-13 during the last quarter.
Carl
Latham-Henry led the home side with 26 points, six
assists and five steals despite playing under 25
minutes.
Leigh
Greenan finished with a 13 points, ten rebound
double-double, with Marlan Henry adding 12 points and
Lukas Volskis 10.
English
guard Stefan Gill led the Magic with 26 points and
five rebounds, with Brandon Kimbrough adding 18
points, eight boards and seven assists. David Watts
finished with 13 points, and Lee Goldsbrough added 12
points as Magic completed a sweep of their three
games against Leopards this season.
Greenan
opened the scoring with a lay-up, and added another
from the line on the next possession after being foul
by Watts.
Mike
Holbrook kept the Big Cats ahead, but missed a pair
from the foul line, but with Gill hitting a pair of
three-pointers and Watts also scoring from downtown,
a 9-4 run saw Magic open a 17-9 lead and despite four
points from Latham-Henry it was the visitors who led
22-15 at the first break.
Latham-Henry
kept the home side in the game in the early stages of
the second period, hitting a pair of treys as well as
a lay-up, but a Gill three-pointer gave Magic a 36-27
lead with three minutes of the quarter remaining.
At
that stage, Leopards finally sparked into life, and a
Latham-Henry trey started a 12-2 run to finish the
half.
Henry
also drained from long range, and further scores from
Volskis and Greenan saw them trail by a point going
into the final 30 second of the period before
Latham-Henry hit a jump shot to send Leopards into
the locker room with a 39-38 lead.
Latham-Henry
opened the third period scoring, but Magic replied
with seven straight points before the Leopards’
top scorer converted a lay-up to break the run.
Volskis
scored from the Land of Plenty to keep Leopards in
touch, and they again closed out the period strongly
as five Latham-Henry points and a Henry trey saw them
score the final eight points of the quarter to lead
58-56 at the final break.
That
was as good as it got for the home team, as Magic
opened the final period with a 10-2 run –
Greenan scoring Leopards’ only basket – but
of equal concern was the knee injury Latham-Henry
picked up 90 second into the quarter, and he limped
out of the action and did not return.
Greenan
broke the run, but Leopards’ offence dried up in
the absence of their leading scorer, and
three-pointers from Kimbrough and Gill kept
Magic’s lead in double figures.
Henry
hit three straight baskets for the home side, but
despite that and another Volskis trey, the visitors
sealed home court advantage in the play-offs as they
closed out the win.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 26, L Greenan 13, M Henry 12, L
Volksis 10, S Richardson 4, M Holbrook 4, C
Michaelides 2.
21 March 2010
Leopards run out of steam
Leopards
76 (19,36,55)
Reading Rockets 85 (12,35,56)
LEOPARDS’
lack of depth again proved crucial as they lost a
tight game 85-76 against Reading Rockets at
Brentwood, on Sunday.
With
only seven players, the Big Cats clearly tired in the
final period as the visitors outscored them 29-21 to
take the victory.
However,
there was good news for Jon Burnell and his team as
defeats for Sheffield Arrows and Tees Valley Mohawks
mean they are now safe from the threat of relegation.
Lukas
Volskis led the Leopards’ scoring for the first
time in a league game this season with 20 points,
while Leigh Greenan finished with an 18 point, ten
rebound double-double.
The
Rockets did a good job of limiting top scorer Carl
Latham-Henry as he finished with 16 points before
fouling out, while an ankle injury limited Marlan
Henry to 13 points in 32 minutes of action.
“It’s
a disappointing result” admitted coach Jon
Burnell. “We just ran out of steam. Rockets have
trained three times this week and played on Saturday
night, but we were the ones who looked tired.
There’s nothing we can do about it at this stage
of the season, but if we just had an eighth fit
player things would be a lot easier.”
Rockets
were led by 26 points from Kenny Saunders, with Jason
Sayers having an 18 point, 11 rebound double-double
and Ryan Lohfink adding 13 points.
A
single Sayers free-throw opened the scoring, but with
Latham-Henry hitting a total of seven points in
quarter and Greenan converting five from six foul
shot, Leopards went into the first break 19-12 ahead.
Both
sides went on runs in the first period, with Leopards
reeling off seven unanswered points to lead 9-3,
Rockets hitting six straight to pull within a point
90 seconds from the end of the period.
Scores
from Adam Thoseby and Saunders cut that lead at the
start of the second quarter, but Volskis and Greenan
replied, and a Chris Michaelides trey made it 28-21
at the midway stage of the period.
A
7-0 Reading run capped by Robbie Park’s three
made it a tied game, but with Leopards missing four
straight free-throws they trailed by three going into
the final minute of the half before Henry and
Latham-Henry both hit baskets to put the Big Cats
36-35 up going into the locker room
Henry
opened the third period scoring, but the game was
tied at 44 after four minutes play, and a Saunders
trey put the visitors 46-42 ahead at the midway stage
of the quarter.
Scores
from Henry and Greenan kept Leopards on level terms,
before a 7-0 run capped by Volskis’
three-pointer put the home side 53-50 up.
But
it was the visitors who closed out the period
strongly with a 6-2 run – Mike Holbrook scoring
Leopards’ basket – to lead 56-55 at the
final break.
Having
scored the final four points of the third period,
Rockets scored the first eight of the fourth –
including five straight from Thoseby – as they
opened a 64-55 lead.
The
visitors never trailed again, and although
Volskis’ hit three three-pointers to keep the
Big Cats in touch, but Rockets wrapped up the win
from the foul line.
Leopards:
L Volskis 20, L Greenan 18, C Latham-Henry 16, M
Henry 13, M Holbrook 6, C Michaelides 3, S
Richardson.
14 March 2010
Victory for the Comeback
Kids
Leopards
86 (18,40,66)
Coventry Crusaders 78 (27,50,62)
LEOPARDS
took a massive step towards Division One safety with
a come-from-behind victory against Coventry Crusaders
on Sunday.
The
Big Cats recovered from a 16 point deficit to reel
off 25 straight points to take a key victory in the
relegation battle.
The
home side trailed 36-22 at the midway stage of the
second quarter, and were still down by 15 halfway
through the third period before a Leigh Greenan
basket sparked an incredible comeback.
Six
different players scored for the Big Cats as
Crusaders were held scoreless for nine and half
minutes, and the home team never looked back.
Latham-Henry
led the Leopards’ scoring with 23 points, with
Greenan adding 18 points and nine rebounds, and
Marlan Henry finishing with 15 points and eight
assists.
Crusader’s
Dave Edden led all scorers 27 points and seven
rebounds, while Matt Smith also had seven boards to
his 18 points.
Smith’s
fellow American went agonisingly close to a
triple-double, finishing with 11 assists, ten
rebounds and nine points, adding three steals in a
game-high 38 and half minutes of action.
Sam
Richardson opened the scoring, but a tight first five
minutes saw the teams exchange baskets, with a
Richardson basket off Lukas Volskis’ giving the
hosts a 12-11 lead after four minutes.
However,
that was the last time Leopards would score for
nearly five minutes, and Crusaders reeled off 14
straight points, capped by a pair treys from Barking
Abbey graduate Ryann Samuel to give Coventry a 25-12
lead.
Volskis
broke the run with a three-pointer off
Latham-Henry’s assist, and although Chris
Michaelides also scored from downtown, Leopards
reached the first break trailing 27-18.
It
didn’t get any better for the hosts, as Olinger
scored from the Land of Plenty to open the second
period, and an Edden trey gave them the biggest lead
of the game at the 5:05 mark.
It
was Latham-Henry who, almost single-handedly, kept
Leopards in the game as he scored 13 of their 22
second period points before Henry beat the buzzer
with a huge three to cut Coventry’s lead to
50-40 going into the locker room.
There
was little sign of the stunning recovery in the first
three minutes of the second half as it took another
Henry trey to keep Leopards within ten, and a Simon
Payne three-pointer put Coventry 62-47 ahead with six
minutes of the third period remaining.
And
then it started.
A
pair of Greenan baskets started the tear, and the
seven footer went on to score ten in the run,
including the basket which put Leopards ahead with 93
seconds of the quarter remaining.
Volskis
sunk a trey, with Mike Holbrook and Henry also
getting on the scoresheet as Leopards scored the
final 19 points of the quarter to go into the final
break 66-62 ahead.
Henry
opened the fourth period scoring before four points
from Michaelides made it 72-62 before Edden finally
ended the drought at nine minutes and 26 seconds.
Payne
cut into Leopards’ lead, and their advantage
hovered around the five mark until Latham-Henry
buried a trey with 3:10 on the clock.
Leopards
knew they had to win by ten to clinch the
head-to-head decider, and two Greenan free-throw put
their lead back into double figures with 93 seconds
remaining.
With
Crusaders forced to foul to stop the clock, the Big
Cats converted four of their six shots from the
charity stripe down the stretch, and although
Olinger’s basket with 18 seconds remaining gave
his team the decider, it was the home fans who went
home happy as Leopards snapped a four game losing
streak.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 23, L Greenan 18, M Henry 15, S
Richardson 11, C Michaelides 9, L Volskis 8, M
Holbrook 2, R Baker (DNP)
13 March 2010
Poor start costs Leopards
Derby
Trailblazers 100 (29,49,77)
Leopards 89 (14,34,64)
LEOPARDS
were made to pay for a poor start at league leaders
Derby Trailblazers on Saturday as they suffered their
13th league loss of the campaign.
The
home side scored the first 18 points of the game, and
it took until the 5:36 had elapsed before Carl
Latham-Henry put the Big Cats on the scoreboard.
Although
Jon Burnell’s team outscored Trailblazers during
the rest of the game, and were still in with a chance
of victory in the final minute, they had left
themselves too much to do.
Latham-Henry
marked his return from illness by leading the
Leopards with 34 points, seven assists and six
rebounds.
Marlan
Henry added 21 points, with Leigh Greenan having an
11 point, 13 rebound double-double, and Lukas Volskis
chipped in with ten points.
The
closure of the A14 meant that Leopards arrived with
only minutes to spare before tip-off, and the lack of
preparation clearly effected them as Trailblazers
poured in the first 18 points before Latham-Henry
broke the run from the foul line, and hit a two off
his second – missed – free-throw.
Latham-Henry
went on to finish with eight points in the quarter,
and with Mike Holbrook adding four, Leopards cut the
deficit to 29-14 at the first break.
Leopards
opened the second period strongly, with a pair of
Henry treys split by two Greenan free-throws saw them
score the first eight points of the quarter to cut
the deficit to seven points.
Ryan
Lewis and Jamie McGaffin made it a ten point game,
but another Henry trey followed by a three-point play
by Latham-Henry saw the Derby lead cut to 32-28.
However,
with Greenan forced to sit down after collecting his
second foul, Trailblazers answered with three from
four foul shots from former Leopard Dave Attewell,
and the home closed out the half strongly –
scoring 14 of the final 19 point including a buzzer
beating trey from Martin Gayle to take the score out
to 49-34 at half-time.
That
lead grew to 22 as Derby scored the first seven
points of the second half, and with four third period
minutes remaining the game looked over as the home
side led 70-43.
But
the visitors showed resilience as three pointers from
Volskis and Chris Michaelides plus three from four
foul shooting by Latham-Henry saw that deficit
trimmed to 18.
Gayle
broke the run from the foul line, but seven straight
Henry points – including a four point play
– followed by a jump shot from former
Trailblazer Sam Richardson made it 72-61 heading into
the final minute of the quarter.
Leopards
looked likely to go into the final break trailing by
ten, but a needless foul on Matt Shaw by Michaelides
sent the Derby player to the foul line for three
shots as the buzzer sounded, and he sunk all three
attempts to put his side 77-64 up at the final break.
Six
Latham-Henry points saw that deficit cut to 79-70 in
the opening two minutes of the fourth period, and
with Greenan and Volskis getting on the scoresheet,
Leopards were still within 11 at the midway stage of
the quarter.
Nine
straight Latham-Henry points capped by a trey saw the
deficit cut to 94-86 with 97 seconds remaining,
before he was called for a baffling intentional foul
on Attewell.
The
Derby big-man sunk both free-throws, but Sam
O’Shea missed from the resulting inbound, and
with 19 seconds remaining Volskis gave Leopards a
glimmer of hope when he hit a three to make it 96-89.
However,
that was as close as the visitors came, as Derby
wrapped up the win from the line to end
Leopards’ hopes of an upset.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 34, M Henry 21, L Greenan 11, L
Volskis 10, S Richardson 6, M Hollbrook 4, C
Michaelides 3, L McCarthy (DNP)
7 March 2010
Leopards let it slip
against Flyers
Leopards
79 (18,47,70)
Bristol Academy Flyers 83 (24,40,59)
SHORT-HANDED
Leopards ran out of steam at Barking Abbey on Sunday
as they let a big lead slip to give Flyers the EBL
Division One points.
The
Big Cats had led by as many as 17 points midway
through the third period, but with a depleted squad,
they noticeably tired during the final 15 minutes as
Flyers escaped with the victory.
Leading
scorer Carl Latham-Henry missed the game due to
illness, and coach Jon Burnell was forced to draft in
Lee McCarthy for his first outing of the season in
order to field a seven-man roster.
In
Latham-Henry’s absence, Leigh Greenan led the
Big Cats scoring for the seventh time this season,
finishing with 26 points. Marlan Henry and Lukas
Volskis also stepped up, finishing with 21 and 20
points respectively, but with no points coming from
the bench. Leopards’ lack of strength in depth
was clear to see.
Tyronne
Treasure led Flyers with 23, with Greg Streete adding
15, Daivs Bowne 11 and Asa Waite ten.
Baskets
from Bowne and Streete opened the scoring for Flyers,
but a pair of treys from Henry and some good inside
play from Greenan and Sam Richardson put the hosts
10-8 up at the midway stage of the period.
However
a Rob Loftman basket launched a 10-0 Bristol run,
with the rest of the points coming from Asa Waite as
Flyers took an 18-10 lead, but a rare four point play
from Volskis saw Flyers lead cut to 24-18 going into
the first break.
Scores
from Volskis and Greenan plus a Chris Michaelides
trey kept Leopards in touch before Greenan took over
with seven points in a 9-0 run that saw the home team
open a 34-30 lead with four second period minutes to
play.
Greenan
kept the hosts ahead before baskets from Tony Berry
and Street put Bristol into a 40-39 lead going into
the final minute, but it was the home side who
finished the half strongly as Greenan put-back
followed by treys from Michaelides – with a
half-Mary – and Volskis sent Leopards into the
locker room 47-40 ahead.
Waite
and Bown sliced that lead to three in the first 90
seconds of the second half, but five straight Volskis
points followed by a Henry trey gave Leopards a
double digit lead.
Volskis
and Henry continued to torment the West Country side
from downtown as Leopards opened a 66-49 lead at the
six minute mark, but as Greenan’s points started
to dry up, Flyers closed out the period with a 10-4
run to cut the home side’s lead to 70-59 at the
final break.
With
Greenan and Volskis having also been ill during the
week, Leopards clearly tired during the final period,
being held scoreless for the first three minutes as
Flyers cut their lead to 70-65.
Volskis
was clattered as he drove to the basket early in the
period, with no foul given, and to rub salt into the
wounds, but McCarthy and Henry were called for
intentional fouls at the other end.
Henry
broke the run with a trey, but Flyers grabbed the
lead with three minutes remaining as Jack Stannard
and Tyronne Treasure drained from the Land of Plenty.
Greenan
converted a put-back to put Leopards in the lead, but
that proved to be the final time they were ahead as
Flyers hit six straight points.
Volskis
gave them hope with a trey with 12 seconds on the
clock, but the hosts took too long to foul Flyers,
and when they did Treasure hit the shot before
converting the bonus to wrap up the win.
Leopards:
L Greenan 26, M Henry 21, L Volskis 20, C Michaelides
, S Richardson 4, M Holbrook, L McCarthy, C
Latham-Henry (DNP)
28 February 2010
Leopards shot down by
Rockets
Reading
Rockets 97 (31,43,68)
Leopards 91 (25,45,66)
A
good performance at Maidenhead could not prevent
Leopards slipping to another defeat on Sunday.
Carl
Latham-Henry again led Leopards with 26 points, five
assists and three steals, and all five of the
visitors’ starters finished in double figures.
Lukas
Volskis finished with 17 points, Leigh Greenan 14
despite fouling out in the fourth period, Marlan
Henry 13 and Sam Richardson 12.
The
game was lost on the boards, though, with Reading
out-rebounding the visitors 45-22.
Kenny
Saunders was the top scorer in the game with 30
points, with Ryan Lohfink adding 19, Robbie Parker 16
and Jon May 13.
Reading
skipper Lohfink opened the scoring for the hosts, and
although Greenan replied with a pair from the line,
Rockets built a 13-6 lead after four minutes –
Henry scoring both the Leopards’ field goals.
Five
straight Latham-Henry points, including an and-one
dragged the Big Cats back into the game, and with
both teams making plenty of visits to the foul line,
Reading remained ahead.
That
lead had grown to 31-22 after a Robbie Parker
free-throw, but Chris Michaelides hit a buzzer-beater
from downtown to make it a six point game going into
the first break.
A
Henry basket launched a 6-2 run as Leopards opened
the second quarter strongly and although Louis Sayers
broke the tear from the foul line, a long two from
Volskis saw the Big Cats take a 41-36 lead on the
back of an 8-0 run which also saw Latham-Henry and
Henry score.
A
Sayers trey levelled the score, but it was Leopards
who went into the locker room with a 43-45 lead
following a Latham-Henry jump shot.
Matt
Johnson’s half-time team talk obviously worked
well as Parker trey launched a 10-0 run, and it took
until the three minute mark for Sam Richardson to put
Leopards on the scoresheet.
That
basket started a 12-2 run as Leopards fought their
way back into the game. Greenan hit a long two before
Volskis scored seven straight points.
The
impressive Saunders broke the run, and although Henry
hit his only trey of the night, the home side closed
out the period with a 5-2 run to go into the final
break with a 68-66 lead.
Scores
from Latham-Henry and Mike Holbrook cut the deficit
to one point, but Parker hit a trey and Fenny
Falmange scored with a drive to the basket to put
themselves back up by six.
The
game of runs continued as a Latham-Henry and-one
started a 9-2 run as baskets from Greenan and Henry
put them 79-78 up going into the final four minutes.
That
Greenan basket proved to be his penultimate play of
the game as the fouled out on a harsh call after
Lohfink appeared to step out of bounds, and coach Jon
Burnell also collected a technical foul straight
afterwards.
Rockets
hit only one of the four foul shots to level the game
at 79, and Henry hit a jumper to put Leopards back up
by two.
A
8-2 Reading run saw them regain the initiative, and
with back-up centre Holbrook joining Greenan,
Leopards never led again as the home side wrapped up
the win from the foul line.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 26, L Volskis 17, L Greenan 14, M
Henry 13, S Richardson 12, C Michaelides 5, M
Holbrook 4, R Baker
27 February 2010
Leopards lose in
Middlesbrough
Tees
Valley Mohawks 96 (29,56,78)
Leopards 91 (22,41,66)
LEOPARDS
returned from the north east with a defeat on
Saturday, but the margin of defeat means they have
the key head-to-head decider against fellow
strugglers Mohawks.
Led
by 24 Carl Latham-Henry points, a strong second half
couldn’t prevent the defeat in Middlesbrough.
Leopards trailed 29-22 at the first break and 56-41
at half-time. With Leigh Greenan adding a 21 point,
15 rebound double-double and Marlan Henry finishing
had their chances if the fourth quarter but were
unable to get any closer than a single point.
Ike
Attah gave the home side the lead with the first
points of the game, but Lukas Volskis levelled, and
back-to-back Greenan baskets saw the Big Cats take a
13-9 lead with 5:46 on the clock.
The
game remained tight, with Attah levelling the score
at 16 with four minutes of the period remaining, but
it was the hosts who closed out the quarter strongly
with a 10-2 run.
A
Will Spragg basket extended the home side’s lead
to 31-22 with the first score of the second quarter,
and although Henry cut the deficit with a single
free-throw, a Carl Colmer trey saw Mohawks’ lead
grow to 44-31 at the midway stage of the period.
Scores
from Latham-Henry and Volskis kept Leopards in touch,
but three-pointers from Lee McLaughlin and Michael
Thompson saw Tees Valley’s lead balloon to 15,
and a Spragg basket sent the hosts into the locker
room with a 56-41 lead.
Henry
opened the second half scoring, but neither side were
able to put any real runs together, and
Greenan’s block on McLaughlin’s three-point
attempt sent Mohawks into the final break with a
78-66 lead.
The
decision to put Latham-Henry on Tees Valley’s
American Nathan Connolly proved key as the visitors
staged a comeback in the fourth period.
The
Leopards top scorer hit their first four points of
the quarter, but they still trailed 85-74 with 7:15
on the clock when coach Jon Burnell called a
time-out.
The
move worked as a Volskis trey launched a 12-2 run
that saw them move within a point of the home side.
Latham-Henry
hit a shot before Henry scored five straight points
to put Leopards back in the game.
A
Greenan basket off Sam Richardson’s assist made
it 87-86 with three minutes remaining – but was
to be as close as the visitors came.
Attah
broke the run, and he hit five straight points to put
his team 92-86 ahead with 1:52 remaining, and they
wrapped up the win from the line..
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry (24), M Henry (22), L Greenan (21), L
Volskis (16), S Richardson (8), C Michaelides, M
Holbrook, J Burnell (DNP)
21 February 2010
Leopards break losing run
Leopards
101 (33,56,82)
Tees Valley Mohawks 94 (21,49,75)
LEOPARDS
snapped a four game losing streak as strugglers Tees
Valley Mohawks were beaten at Barking Abbey on
Sunday.
Carl
Latham-Henry led the Big Cats’ scoring for the
17th time this season, finishing with 26 points,
seven rebounds, four assists and three steals before
fouling out late in the game.
Marlan
Henry added 21 points and Lukas Volskis 20 as
Leopards’ back-court did most of the damage, and
the hosts’ three-point shooting proved key as
they hit 12 of their 22 attempts from downtown.
Mohawks’
new American Nathan Connolly led the Middlesbrough
side with 37 points, including 15 of his free-throws,
while Great Britain international Steve Leven hit 20
before missing most of the second half with an ankle
injury.
Greenan
opened the scoring, though he missed the bonus after
being fouled, before Latham-Henry drained from
downtown, and with Chris Michaelides also scoring
from long range the Big Cats rushed into a 10-3 lead
just two minutes.
The
hosts were still 17-12 ahead at the midway stage of
the quarter, but the visitors repeatedly showed that
were not going to roll over, and Unjum Khalid hit a
two off Leven’s assist to make it a three point
game.
However,
five straight Volskis points made it 25-16, and with
Henry, Iggy De Ferrari and Volskis all adding to the
score in the final 80 seconds of the quarter,
Leopards went into the first break 33-21 ahead.
Leven
opened the second period scoring, and the visitors
narrowed the gap to 36-30 in the first three minutes
as only a Greenan foul shot troubled the scorers.
Henry
ended the drought and De Ferrari kept the home side
ahead with a jump-shot before Laurent Irish hit a
pair of free-throws.
Leven
hit a long two to give his side what proved to be
their only lead of the game with two minutes
remaining, but Leopards finished the half strongly
with Volskis hitting a trey and Latham-Henry scoring
the final points of the half to send them into the
locker room with a 56-49 lead.
Scores
from Latham-Henry and Irish saw the lead grow to nine
early in the second half, and with Henry scoring off
Latham-Henry’s assists the home team were 68-59
ahead at the midway stage of the third period.
Sam
Richardson marked his return after five weeks out
with a broken thumb when he converted a Henry assist,
and Leopards finished the third period strongly as a
Latham-Henry trey sent them into the final break with
an 82-68 lead.
The
Big Cats have struggled to kill off teams this
season, and they again allowed Mohawks back into the
game as the visitors – even without the
impressive Leven – hit the first five points of
the period before Volskis broke a three minute
scoring drought with a three-pointer.
Connolly
drained a trey to make it a seven point game before
Henry scored from the Land of Plenty to put Leopards
88-78 ahead at the midway stage of the fourth period.
It
was still a double digit lead when Greenan scored a
put-back with three minutes to go, and Latham-Henry
looked to have put the game beyond doubt when he made
it 97-85 with 93 seconds remaining.
But
with points difference potentially important in both
team’s fight against relegation, Mohawks
continued to chip away at the lead before a pair of
Greenan foul shots wrapped up Leopards’ fifth
league win of the season.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 26, M Henry 21, L Volskis 20, L
Greenan 13, I De Ferrari 8, L Irish 6, C Michaelides
5, S Richardson 2, R Baker, J Wright, F Rinaldi (DNP)
14 February 2010
Leopards lose against Warriors
Leopards
84 (17,33,43)
Leicester Warriors 92 (22,48,73)
LEOPARDS’
relegation worries intensified as they produced a
poor performance to fall to a second straight home
loss.
To
make matter worse for the Big Cats, Laurent Irish was
ejected 23 seconds before half-time after a seemingly
innocuous tangle with Warriors’ Ramiah
O’Neill.
Once
again it was Carl Latham-Henry who led the way for
Leopards with 32 points and five assists in 36
minutes, while Leigh Greenan added 15 points, 14
rebound and four blocks and Jonny Wright hit two
treys on his way to ten points.
Leopards’
general manager Dave Ryan had praise for
Latham-Henry: “Carl takes a physical pounding
every game” he said, “but he just gets up
and gets on with it. He could barely walk when he got
off the bus in the early hours of Sunday, but he
patched himself up and played really well again on
Sunday.”
American
forward Tyler Kathan led the visitors with 26 points,
with Emile Hopkins (16) and Joe Reyoso (11)
completing the Warriors’ scoring.
The
writing was on the wall for the hosts early in the
game as Kathan drained a trey to cap a 7-0 run to
open the action.
Chris
Michaelides broke the run, and scores from
Latham-Henry, Greenan and Irish cut the margin to
11-8 at the midway stage of the period.
Four
straight free-throw misses from Greenan didn’t
help the home side, and eventually finished 50
percent from the line as they missed 14 of their 28
charity shots.
Five
straight Latham-Henry points kept Leopards in touch,
but it was O’Neill who scored the final points
of the period to send Warriors into the first break
with a 22-17 lead.
Reynoso
extended that lead with the first four points of the
second period, and poor defence from the home side
allowed Warriors to increase their advantage to 39-22
at the midway stage of the quarter.
Back-to-back
Wright scores stopped some of the damage, and with
Marlan hitting a trey, Leopards looked to be closing
the gap before Irish’s ejection, and Hopkins
rubbed salt into the wounds with a buzzer-beating
trey to send Warriors into half-time with a 48-33
lead.
Latham-Henry
opened the third period well as he scored
Leopards’ first seven points of the quarter, and
with Greenan and Ignazio De Ferrari scoring they cut
the deficit to 51-44 with 7:31 remaining.
The
Warriors’ lead hovered around nine until a 15-6
run capped by a pair of Hopkins free-throws saw the
visitors’ advantage grow to 19 points at 71-52
with a minute of the period left, and despite another
Greenan basket, Leopards still trailed 73-54 at the
final break.
A
pair of Wright treys split by a Latham-Henry lay-up
saw Leopards narrow the gap to 75-62 with 72 seconds
of the fourth period gone, and a Lukas Volskis
three-pointer saw Warriors lead cut to 12 at the
midway stage of quarter.
However,
that was as close as they got until the final minute
when Henry drained a three to make it 90-82 with 43
seconds remaining.
Any
thoughts of a comeback were extinguished by a pair of
Pearson free-throws, and although De Ferrari scored
the final points of the game, it was Karl
Brown’s team who went home happy.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 32, L Greenan 15, J Wright 10, M Henry
7, L Volskis 7, I De Ferrari 7, L Irish 4, C
Michaelides 2, R Baker.
Back To Top
13 February 2010
Leopards go down in
Yorkshire
Leeds
Carnegie 93 (29,52,75)
Leopards 72 (17,36,52)
AN
undermanned Leopards team found high-flying Leeds too
strong as they suffered their eighth league loss of
the season on Saturday.
With
Ignazio De Ferrari, Marlan Henry and Francesco
Rinaldi all unavailable and Sam Richardson still out
with a broken thumb, coach Jon Burnell was again
forced to name himself as eighth man, and despite a
reasonable start the visitors never looked like
avoiding defeat.
Carl
Latham-Henry was again Leopards’ leading scorer
with 24 points, with Leigh Greenan finishing with 21
and Laurent Irish 15.
American
pair Mike Medved (24) and Adrian Fenyn (22) lead
Leeds as they went back joint top of the table
(albeit for less than 24 hours) while Herczeg added
13.
Greenan
opened the scoring, and five points from Latham-Henry
kept Leopards ahead, 7-6 after three minutes of
action.
However,
that was as good as it got for them as a Fenyn
put-back started an 8-0 Leeds run, and they never
trailed again.
Latham-Henry
broke the tear with a pair of free-throws, but
although Chris Michaelides became the second of six
Leopards to hit a three-pointer, it was Leeds who
went into the first break with a 29-17 lead.
Latham-Henry
continued to be the visitors go-to guy as he hit nine
of their 19 second period points, but the visitors
had no answer to Leeds’ good ball movement and
with their two Americans dominating they went into
the locker-room with a 52-26 lead.
Leeds
captain Dave Siddall opened the second half scoring,
and Medved added to their lead, and although
Latham-Henry and Irish both scored from downtown, the
game was effectively over by the end of the third
period with the home side leading 75-52.
Medved
opened the fourth period scoring, but five straight
Greenan points – including a rare trey –
launched a better final stanza for the visitors.
Jonny
Wright and Lukas Volskis both drained from downtown,
but Leopards were only able to chip four points off
the deficit in the final nine minutes of the game as
Leeds collected their 11th win of the campaign.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 24, L Greenan 21, L Irish 15, L
Volskis 3, J Wright 3, C Michaelides 3, R Baker 2.
Back To Top
7 February 2010
Leopards mauled by Tigers
Leopards
68 (8, 31, 50)
Taunton Tigers 72 (19, 45, 56)
LEOPARDS were made to pay for a
poor start, going down 72-68 against Taunton Tigers
– allowing the West Country side to complete a
league double against them this season.
Carl
Latham-Henry again led the Leopards’ scoring
with 23 points in a 40-minute performance, adding
seven assists and two steals, while Marlan Henry
added 18 points and Laurent Irish 12. Leigh Greenan
finished with ten rebounds to go with his six points
and four blocks.
Leopards
coach Jon Burnell had close to his strongest team
available, although Sam Richardson is likely to be
out until March with a broken thumb, and veteran
point guard Ronnie Baker played only seven minutes as
he started his comeback from illness.
American
forward Chris Page led the Tigers with 28 points and
nine rebounds, while Simon Kearney finished with 13
and Adam Rickwood 11.
Page
drained a trey to open the scoring, and Tigers scored
the first seven points of the period.
Latham-Henry
broke the tear with a single free-throw, but a
Kearney trey saw Taunton open a 14-3 lead with three
first period minutes remaining.
Leopards’
offensive woes continued despite scores from Leigh
Greenan and Ignazio De Ferrari, and with Tim Clifford
hitting a pair of free-throws, Tigers went into the
first break 19-8 ahead.
An Irish
basket and a pair of Latham-Henry free-throws saw
Leopards trim the deficit to eight points early in
the second period, but two 6-0 runs saw Tigers
continue the onslaught and despite a pair of Henry
baskets they went into the locker room trailing
45-31.
Tigers
opened the second half with a 7-2 run, Irish scoring
the Leopards’ basket, as they made it a 19 point
game.
Latham-Henry
chipped away at the deficit from the foul line, and
Irish added a free-throw , but Rickwood made it 54-36
with a pair from the charity stripe after
Leopards’ coach Jon Burnell was called for a
technical foul.
With
five third period minutes remaining, Leopards finally
started playing, and a De Ferrari steal started a
14-0 run.
Latham-Henry
hit one from two at the charity stripe before Henry
took over, hitting three straight treys in a two
minute spell before scoring a long two. Latham-Henry
finished the run with a two, and although Kearney
broke the run, Leopards went into the final break
trailing just 56-50.
Latham-Henry
opened the fourth period with a free-throw followed
by a jump shot, and De Ferrari scored off
Latham-Henry’s assist to make it a one point
game.
After
two scoreless minute, Clifford drained a three to put
Tigers up by four, and they remained ahead until
treys from Latham-Henry and Irish saw Leopards level
at 63 with 3:42 on the clock.
However
Kearney hit a long two and Rickwood scored a dagger
three off Page’s assist.
Irish
reduced the arrears off Latham-Henry’s assist,
but Page effectively put the game beyond Leopards
with an and-one with 89 seconds remaining.
The Big
Cats only managed two more field goal attempts, with
Henry missing a trey before hitting one to beat the
buzzer – but by then it was too late and Tigers
had chalked up their sixth win of the campaign.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 23, M Henry 18, L Irish 18, L Greenan
6, C Michaelides 5, I De Ferrari 4, L Volskis, R
Baker, F Rinaldi (DNP), J Wright (DNP).
Back To Top
31 January 2010
Leopards downed by Jets
Cheshire
Jets 99 (27,54,75)
Leopards 57 (17,26,43)
LEOPARDS
found full-time professionals Cheshire Jets too
strong on Sunday as they went out of the BBL Trophy
with a 99-57 defeat.
The Big
Cats were without Marlan Henry (work), Sam Richardson
(broken thumb), Francesco Rinaldi (shin injury) and
while player-assistant coach Ronnie Baker kitted up,
he did not play due to illness.
With
only seven fit players, the visitors never got going
– and Jets were always in control after scoring
the first nine points of the game.
John
Simpson opened the scoring for the home side from
behind the arc, and it took until the three and half
minute mark for Leopards to break their duck when
Lukas Volskis drained a three-pointer.
The
hosts led 27-17 at the first break having blitzed the
Big Cats from downtown, and dominated the second
period with another barrage of three-pointers as they
outscored Leopards 28-9 – including a 16-2 run
– to take an almost unassailable 54-26 half-time
lead.
With
Carl Latham-Henry leading the way with 15 points,
three assists and as many steals in 38 minutes of
action, Leopards did a good limitation job in the
third period as they slowed down the home side’s
scoring- including a three minute period where they
were held scoreless.
But
having trailed 75-43 at the final break, the
short-handed visitors noticeably tired in the fourth
period and were outscored 24-14. Jonny Wright made an
impact as he came on, hitting five points in a 7-0
burst as Leopards narrowed the gap, but the loss
still goes down as the second biggest in their
history.
Laurent
Irish and Ignazio De Ferrari each scored 11 points
for the Big Cats, while Leigh Greenan added ten
points and eight rebounds as he played for all of the
game bar the final 15 seconds.
Jerrah
Young led the hosts with a double-double of 25 points
and 14 rebounds, while John Simpson had 16 and Colin
O-Reilly added 12.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 15, L Irish 11, I De Ferrari 11, L
Greenan 10, J Wright 5, L Volskis 5, C Michaelides, R
Baker (DNP)
Back To Top
24 January 2010
Leopards shoot down
Arrows
Leopards 76
(22,42,55)
Sheffield Arrows 70 (15,30,48)
They made hard work of
it, but Leopards picked up their fourth Division One
victory of the campaign with a hard fought win
against Sheffield, on Sunday.
In front of a big crowd
at Brentwood, Leopards only trailed for 34 seconds
but it took until the final two minutes for them to
wrap up the victory.
Carl Latham-Henry again
led the Big Cats’ scoring, finishing with 21
points in 37 minutes, while Leigh Greenan added 17
points and six rebounds with Lukas Volskis and
Ignazio De Ferrari each scoring ten points.
Leopards’ illness
and injury problems continued, with coach Jon Burnell
too unwell to attend the game and Ronnie Baker still
not well enough to play in the game. Baker stepped up
to coach the Big Cats in Burnell’s absence, and
he was assisted by forward Sam Richardson who looks
to be out of action for several weeks with a badly
broken thumb.
Lukas Volskis started in
Baker’s place having re-signed for the club on
Tuesday, and De Ferrari also returned to the side
after missing the last three games.
Osemwegie Eboigbe opened
the scoring for Arrows, but Leopards’ reply was
swift as Greenan, Latham-Henry and Marlan Henry all
scored in a 6-0 run.
Arrows’ game-plan
seemed to be to fire as many three-pointers as
possible, but they struggled to cope with the inside
presence of Greenan as he scored six points in the
quarter, and with Latham-Henry adding four and Chris
Michaelides hitting a trey the home side led 22-15 at
the first break.
Both sides struggled at
the foul line in the early minutes of the second
period, Arrows’ Andrew Purnell scoring the only
charity shot as both sides went to the stripe four
times.
A Jonny Wright trey gave
Leopards a ten-point advantage after two minutes of
action, and with Volskis also scoring from downtown
the home side held a comfortable double-digit lead
for most of the period before Ant Oxley hit a trey to
make it an eight point game, but a pair of
Latham-Henry free-throws sent the Big Cats into the
locker room with a 42-30 lead.
Sebastian Chitagu opened
the second half scoring for Sheffield as he moved
towards his game-high 26 points, but Leopards looked
to have put the game to bed with a 9-0 run.
Greenan five points in
that tear as Leopards moved into a 19 point lead to
force an Arrows time-out.
Sheffield coach Pete
Kelly’s words obviously worked as Arrows
answered with 11 straight points – including
five from Chitagu, and although Latham-Henry broke
the tear with back-to-back baskets, Arrows scored the
last five points of the period to cut the hosts’
lead to 55-48 at the final break.
That lead shrunk to two
points as Chitagu opened the scoring followed by a
Chris Mason and-one.
Leopards looked to have
weathered the storm thanks to baskets by
Latham-Henry, Volskis and Henry but a 7-0 run saw
Arrows grab their first lead since the opening
minutes, 62-61 with 3:39 remaining.
Latham-Henry and Chitagu
exchanged baskets before the Big Cats finally took
control of the game.
Volskis hit a jump-shot
before Henry buried a three from the top of the key
to make it a four point game with 108 seconds
remaining.
Chitagu halved the lead,
but four straight points from De Ferrari followed by
a Latham-Henry basket effectively sealed the win, and
Laurent Irish and Latham-Henry wrapped it up from the
foul line.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry
21, L Greenan 17, L Volskis 10, I De Ferrari 10, M
Henry 7, C Michaelides 5, J Wright 3, L Irish 3, F
Rinaldi.
Back To Top
16 January 2010
No magic for depleted
Leopards
Manchester Magic
92 (27,40,70)
Leopards 67 (15,35,57)
DEPLETED Leopards found
Division One leaders Manchester Magic too strong on
Saturday as they failed to build on a strong second
period.
The Big Cats travelled
to the north west without Carl Latham-Henry (suspended),
Marlan Henry (work commitments) along with
Ronnie Baker, Ignazio De Ferrari and Mike Holbrook
who were all ill.
Four of those players
are regular starters, leaving only Leigh Greenan of
the Leopards’ regular starting line-up in
action, and with no point guard available coach Jon
Burnell was forced to kit up.
The 43-year-old finished
with three assists and two steals in 19 minutes of
action, but he was far from the oldest player on the
court as 47-year-old assistant coach Graham Hiscock
played the final two and half minutes of the game as
Leopards struggled to field the league minimum eight
players.
New signing Laurent
Irish led the Big Cats scoring with 19 points as he
played all 40 minutes, with Greenan adding 18 points
and ten rebounds, and Francesco Rinaldi finished with
14 points despite struggling with foul trouble.
Greenan opened the
scoring with a pair from the foul line and Sam
Richardson – who played despite a broken thumb
– hit a trey to keep Leopards within a point.
Back-to-back threes from
last season EBL player-of-the-year David Watts gave
Magic the advantage, but scores from Chris
Michaelides and Irish meant that the game was tied at
nine after five minutes of action.
Magic captain Stefan
Gill and Irish exchanged three-pointers, but five
straight Yann Fesbender point launched a 12-0
Manchester run as they took a lead they would never
relinquish.
Greenan broke the run
with a free-throw before scoring from close range,
but a James Hagen trey sent Magic into the first
break with a 27-15 lead.
The second period proved
to be Leopards’ best of the game, and Rinaldi
scored the first four points of the quarter before
Irish – who played despite food poisoning –
completed a 6-0 run with a jump shot.
Watts ended the tear,
but Jonny Wright converted a three-point play and
Greenan again scored to make it a four point game.
Greenan and Irish
continued to torment the hosts, and they scored five
and four points respectively in a 9-2 run to make it
a one point game – 36-35 with two minutes of the
half remaining.
Irish missed a chance to
put Leopards back into the lead, and Fesbender made
him pay at the other end, and with Watts also scoring
it was Magic who went into the locker room 40-35
ahead.
Rinaldi and Irish scored
the first baskets of the second half to put Leopards
within a point, and although Gill replied with a jump
shot, Wright hit his second hoop of the game to cut
the deficit to 42-41 with two minutes gone.
That was as good as it
got for the visitors though as their lack of numbers
and the fact they’d played the night before saw
them tire.
A 10-0 run put Magic
firmly in control, and despite eight Rinaldi points,
the home side went into the final break with a 70-57
lead.
Six straight points from
the hosts to open the fourth period effectively ended
the game as a contest, and the Big Cats finished the
game with both Burnell and Hiscock on the floor as
their hoodoo at the Amaechi Centre stretched to eight
straight games.
Leopards: L Irish 19, L
Greenan 18, F Rinaldi 14, S Richardson 7, J Wright 5,
C Michaelides 4, J Burnell, G Hiscock.
Back To Top
15 January 2010
Encouraging performance
in loss
Leopards
82 (17,40,63)
Marshall MK Lions 103 (32,56,83)
LEOPARDS
found high-flying BBL side Lions too strong on Friday
evening as the visitors lifted the Kerland Pitman
Trophy at the Brentwood Centre.
Former
Leopards and England international Yorick Williams
was the difference between the teams as his hit four
three-pointers in a 22 point haul.
Marlan
Henry led the Big Cats’ scoring for the first
time this season, finishing with 22 points, while
Lukas Volskis made a welcome return with 17 points
– including four straight treys – and Carl
Latham-Henry added 12.
Both
teams were without their starting point guard and one
of their big men, with Leopards missing Ronnie Baker
and Ignazio De Ferrari due to illness.
While
the game was effectively a friendly, both teams were
certainly fired up for it, with Lions’ coach
Vince Macauley being ejected early in the fourth
quarter and some physical play between Williams and
Leopards’ centre Leigh Greenan resulting in a
double foul moments beforehand.
Lions’
veteran Mike New opened the scoring, but baskets from
Latham-Henry and Henry gave Leopards the lead and
Laurent Irish marked his return to the club with a
three-pointer to put the home side 7-4 ahead.
That was
as good as it got for the home side as they struggled
to cope with the size of Williams and Dupay as the
both fired in a pair of treys as a 15-2 run put the
visitors firmly in charge before Irish scored the
final basket of the period to cut the deficit to
30-17.
A
blow-out looked on the cards as Williams capped an
8-0 start to the second period with a three-pointer
to put his side 40-17 ahead, but back-to-back treys
from Latham-Henry launched a comeback, and Henry did
likewise as Leopards cut the visitors’ lead to
49-37 with two first half minutes remaining.
Guy
Dupay and Greenan exchanged baskets to open the third
period before Lions hit eight unanswered points to
lead 66-42 at the midway stage of the quarter.
Greenan
broke the run before Volskis took over – scoring
the final 12 points of the period, all from downtown
– to cut the Lions’ lead to 85-58 at the
final break.
Lions
continued to struggle the 19-year-old in the opening
minute of the fourth period, sending him to the line
with a foul as he took another trey, and he drained
all three shots.
The
double foul on Greenan and Williams saw Macauley
ejected after picking up a pair of technical fouls,
but Henry wasted the opportunity as he hit only one
of the four free-throws, and Leopards also failed on
the inbound as Maximillion Simon stole the ball and
scored for Lions.
There
was no way back for the Big Cats, but to their credit
they continued to battle despite having a league game
at Manchester next day, and Henry wrapped up their
scoring with a three-pointer before Ishmael Fontaine
dunked home for the final basket of the game.
Back To Top
19 December 2009
Leopards lose at Coventry
Coventry
Crusaders 101 (23,42,59,83)
Leopards 92 (20,45,61,83)
After overtime
LEOPARDS
found overtime a step too far as their depleted team
went down to a disappointing defeat at Coventry, on
Saturday.
Missing
overseas pair Ignazio De Ferrari and Francesco
Rinaldi, the Big Cats let a late lead slip away in
the midlands and then struggled in the extra period.
Jon
Burnell’s team now go into the Christmas break
lying ninth in the England Basketball League table,
and will need a considerable improvement to achieve
their aim of a top four finish and home court
advantage in the play-offs.
Carl
Latham-Henry poured in 36 points for the seven-man
Big Cats who were forced to kit up assistant coach
Graham Hiscock on his 47th birthday, with Leigh
Greenan adding 17 and Sam Richardson 11.
The
game started poorly for the visitors as Crusaders
drained three treys in the opening three minutes to
lead 13-0.
Latham-Henry
finally broke the tear from the free-throw line, and
although Steve Danso took his tally to eight with a
jump-shot, Chris Michaelides launched a 12 run with a
basket.
Greenan
hit three straight baskets, the final of which saw
him complete a three-point play before Latham-Henry
also drained a bonus shot to cut the home side’s
lead to 15-14 with three minutes of the half
remaining.
Timms
and Crusaders’ American captain Jon Ollinger
ended the run, but Greenan and Latham-Henry remain
perfect from the foul line before a Richardson basket
saw Leopards go into the first only trailing 23-20.
The
second quarter proved to be Leopards’ best of
the game and Latham-Henry scored the first seven
points of the period to put the visitors 27-20 ahead.
Danso
broke the tear, but back-to-back three-pointers from
Jonny Wright saw Leopards remain in front, and with
Greenan sitting on the bench in foul trouble,
Richardson stepped up to hit seven points and send
Leopards into the final minute of the half 42-39
ahead.
Dave
Edden cut that lead to one, only for Latham-Henry to
reply, and although Ollinger buried a trey to level
the score, Latham-Henry converted a three-point play
to send the Big Cats into half-time with a 47-44
lead.
Greenan
and Richardson kept the visitors ahead in the early
minutes of the second half before they looked to have
taken control of the game with an 8-0 run which saw
Marlan Henry hit six points to put them 59-50 ahead.
However,
Leopards let the home side back into the game, and
with only two Ronnie Baker freet-throws in the final
two minutes, Crusaders finished strongly to close out
the period with a 9-2 run and reduce Leopards’
lead to 61-59.
That
advantage quickly evaporated as Simon Payne and Danso
gave the home side a two point advantage.
Baker
and Michaelides both drained from the Land of Plenty
to put Leopards back in the driving seat, and three
from five foul shooting by Latham-Henry kept them
ahead going into the final four minutes of regulation
time.
Four
quick points from Edden and Danso saw Crusaders take
a 73-70 lead, but Latham-Henry continued his scoring
spree before Michaelides hit a three to put the
visitors back into front.
A
pair of Greenan foul shots put Leopards 81-78 ahead
going into the final 90 seconds, but a Richardson
foul on Edden saw him convert a three-point play to
tie the score at 81.
Baker
went coast-to-coast to restore the visitors’
advantage, only to see Timms score at the other end.
With
23 seconds remaining, Crusaders looked likely to have
the final shot, but a good stop saw Leopards have the
ball with 12 seconds on the clock – however a
disjointed play saw them fail to get the shot off on
time and the game entered the extra period.
Greenan
scored his first field goal since midway through the
third period to open overtime, but the theory that
the first team to score in added time wins the game
proved to be false as Ryann Samuel and Edden helped
Crusaders to a 92-7 lead with two minutes left.
Richardson
gave the Big Cats hope, but Ollinger hit a pair of
free-throws and Taylor hit a jump shot to make it a
seven points game, before Latham-Henry it his 35th
and 36th points from the foul line.
His
effort proved in vain, though, and Coventry sealed
the win from the charity stripe to send the visitors
into the Christmas break on a low.
C
Latham-Henry 36, L Greenan 17, S Richardson 11, R
Baker 8, C Michaelides 8, J Wright 6, M Henry 6, G
Hiscock (DNP)
Back To Top
13 December 2009
Cup dreams end for
Leopards
Leopards
69 (21,37,53)
Manchester Magic 77 (8,37,51)
LEOPARDS'
National Cup dreams were ended by Manchester Magic on
Sunday as they never look advantage of a good start.
Carl
Latham-Henry led the Big Cats with 19 points on his
return from injury, while Leigh Greenan finished with
15 points but was restricted to 24 minutes of action
due to foul trouble, but the rest of the hosts’
line-up failed to deliver as Jon Burnell’s team
lost a semi-final against Magic for the third time in
2009.
In
a game that saw nine lead changes and seven ties, the
Big Cats never used their height advantage as they
were out-rebounded 43-34 by a Magic team who now play
in the final for the fourth straight season.
Adam
Slater opened the scoring for Magic, with Greenan
replying but those proved to be the only points of
the first five minutes.
It
was Greenan who got Leopards moving, converting an
and-one after being fouled by Nathan Schall before
making it 7-2 off a Latham-Henry assist.
A
block followed by a pair of Ignazio De Ferrari
free-throws saw the lead extended, and with
Latham-Henry hitting a three-pointer, the Big Cats
went into the first break with a 21-8 lead.
Josh
Houghton had scored most of Magic’s points in
the first period – hitting a pair of
three-pointers – but Leopards failed to stop the
Great Britain under-20 international as he opened the
second quarter by hitting another pair from downtown.
Greenan
took hit tally to nine, but a 16-5 run saw Magic grab
the lead with four minutes of the half remaining.
With
Stefan Gill hitting ten straight Magic points, and
Greenan scoring only one of four free-throws,
Manchester’s lead grew to 36-29 going into the
final two minutes of the half.
A
pair of Marlan Henry free-throws broke the run, and
with Latham-Henry also scoring from the charity
stripe they closed out the period strongly as Sam
Richardson levelled the scores with a buzzer-beating
jump-shot off Ronnie Baker’s assist.
Amokolie
Bell opened the second half scoring for Magic, but
Greenan levelled the score and launched a 9-0 run
which saw Latham-Henry, Henry and Baker all score.
David
Watts and Baker exchanged three-pointers, but Watts
sunk another from downtown, and although Richardson
hit a pair of free-throws, Leopards’ lead was
cut to 53-51 going into the final break.
Watts
levelled the score in the opening play of the fourth
period, but Latham-Henry hit a jump shot and De
Ferrari sunk a three – his only one in ten
attempts – to put Leopards up by five.
Greenan
picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the
period to leave the game, and coach Burnell received
a technical as he disputed the call.
Yann
Fesbender and Gill converted three of the subsequent
five free-throws, and that proved to be the turning
point as Magic hit ten straight points to take a lead
they never lost again.
Latham-Henry
broke the tear, but with the Big Cats failing to
convert five straight shots, Magic kept ahead.
A
Baker trey halved the deficit to 69-66 but Tom
Pearson replied at the other end, and Manchester were
still six up going into the final minute.
Latham-Henry
hit a trey with 48 seconds remaining to halve the
deficit, but that proved to be the final time the Big
Cats troubled the scorers, and Magic wrapped things
up from the foul line.
Leopards:
C Latham-Henry 19, L Greenan 15, I De Ferrari 8, R
Baker 7, M Henry 6, S Richardson 6, C Michaelides 5,
F Rinaldi 3, J Wright.
Back To Top
5 December 2009
Victory for the Magnificent Seven
Bristol
Academy Flyers 85 (24,42,66)
Leopards 90 (29,45,68)
Seven
man Leopards returned from Bristol with their first
away league victory of the campaign after a fine
performance on Saturday evening.
With
Carl Latham-Henry still missing with a back injury
and Francesco Rinaldi also picking up a knock in
training, the Big Cats travelled to the West Country
with just seven players – with coach Jon Burnell
and assistant Graham Hiscock kitting up in case of
emergency.
To make
matters worse, the visitors lost shooting guard
Marlan Henry with a hip injury midway through the
third period.
It was
big men Leigh Greenan and Ignazio De Ferrari who did
most of the damage for Leopards, finishing with 28
and 27 points respectively, while Ronnie Baker led
the team superbly and finished with 17 points.
Greenan
was unstoppable in the opening minutes, scoring ten
of their first 12 points off passes from Baker, with
the veteran point guard adding the other two after an
audacious fake.
The
teams were level at 12 midway through the period,
before De Ferrari opened his account with an NBA
distance trey and Sam Richard hit a jump shot to put
Leopards 17-12 ahead.
The
sides exchanged baskets for the rest of the period,
with De Ferrari taking his tally to seven before
Jonny Wright hit a three-pointer to send Leopards
into the first break 29-24 up.
Tony
Berry opened the second period scoring for Bristol,
but five Baker points and a Richardson basket kept
the Big Cats ahead, as they led 36-35 at the midway
stage of the quarter.
A trey
from American forward Douglas McLaughlin-Williams
gave Bristol the lead, but De Ferrari and Greenan
took again, and another big three from the Peruvian
saw Leopards open a six-point lead going into the
final minute of the half before a tap-in on the
buzzer from Asa Waite cur Leopards lead to 45-42
going into the locker room.
That
lead was wiped out inside ten third period seconds as
McLaughlin-Williams drained a trey, but Greenan took
his four shooting for the night to seven from nine
before scoring from close range to put Leopards 49-45
up.
A Chris
Michaelides trey kept the visitors ahead before ten
unanswered Flyers points put them 57-54 ahead at the
midway stage of the quarter.
Scores
from Greenan and De Ferrari ensured Leopards stayed
in touch before the latter hit another trey to level
the score at 62 with two minutes of the period
remaining, and Michaelides and De Ferrari both
drained from downtown in the final minute of the
quarter to send Leopards into the final break 68-66
ahead.
Baker
stretched that lead to five with his second trey of
the night to open the fourth period, only to see Arek
Makowski answer from downtown for Flyers.
Scores
from De Ferrari and Baker put Leopards 75-71 ahead
with five minutes remaining, but although Richardson
answered a pair of Greg Streete free-throws, Flyers
cut the gap to a single point with three minutes
remaining when McLaughlin-Williams drained from
downtown.
That
proved to be as close as the hosts came down the
stretch as Greenan converted an and-one, and a De
Ferrari jumper gave the Big Cats an 83-77 lead going
into the final two minutes.
With
Flyers forced to foul, De Ferrari converted a pair
from the line, only to see Danny Williams hit a three
to make it a five point game.
Michaelides
stayed cool at the line to hit three of four foul
shots as Leopards’ lead grew to eight in the
final minute, but McLaughlin-Williams drained a three
before Greenan was harshly called for a foul after an
apparently clean block to send the big American to
the line for three foul shots.
He
missed the first, but hit the second two to make it a
three point game with 21 seconds remaining.
Baker
was called for a travel as Leopards inbounded the
ball after a time-out, but Leopards got a stop, and
England’s most capped player iced the win from
the line to lift Leopards up to joint sixth in the
table.
Leopards:
L Greenan 28, I De De Ferrari 27, R Baker 17, C
Michaelides 9, S Richardson 6, J Wright 3, M Henry, J
Burnell ((DNP), G Hiscock (DNP)
Back To Top
29 November 2009
Leopards reach semi-finals
Leopards
95 (28,56,78)
Brixton Topcats 73 (21,35,51)
Leigh
Greenan led the way as Leopards powered their way
into the National Cup semi-finals with a comfortable
win against Brixton.
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.
Karolis
Petkes added 17 for the visitors, with Tom Adorian
scoring 14 despite struggling with foul trouble.
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.
Such
a comfortable win never looked likely in a tight
first period, with Armand Anebo giving the visitors
the lead before Greenan replied with a pair of
free-throws and Baker hit the first of three efforts
from downtown.
Brixton
replied with an 11-2 run to take a seven point lead
at the midway stage of the period, but Michaelides
sunk a trey to launch a 7-0 tear for Leopards and
although Anebo converted a lay-up, a Greenan basket
followed by a Baker and-one saw the Big Cats take a
lead they never lost again.
Greenan continued to cause Topcats problems in the
paint, and he took his tally to eight for the quarter
as the hosts went into the first break with a 28-21
lead.
De
Ferrari made it a ten-point game with a trey to open
the second period scoring, and Sam Richardson hit a
long two to increase the margin to 33-21 before Paul
Mundy-Castle broke the 7-0 Leopards’ run.
Five
straight De Ferrari points saw the Big Cats’
lead grow to 41-25 with four first half minutes
remaining before Jonny Wright hit a trey to keep them
comfortably ahead.
Henry
got off the mark before Greenan took over in the
final two and half minutes of the half, hitting ten
straight points to send the Big Cats into the locker
room with a commanding 56-35 lead.
Henry
scored from the Land of Plenty after 21 second half
seconds to open the third period scoring following a
Greenan score, and with Baker also hitting a trey,
Leopards were still 66-41 up at the midway stage of
the quarter.
With
Brixton beginning to lose composure, former Leopard
Mundy-Castle collected an unsportsmanlike followed by
a technical foul, and although the home side hit only
four of eight free-throws during a one minute period,
seven straight Baker points ensured that the Big Cats
would go into the final break with a 78-51 lead.
With
Greenan sitting down at the start of the fourth
period, Brixton opened with eight straight points,
but a time-out from coach Jon Burnell steadied
things, and three-pointers from De Ferrari and Henry
effective sewed things up a Leopards went into the
final five minutes with an 85-66 lead.
There
was still time for Michaelides to bury a pair of
threes as Leopards wrapped up their seventh home win
in eight games and sent them through to the final
four.
Leopards:
L Greenan 24, R Baker 21, I De Ferrari 18, C
Michaelides 12, M Henry 11, J Wright 5, S Richardson
3, F Rinaldi 1.
Back To Top
22 November 2009
Leopards topple Derby
Leopards 69 (18,40,57)
Derby Trailblazers 65 (11,31,47)
LEOPARDS maintained their good
home form as high-flying Derby Tralblazers were
beaten at the Brentwood Centre.
The Big Cats led from the fourth
minute of the game against a Trailblazers team who
had gone into the weekend with ten straight wins
under their belts.
Carl Latham-Henry again top scored for Jon
Burnell’s team with 18 points, but was limited
to 23 minutes after injuring his back midway through
the third period.
Veteran point guard Ronnie Baker
finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists
and two steals, while Marlan Henry added ten points.
Simon Allaway opened the scoring
for Derby, with Leigh Greenan replying for the hosts,
and the Trailblazers final lead of the game came when
Sam O’Shea collected a defensive rebound before
hitting a jump shot at the other end.
Greenan levelled the score and
launched a 7-0 run which saw Latham-Henry drain a
three and Ignazio De Ferrari score a jump shot.
Scores from Greenan and
Latham-Henry kept the Big Cats ahead, and although
former Leopard Dave Attewell cut the lead to 13-10,
the home side finished strongly with Jonny Wright
draining a three and Latham-Henry scoring to send
Leopards into quarter-time with an 18-10 lead.
Free-throws from Attewell and
Mark Woodhouse saw Derby cut Leopards’ lead to
five in the first minute of the second period, only
to see Latham-Henry sink a trey.
Francesco Rinaldi and
Latham-Henry kept Leopards ahead with three-pointers,
and scores from De Ferrari and Latham-Henry saw the
hosts extend their lead to 37-23 with three minutes
of the half remaining.
Matt Shaw and Latham-Henry
exchanged treys, but it was Derby who closed the half
strongly as Martyn Gayle hit five straight points to
cut Leopards’ lead to 40-31.
Trailblazers extended that run to
10-0 as Allaway hit five straight points, but
Leopards kept ahead with a Baker three-pointer.
Latham-Henry left the game with
6:51 remaining, and Derby took advantage to cut the
lead to 50-45 with two minutes of the quarter left,
but treys from Baker and Marlan Henry put Leopards
nine ahead, and Henry hit a free-throw to send the
home side into the final break with a 57-47 lead.
That lead was halved in the first
three minutes of the fourth period as Attewell scored
a put-back and another former Leopard, Stedroy Baker,
drained a three.
De Ferrari and Henry replied, and
three points from Baker meant that Leopards were
64-59 ahead going into the final two minutes of the
game.
Shaw and Henry both turned the
ball over at opposite ends of the court, before
Leopards’ lead was cut to three with 1:26 on the
clock as Allaway sunk a shot.
Greenan kept his side ahead as he
blocked Woodhouse’s shot with 16 seconds
remaining, and Derby were forced to foul Rinaldi with
ten seconds left.
The Italian teenager missed the
first free-throw but sunk the second, before Gayle
went to the line at the other end as Baker was called
for a foul.
Gayle hit one from two, and
Stedroy Baker did likewise after a Rinaldi foul to
leave Leopards 67-65 ahead with eight second left.
Spencer sent Baker to the line,
and England’s most capped player showed his
experience to sink both shots and seal the win.
Leopards coach Burnell was
naturally a happy man after the game: “We played
well, and it’s an important win for us. I
thought we stayed cool even without Carl. All we have
to do is find a way to win on the road.”
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 18, R
Baker 15, M Henry 10, F Rinaldi 8, I De Ferrari 8, L
Greenan 6, J Wright 3, C Michaelides 1, S Richardson.
Back To Top
21 November 2009
Leopards lose in Leicester
Leicester Warriors 92
(14,36,64)
Leopards 85 (20,40,63)
LEOPARDS were unable to build on
a good start at Leicester as they went down to a
narrow defeat in the midlands on Saturday.
The Big Cats held a double digit
lead with three first half minutes remaining, but
eventually found the hosts’ strength-in-depth
too much to handle.
Carl Latham-Henry again led
Leopards, finishing with 27 points, while Leigh
Greenan hit 18 despite suffering from foul trouble
and Ignazio De Ferrari added 15.
With Marlan Henry missing due to
work commitments, Francesco Rinaldi made his start in
a Leopards vest, becoming the tenth different starter
for Jon Burnell’s team this season.
Latham-Henry opened the scoring,
and with De Ferrari hitting five straight points, the
teams were level at seven after four minutes play.
Back-to-back scores from
Dominican forward Joe Reynoso gave Warriors an 11-7
lead at the midway stage of the period, but a
Latham-Henry trey launched an 11-0 Leopards run,
which saw Greenan hit six successive points before a
Rinaldi lay-up completed the tear.
Reynoso broke the run with a
single free-throw, and although Greenan converted
another put-back, Warriors cut the deficit to 20-14
at the final break with a Hillroy Thomas basket.
Carl Pearson opened the second
period scoring for the hosts, but a Latham-Henry trey
followed by three-from-four foul shooting by the
English guard put Leopards 26-16 ahead by De Ferrari
completed the 8-0 tear.
Thomas and Mark Spatcher each
added two points to make it an eight-point game,
before Leopards looked to have taken a firm grip on
the game with another 8-0 run. Chris Michaelides hit
a single free-throw before burying a trey, and four
points from De Ferrari made the score 36-20 in the
visitors’ favour.
However Reynoso launched a 9-2
run to make a single digit game, with De Ferrari
hitting Leopards’ points from the stripe, and
Sloane Francis then started a run of seven unanswered
points to cut the visitors’ lead to 40-36 going
into the locker room.
The home side continued to
control the game, and with only Latham-Henry scoring
in the first four minutes as Warriors reeled off 11
points to extend the hosts’ run to 27-6.
Ronnie Baker broke the run, the
respite was only temporary Pearson replied for
Leicester before MD Janiska buried a trey to give
Warriors a 52-44 lead at the midway stage of the
quarter.
Leopards finally got going as
Latham-Henry hit a pair of free-throws before Baker
scored a trey and Greenan scored his first points for
19 minutes as they reduced the arrears to 54-51.
Kathan broke the run with a
three-pointer, but Latham-Henry hit another pair of
free-throws and Sam Richardson scored from the Land
of Plenty to make it a one point game.
Latham-Henry continued to visit
the foul line as Warriors’ physical game saw
them wrack up the fouls, and the teams went into the
final break with Warriors holding a one-point lead.
The start of the fourth period
continued to be nip and tuck, and four straight Baker
points gave Leopards their first lead since early in
the second half.
Warriors’ reply was swift as
Janiska launched what proved to be the key 11-0 run
before Greenan scored to cut the Leicester lead to
79-71 going into the final three minutes.
Latham-Henry made it a six point
game with two free-throws, and Greenan hit one from
two before leaving the action after collecting his
fifth foul.
However a Latham-Henry trey
followed by a pair from line by Baker made it a two
point game with 100 seconds remaining.
Leopards picked up a defensive
rebound, and Rinaladi looked set to level the score
before being clattered in the paint. With no call,
Warriors were able to break out, and Leopards were
forced to send the home team to the line in the final
minute where they sealed the victory.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 27, L
Greenan 18, I De Ferrari 15, C Michaelides 10, R
Baker 6, S Richardson 3, F Rinaldi 2, J Wright.
Back To Top
15 November 2009
Strong finish seal Leopards' victory
Leopards 71 (16,35,43)
Leeds Carnegie 58 (12,33,46)
A strong fourth period set
Leopards up for their first Division One victory of
the season at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday.
The Big Cats outscored a Leeds
side previously unbeaten in the league 28-12 in the
final quarter to move up to ninth in the table.
Carl Latham-Henry led the
Leopards’ scoring for the seventh time this
season with 22 points, adding six rebounds and four
assists.
Ignazio De Ferrari added 13
points and an impressive seven blocks, while Marlan
Henry finished with 11 points and Leigh Greenan had a
ten point, 15 rebound double-double.
The Big Cats took advantage of
some poor free-throw shooting from the visitors,
hitting 13 of their 14 foul shots in comparison to
Leeds’ 10 from 28, while Carnegie also failed to
hit a three points, missing on 14 occasions.
Greenan opened the scoring for
the Big Cats, and Latham-Henry hit a trey to give
them a 5-0 lead.
Mike Medved broke the run, and
launched an 8-0 Leeds tear to give them the lead. The
first period was clearly full of runs as Leopards
replied with six unanswered points, De Ferrari
hitting a jump shot before Latham-Henry scored
back-to-back baskets.
With Ronnie Baker getting the
first two of his nine points, Leopards kept their
noses in front, and went into the second period with
a 16-12 lead.
Sam Richardson opened the second
half scoring before Latham-Henry buried a three to
put the home side 21-12 ahead.
Dave Siddall broke the 8-0 run
with a pair of free-throws, but four straight misses
at the foul line from Adrian Fenyn and Ladi Brown set
the tone, and Baker punished them with a score from
downtown to put the Leopards ahead by 12 after four
minutes.
Brown and De Ferrari exchanged
baskets, but Latham-Henry kept Leopards’ double
digit lead intact as they went into the final four
minutes of the half.
However, at that point Leopards
suffered a scoring drought, and with Fenyn hitting
six points, Leeds reeled off ten straight points to
reduce the hosts lead to 30-29.
Greenan broke the run, but Zoltan
Supola hit a pair of free-throws and Fenyn scored a
jump shot to give the visitors a 33-32 lead heading
into the final 20 seconds of the half before Henry
ensured the Big Cats would take a two point lead into
the locker room when he drained from downtown.
De Ferrari was the first player
to put points on the board in the second half, but
that proved to be Leopards’ only score of the
first five minutes.
Leeds also struggled from the
floor, with only Medved and Brown scoring from open
play, and with the visitors hitting only one of their
five free-throws they only took minimal advantage of
Leopards’ drought to move 40-37 ahead.
Henry ended the run with a pair
from the charity stripe and a Greenan put-back gave
Leopards a 41-40.
However, Leeds finished the
period the stronger, with only Henry scoring in the
final three minutes as a 6-2 run sent Carnegie into
the final break with a 46-43.
Latham-Henry cut that lead to one
with a pair of free-throws to open the fourth period,
and De Ferrari scored the Land of Plenty to put
Leopards 48-46 ahead.
Medved and Francesco Rinaldi
exchanged baskets, and the sides were tied at 52
going into the final five minutes of the game.
Fenyn missed a pair of
free-throws before Latham-Henry hit a lay-up followed
by a trey to give Leopards a lead they never lost.
Fenyn kept Leeds in touch, but
back-to-back Henry scores saw Leopards’ lead
extended to nine before Latham-Henry made it a
double-digit lead.
With Leeds forced to foul to stop
the clock, Baker and Greenan kept their nerve at the
foul line to send the large Brentwood crowd home
happy.
C Latham-Henry 22, I De Ferrari
13, M Henry 11, L Greenan 10, R Baker 9, F Rinaldi 4,
S Richardson 2, J Wright, C Michaelides.
Back To Top
8 November 2009
Leopards through to last eight
London Westside 74
(13,19,45)
Leopards 94 (18,45,66)
Leopards reached their third
successive National Cup quarter-finals with a
comfortable 94-74 victory at London Westside on
Sunday.
Carl Latham-Henry led the way for
the Big Cats with 36 points, eight assists, three
rebounds and three steals.
Leigh Greenan added 13 points and
eight boards, with Jonny Wright finishing with ten
points and Marlan Henry adding nine points to his
eight assists.
Coach Burnell was able to give at
least 15 minutes court time to all of his eight-man
roster, and all the Leopards players got on the
scoresheet.
Ronnie Baker opened the scoring
for the visitors, and Leopards led from tip to buzzer
as a pair of Latham-Henry free-throws put them 5-0
up.
Yannis Karalis kept his side in
the game with a pair of treys, but with Latham-Henry,
Wright and Chris Michaelides all converting from the
Land of Plenty, the Big Cats went into the first
break 18-13 ahead.
The Big Cats took control in the
second period saw outscored the home team 27-6 to
effectively end the game as a contest.
Latham-Henry opened the quarter
with an and-one, and although big man Jonathon Haymon
– who spent pre-season with the Leopards –
replied for the home team, Leigh Greenan showed why
the visitors stuck with him as their starting centre
with five points in a 7-0 run as they took a 28-15
lead.
A Simion broke the run, but
Latham-Henry hit nine straight points, capped by a
trey, and Wright capped the 12-0 tear from
three-point land before closing out the period with
another score from downtown to give Leopards a 45-19
lead at half-time.
Leopards coach Jon Burnell used
the second half to experiment with his line-ups, and
although they were outscored in both periods, it
proved a useful exercise for the visitors.
Latham-Henry and Baker did most
of the damage for the Big Cats each hitting a pair of
treys with ten and nine points respectively as they
reached the final break with a 66-45 lead.
Any thoughts the home side had of
a comeback were quickly dispelled as Latham-Henry
scored five points in a 9-2 run to take a 75-47 lead,
and they never looked back as they progressed in the
competition they won in 2005/6.
C Latham-Henry 36, L Greenan 13,
R Baker 12, J Wright 10, M Henry 9, F Rinaldi 6, S
Richardson 5, C Michaelides 3.
Back To Top
7 November 2009
Leopards denied in Taunton
Taunton Tigers 91
(21,47,70)
Leopards 69 (16,38,53)
SHORT handed Leopards were left
ruing some baffling refereeing decisions as they
suffered a heavy loss at Taunton last Saturday.
With the Big Cats travelling with
only seven players – Iggy De Ferrari being the
most notable absentee – coach Jon Burnell was
forced to kit up for the first time in three seasons.
While most teams go into a couple
of games a season shot on numbers, the visitors could
not have reckoned on some bizarre refereeing which
saw their normal game disrupted.
Guard Carl Latham-Henry was
called for an incredible four offensive fouls –
three in the first period – and had the rate,
and certainly unwanted- achievement of fouling out
without committing a defensive foul. All five of the
fouls, including a technical, were called by the same
referee.
Latham-Henry was one of three
Leopards to foul out, and with Chris Michaelides
finishing on four fouls, the Big Cats were
dangerously close to finishing with only four men.
Leigh Greenan led the Big Cats
with 21 points, with Ronnie Baker adding 12 and
Michaelides ten.
Tigers scored the first five
points of the game before Michaelides broke the
drought, but despite Greenan’s first score of
the night the home side led 13-4 at the midway stage
of the period.
However, despite Latham-Henry
already on two fouls, the Big Cats fought back, and a
pair of Greenan free-throws launched a 10-0 run which
gave them their only lead of the night.
Baker sunk a trey before Greenan
converted an old fashioned three-point play and
Michaelides wrapped up the run.
Richard Anderson broke the run
from the foul line, before Greenan hit of two foul
shot to tie the game at 15 going into the final 90
seconds of period.
That proved to be as good as it
got for the Big Cats, though, and a 6-0 run put
Tigers in charge before Greenan – comfortably
Leopards’ best player on the night – hit a
single free-throw to cut the deficit to five at the
first break.
Only Greenan troubled the scorer
for Leopards in the opening three minutes of the
second period as Tigers opened with a 10-2 run before
scores from Latham-Henry and Greenan got Leopards
back on track, and Jonny Wright capped a 7-0 run by
draining from downtown to make the score 31-25 in
Taunton’s favour.
Sean Clifford broke the run, by a
Latham-Henry basket followed by a Marlan Henry trey
cut the deficit to three.
Leopards kept in touch, and with
Burnell entering the action – collecting a
personal foul and a technical in 90 seconds - and
back-to-back Sam Richardson baskets followed by a
Henry lay-up saw Tigers’ lead cut to 47-37 at
half-time.
The game was effectively killed
off in the first five minutes of the second half as
Tigers opened with a 13-4 run, Latham-Henry and
Greenan scoring for Leopards, to make the score
60-42.
Greenan hit three points to cut
the deficit, but Latham-Henry was called for a
technical after being clattered as he drove to the
basket, and with a minute left of the period the home
side had built a 21 points lead.
A Baker three, followed by three
from four foul shooting by Greenan and Baker stopped
the rot, but Leopards still went into the final break
trailing 70-53.
With the home side opening the
fourth period with a 6-1 run, Burnell chose to rest
players in the final minutes – bringing himself
back into the game – as Leopards fell to 0-3 in
the league.
L Greenan 21, R Baker 12, C
Michaelides 10. M Henry 9, C Latham-Henry 7, J Wright
5, S Richardson 4, J Burnell.
Back To Top
1 November 2009
Leopards end Mets' jinx
Leopards 81 (19,40,64)
London Mets 74 (13,23,39)
LEOPARDS ended their hoodoo
against London Mets with an 81-74 victory against
them at the Brentwood Centre, on Sunday.
The Big Cats survived a late
fight-back from the visitors to clinch the win which
keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for the
National Trophy quarter-finals.
Jon Burnell’s team will
reach the last eight if Mets win at Reading in the
final group game, or if Rockets win by less than
five. There’s also the outside chance of the Big
Cats going through if Rockets win that game by 30 or
more points.
Carl Latham-Henry led the
Leopards’ scoring with 21 points, 18 of which
came in the first half, with Marlan Henry and Iggy De
Ferrari each adding 17 and Ronnie Baker 11.
The Big Cats trailed early in the
game, but six Latham-Henry points kept them in the
game, and once Gareth Laws had sunk a trey, the home
team never trailed again.
A Henry lay-up sent the Leopards
into the first break 19-13 ahead, and with Henry and
Latham-Henry draining triples to start the second
half, the home team gradually built their lead.
Latham-Henry hit four treys in
the period as Leopards went into the locker room
40-25 ahead, and with De Ferrari taking over the
mantel with nine points, the Big Cats lead grew to
53-29 with four third period minutes remaining.
The lead peaked at 27 with a
minute of the quarter left, and Leopards went into
the final break 64-39 ahead.
With Leopards effective running a
seven man rotation, and centre Leigh Greenan fouling
out early in the fourth period, the Big Cats tired in
the fourth period as the exertions from the previous
night’s game at Reading and the Mets’
full-court press took their toll.
With former Leopard Laurent Irish
opening the fourth period scoring, Mets gradually
whittled the hosts’ lead down.
A 16-point win would have sealed
a place in the quarter-finals for the hosts, but a
Jean Wakanena score with 100 seconds remaining made
it a ten point game.
The hosts kept ahead, though, and
despite five late points from Mansour Mbye, Leopards
held on to snap their three game losing streak
against the Mets.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 21, I De
Ferrari 17, M Henry 17, R Baker 11, G Laws 6, S
Richardson 6, C Michaelides, C Rinaldi (DNP), J
Wright (DNP)
Full report in the programme when
Leopards return to Brentwood on November 15.
Back To Top
31 October 2009
Leopards shot down by Rockets
Reading Rockets 80 (17,
34, 55)
London Leopards 66 (24, 37, 44)
A victory at Reading still
continues to elude Leopards as they lost their
seventh straight game at the home of the Rockets.
The Big Cats failed to build on a
good first period, and a dismal third quarter left
their hopes of progressing in the National Trophy
hanging by a thread.
The visitors never managed to
guard Rockets’ big-man Ryan Lohfink who poured
in 37 points to lead his side to a big victory that
had looked unlikely in the first half.
The dressing down that
Rockets’ coach Sasa Punosevac gave his team at
half-time certainly worked as Reading outscored the
visitors 21-7 in the third period before wrapping up
the victory with a 25-22 fourth quarter. Robbie Park
and Louis Sayers each added 11 for the Rockets as
they picked up their first victory against Division
One opposition this season.
Carl Latham-Henry returned to the
Leopards side – though he came off the bench -
and led the scoring with 18 points, while Iggy De
Ferrari added 15 and Leigh Greenan 14.
However, things had looked good
for the visitors in the first period as a 9-0 run put
them in control of the game, but they allowed Rockets
back into the game in the second quarter and never
regained the momentum.
De Ferrari scored the next four
Leopards' points, but it was the home side who opened
a 10-6 lead with three and half minutes in the period
remaining.
However, a Laws basket launched a run of nine
unanswered points, with Ronnie Baker hitting a three
as they opened a 15-10 lead.
Jamie Ashwin broke the run, but
it was Leopards who finished the period strongly as
De Ferrari hit a trey and Baker buried a pair of
free-throws to send the visitors into the first break
with a 24-17 advantage.
That lead grew to double figures
as Marlan Henry opened the second period scoring and
Laws made it an 11-point game.
Lohfink took over at that stage,
hitting 13 points – including a shot-clock
beating trey - in the period to drag his team back
into the game, and they went into the locker room
only 37-34 down – Latham-Henry hitting
Leopards’ final point of the half from the
charity stripe.
That lead quickly evaporated as
Lohfink opened the second half with a pair of baskets
to launch an 8-0 run, and although Latham-Henry and
Greenan brought Leopards to within one, American big
man Lohfink continued to terrorise the visitors’
defence.
Although Henry took the deficit
down to five from the free-throw line, Rockets scored
the final six points of the period as his side went
into the last break 55-44 ahead.
Greenan scored back-to-back
baskets to bring Leopards within seven at the start
of the fourth period, but the closest the visitors
came was when Latham-Henry hit a pair of free-throws
to make the score 57-52 with seven minutes remaining.
But Robbie Parker answered with a
trey, and although Henry and Latham-Henry kept
Leopards in the game, the home team never looked
back, and the Big Cats final points of the night came
from Greenan with 160 seconds remaining.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 18, I De
Ferrari 15, L Greenan 14, M Henry 6, R Baker 5, C
Michaelides 4, G Laws 4, S Campbell, J Wright, C
Rinaldi (DNP)
Back To Top
25 October 2009
Leopards lose to Mets
Leopards 63 (22,34,48)
London Mets 74 (16,38,54)
LEOPARDS slipped to their second
defeat of the weekend against London Mets as they
failed to build on a good first period.
The home side were six up at the
first break, and were still ahead two minutes before
half-time before allowing the visitors back into the
game.
Leigh Greenan again led the Big
Cats, finishing with a 20 point, ten rebound
double-double, while Marlan Henry returned to the tem
to add 15 and Gareth Laws chipped in with 13.
The Big Cats were again without
Carl Latham-Henry, and Steve Campbell also missed the
game, and one change to the starting line-up saw
Chris Michaelides replace Bradley Wilkinson.
Mansour Mbeye opened the scoring
for the visitors, but with Greenan and Laws scoring
nine and seven points respectively, Leopards were in
control for most of the period.
Five straight Greenan saw the Big
Cats lead 9-8 at the midway stage of the period, and
a Laws trey launched a 7-1 run as Leopards went into
the first break 22-16 ahead.
Mets’ player-coach Solomon
Ayinla opened the second period scoring, but
back-to-back Henry scores kept Leopards ahead before
the visitors responded with a 7-0 run to lead 27-26
with three minutes of the half remaining.
Six straight Greenan points kept
Leopards in the game, but the visitors again finished
a period strongly, outscoring Leopards 8-1 to go into
the locker room 38-34.
Despite Henry missing a pair of
free-throws, the Big Cats scored the first six points
of the second half, with Henry hitting a pair of
baskets and Wilkinson netting with a put-back.
Mbeye levelled the score at 40
with three second minutes gone, and the Big Cats
never led again as he converted the bonus to launch a
10-2 run.
A Greenan basket followed by a
pair of Ignazio De Ferrari free-throws cut the
Mets’ lead to 50-46, but it was the visitors who
closed out the period strongly to lead 54-48 at the
final break.
Mbeye hit a trey to open the
fourth quarter, and a Deng basket gave his side an 11
point lead although a Henry basket kept Leopards
within eight going into the final four minutes, the
Mets responded with an 8-0 run to effectively wrap up
the game.
Leopards: L Greenan 20, M Henry
15, G Laws 13, I De Ferrari 9, R Baker 3, S
Richardson 2, B Wilkinson 2, F Rinaldi 1, J Wright, C
Michaelides.
Back To Top
24 October 2009
Leopards
blow it at Mets
London Mets 72 (15,37,53)
London Leopards 69 (15,34,55)
LEOPARDS somehow managed to
snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Saturday
afternoon as they went down in their opening Division
One game at London Mets.
Despite Leigh Greenan’s 28
points, the Big Cats threw away a double digit lead
in the fourth period, and failed to score in the
final three minutes.
The visitors were the victims of
some poor refereeing which saw Mets’
over-physical full-court press go unpunished, but
ultimately the unavailability of Carl Latham-Henry
and Marlan Henry saw the short handed Leopards slip
to defeat.
Coach Jon Burnell gave first
starts of the season to Bradley Wilkinson and Gareth
Laws in the place of the missing pair, with Ignazio
De Ferrari switching to the small forward position.
The home side struggled to
contain Greenan during the first three periods, with
the 19-year-old opening the scoring.
However, it was the home side who
took control of the game , and despite missing three
free-throws, they reeled off a 9-0 run.
Greenan broke the run with a
put-back, and another basket from the former Barking
Abbey player together with a De Ferrari basket cut
the deficit to three, and Leopards finished the
period strongly with a Greenan and De Ferrari again
scoring together with a Ronnie Baker trey as they
scored the final seven points of the quarter to go
into the first break tied at 15.
Greenan scored the first four
points of the second quarter, and with Laws hitting
back to back threes, Leopards were 25-24 up at the
midway stage of the period.
Four points apiece from Chris
Michaelides and Greenan kept Leopards ahead by four
going into the final two minutes of the half, but it
was the home team who finished the period strongly,
and G Morris drained his second trey of the quarter
to send Mets into the locker room with a 37-34 lead.
Greenan again opened the scoring
for Leopards, hitting their first five points, but
Mets remained ahead, with six straight De Ferrari
points keeping the visitors in touch.
De Ferrari’ third basket in
that run launched a 10-0 Leopards tear as Francesco
Rinaldi scored his first competitive points as a
Leopard. Baker, Laws and Greenan were also on target
for the Big Cats, and although Atora Noah broke the
run from the line, a Greenan score sent Leopards into
the final break with a two point lead.
The visitors opened the fourth
period strongly as Rinaldi poured in seven points in
a 9-0 run to put them 64-53 ahead with six minutes
remaining.
Former Leopard Laurent Irish
launched a 10-0 run with an and-one, and with Dave
Ajumboi hitting a trey in the tear, the hosts made it
a one point ball game.
When Baker scored from the Land
of Plenty and De Ferrari followed up with a jump
shot, it appeared that Leopards were back in control.
However, at that stage they
produced a truly amazing catalogue of errors as they
repeatedly turned the ball over, and when they did
break the Mets’ press, some poor shot selection
ensured that they didn’t trouble the scorer
again.
Monseur Mbeye cut the
visitors’ lead to 69-68 with 90 seconds
remaining after a poor pass from Greenan, and even
when Mbeye was given a technical foul for elbowing
Michaelides, the Leopards player evened things up by
retaliating.
The home side grabbed the lead
with a pair of Ajumboi free-throws, and the same
player made it 71-69 with a single point from the
charity stripe as Leopards were forced to foul to
stop the clock.
Michaelides turned the ball over
after a Burnell time-out, and Jeff Danchie added
Mets’ final point from the line, and even when
Rinaldi grabbed the rebound after Baker’s three
point attempt rimmed out with two seconds remaining,
he stepped out of bounds to end a frustrating
afternoon for the Big Cats.
Leopards: L Greenan 28, I De
Ferrari 12, C Rinaldi 11, R Baker 8, G Laws 8, C
Michaelides 4, J Wright, S Richardson, B Wilkinson, S
Campbell.
Back To Top
18 October 2009
Carl
leads Leopards to Cup victory
Leopards 76 (20,28,53)
Hackney White Heat 57 (12,31,46)
CARL Latham-Henry led the
Leopards with 23 point as they overcame a stubborn
Hackney White Heat side to progress to the National
Cup third round.
The 25-year-old guard sunk three
treys at Barking Abbey as Leopards set up a trip to
either Westminster Warriors or London Westside in the
last 16.
Leigh Greenan finished with an 18
point, 12 rebound double-double and Marlan Henry
added 13 points and six assists for the home side.
The Big Cats looked to be on the
way to an easy win after scoring the first 12 points
of the game, but north London side fought back to
lead by three at half-time, and it wasn’t until
the final period that Leopards took control of the
game.
Henry opened the scoring after 20
seconds, and both Greenan and Latham-Henry added a
pair of baskets before Ignazio De Ferrari wrapped up
the 12-0 run to put the hosts comfortably ahead after
three minutes.
Craig Morris eventually broke the
Heat drought, and launched a 7-0 tear for the
visitors as they quickly ended any thoughts of a
blow-out.
Latham-Henry struck twice from
downtown as Leopards kept their noses in front, and
despite Dijon Andrews scoring for Heat, the hosts
went into the first break with a 20-12 lead.
Leopards had failed to score in
the final 108 seconds of the first period, and that
drought was extended to seven minutes 26 seconds as
Hackney scored the first eight points of the second
period to level the score as coach Jon Burnell ran
his bench.
A pair of Sam Richardson baskets
followed by a Gareth Laws jump shot in his first
competitive game of the season looked to have put the
Big Cats back in control, but an Andrews trey
launched an 11-2 run only punctuated by a De Ferrari
basket as Hackney closed out half strongly to lead
31-28 going into the locker room.
Latham-Henry opened the third
period scoring – only to see Dean
Defreitas-Smith reply with a trey. Leopards still
trailed at the 6:40 mark when a De Ferrari basket
levelled the score and launched a 6-0 run as the
hosts grabbed a lead they would never lose.
Andrews broke the tear, but a
Henry free-throw followed by a put-back from Greenan
gave Leopards a 45-38 lead.
White Heat hung in despite their
depleted numbers, but five points from Latham-Henry
helped the Big Cats go into the final break with a
53-46 lead.
Defreitas-Smith opened the fourth
period scoring for Hackney, but two baskets from
Greenan and scores from De Ferrari and Steve Campbell
in an 8-2 run gave Leopards their first double-digit
lead sunce the opening minutes.
Hackney cut the lead to eight,
but scores from Ronnie Baker, Latham-Henry and
Greenan made it 67-53 with three minutes remaining
– and the game was effectively over.
Jeffrey Duru broke the run, but
Leopards closed the game out with a 9-2 run as big
men Greenan and Campbell scored five and four points
respectively as the Big Cats reached the last 16 of
competition they won four years ago.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 23, L
Greenan 18, M Henry 13, I De Ferrari 8, S Campbell 6,
S Richardson 4, R Baker 2, G Laws 2, C Michaelides, J
Wright, F Rinaldi.
Back To Top
12 October 2009
Leopards end Rockets hoodoo
Leopards 56 (18,35,46)
Reading Rockets 45 (14,25,37)
LEOPARDS gave their hopes of
progressing in the National Trophy a massive boost
with a comfortable victory against Reading Rockets at
the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The Big Cats took the lead with
three minutes of the first period remaining, and
never looked back as they recorded only their third
victory in 19 attempts against the Rockets.
Since a Sam Salter trey had
helped Leopards defeat the Rockets in the 2006-7
Trophy - Reading's only loss in 22 games in the
competition over three years - the Berkshire side had
won nine straight games against the Big Cats.
Reading had a remarkable 2008/9
season – winning all 36 games as they completed
a clean sweep of the four EBL trophies – but
they had no answer to Carl Latham-Henry.
The 25-year-old Londoner was
perfect from the Land of Plenty as he hit three treys
in his 21 points to lead all scorers.
Peruvian forward Ignazio De
Ferrari marked his debut with 11 points and five
rebounds, while Ronnie Baker and Marlan Henry each
chipped in with eight points as the Big Cats recorded
their biggest ever win against Rockets.
Leigh Greenan had the chance to
open the scoring in the first minute when he was
fouled by the only American in the game – Ryan
Lohfink – but he missed both free-throws and it
was left to Marlan Henry to score the first points of
the game, also from the charity stripe.
Lohfink replied with seven
straight points to put Reading in charge, but four De
Ferrari points followed by Latham-Henry’s first
trey of the game gave them the lead at 10-8.
Simon Kearney levelled with a
jump shot, but as the turnovers mounted for the
visitors, Latham-Henry closed out the period with
seven points to send Leopards into the first break
with an 18-14 lead.
The Big Cats started the second
period strongly, with Baker hitting a pair of treys
and Latham-Henry also draining from long range as
they scored 11 of the first 15 points to lead 29-18
at the midway stage of the quarter.
Seven straight Reading points,
capped by a Robbie Parker three, made it a four point
game with just over three minutes of the half
remaining.
That proved to be the final time
Rockets scored in the half, and although Leopards
struggled from the foul line – hitting only two
of six shots – baskets from Greenan and Henry
sent home side into the locker room with a 35-25
lead.
A Lohfink free-throw followed by
a Louis Sayers basket saw that lead cut to seven in
the opening two minutes of the second half, but the
key run came straight afterwards as Latham-Henry and
De Ferrari each scored four points in an 8-0 run to
lead 43-29.
Rockets weren’t done,
though, and replied with eight unanswered points of
their own before Baker wrapped up the period with a
trey to send Leopards into the final break with a
46-39 lead.
The Big Cats’ defence had
gradually tightened as the game progressed, and they
completely locked the visitors down in the final
period, conceding only eight points as Reading were
held to the second lowest opposition score in 15
years of Leopards basketball.
Parker opened the scoring with a
single free-throw, but Latham-Henry hit his final
points of the game before a single free-throw from De
Ferrari made it an 11 point game.
A pair of Henry points kept
Leopards in control, and they never looked in danger
as Greenan closed out the game from the free-throw
line.
Leopards: C Latham-Henry 21, I De
Ferrari 11, R Baker 8, M Henry 8, L Greenan 5, C
MIchaelides 3, S Richardson, F Rinaldi, S Campbell, G
Laws (DNP), J Wright (DNP)
Back To Top
27 September 2009
Leopards win the battle of the big cats
Leopards
70 (18,42,64) Milton Keynes Lions II 53 (19,31,42)
Leigh
Greenan led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds
as Leopards shook off a stubborn Lions team to reach
the National Cup second round.
Most
of the damage was done in the middle two periods as
Leopards outscored the visitors 46-23 to make up for
a sluggish first quarter and a poor end to the game
which saw them go scoreless for the final seven
minutes.
In
their first game at Barking Abbey, Carl Latham-Henry
added 18 points and Ronnie Baker 10 to give Leopards
a home second round tie where they will meet Hackney
White Heat on the same court on October 18.
The
young visiting side opened the game with a barrage of
shots from outside the arc, with Thompson hitting a
pair and Bradford one. Leopards’ replies came
from Greenan and Latham-Henry as the visitors led
9-4.
Latham-Henry
added another four points and former Lion Steve
Campbell got off the mark as Lions’ lead was cut
to 11-10 with three first period minutes remaining.
Lions
continued to fire in the three-pointers, hitting a
total of five in the period, but three Baker points
followed by two Greenan baskets gave Leopards their
first lead of the game before Bradford hit a buzzer
beating three to send his side into the first break
19-18 ahead.
Turner
opened the second period scoring for Lions as they
drained their six trey, before Greenan and Thompson
exchanged baskets to leave the visitors 24-20 ahead
after two minutes of action.
Greenan
and Latham-Henry continued to be Leopards’ main
scoring threat, each hitting a pair of free-throws to
give them a 25-24 lead.
Bernard
replied for Lions, but that proved to be the last
time the visitors led as five straight Latham-Henry
points launched a 9-0 Leopards run that also saw
Chris Michaelides come off the bench to hit four
points as the home side opened a 34-26 lead.
The
previous week’s disaster from the foul line was
forgotten as Leopards closed out the period with
eight from eight shooting at the free-throw line, and
with Baker hitting a pair with a second remaining,
Leopards went into half-time with a 42-31 lead.
Baker
– another former Lion – opened the second
half with a pair of baskets, and Greenan extended
Leopards’ run to 8-0 with a put-back.
Scores
from Greenan and Latham-Henry took the Leopards’
lead to 52-33 at the midway stage of the quarter, and
although Lions replied with seven unanswered points,
the Big Cats closed out the period with a 10-0 run.
Michaelides and Sam Richardson each scored a pair of
baskets and Marlan Henry added one as they went into
the final break with a 64-42 lead, and the game
effectively sewn up.
Latham-Henry
opened the fourth period scoring, and with Greenan
adding four points, it looked as if Leopards would
chalk up a big win against their Division Four
opponents as they led 70-46 with seven minutes
remaining.
However,
with coach Jon Burnell running his bench, the Big
Cats suffered a scoring drought during the rest of
the game.
Lions
were hardly prolific during a scrappy end to the
game, averaging only a point a minute during the
spell, but Burnell will be left with plenty to think
about after a less than convincing win.
Leopards:
L Greenan 22, C Latham-Henry 18, R Baker 10, C
Michaelides 8, S Richardson 6, M Henry 4, S Campbell
2, J Wright, W Ashby.
Back To Top
26 September 2009
Leopards lose at Mets
London
Mets 88 London Leopards 76
CARL
Latham-Henry’s game-high 23 points were not
enough to prevent Leopards slipping to an 88-76 loss
at London Mets in their opening National Trophy game.
A
poor second half saw an under strength Big Cats
outscored 48-38 by the newly promoted home side.
Latham-Henry
and Ronnie Baker both returned after missing the
Leopards Cup due to injury, but Gareth Laws missed
his first game since signing for the club in 2007
after injuring his ankle in the same competition, and
Italian forward Francesco Rinaldi has yet to receive
international clearance from his Rome-based former
club.
Leopards
coach Jon Burnell started both Latham-Henry and Baker
alongside new signings Sam Richardson and Chris
Michaelides, with centre Leigh Greenan completing the
starting five.
Mets,
who included former Leopards Deng Deng and Laurent
Irish in their line-up, opened the scoring, but the
lead changed hands several times before Baker sent
the visitors into the first break with a 22-21 lead.
The
Big Cats led for long spells in the second quarter,
but Mets’ player-coach Solomon Ayinla dragged
his team back into the game, and with the home team
having three attempts at the final shot, they
converted to go into the locker room 40-38 ahead.
The
home team took control during the third period, with
their lead growing to 14 points at the midway stage
before Latham-Henry and Baker brought Leopards back
into the game with shots from outside the arc, and
they went into the final break trailing only 64-56.
That
deficit was cut to 69-66 after two minutes of the
fourth period as Latham-Henry hit a three-pointer,
and with the three-guard line-up of Baker,
Latham-Henry and Marlan Henry working well, the Big
Cats looked capable of winning the game.
However
a shot-clock error saw Mets have a 31 second offence
which Ajumobi converted, and the visitors’
concentration appeared to go as the home side closed
out the game strongly to make a winning start in the
top flight.
Henry
finished with 13 points for the Leopards, while Baker
added 12. Ayinla led his team with 20, Ajumobi added
16 and Noha 15 for the Mets.
Back To Top
22
September 2009
Thunder strikes depleted Leopards
Leopards
32 (10) Worthing Thunder 55 (30)
The
Big Cats never recovered from a poor first half as
they suffered their second defeat in the pre-season
Leopards Cup tournament on Sunday.
The
depleted home team, missing Carl Latham-Henry, Ronnie
Baker and Gareth Laws, allowed Thunder to hit three
treys in the opening two minutes as they went 11-0
down early in the game, and they never looked capable
of spring a surprise against the BBL club.
Their
woes at the foul line continued as they missed all
ten attempts in the first half and finished with just
three from 23 shots.
Leigh
Greenan broke the early Thunder run, and with Sam
Richardson and Francesco Rinaldi also scoring,
Leopards were only 13-6 down at the five minute mark.
But
that was as good as it got, as they had only a Marlon
Henry basket to show for their efforts in the next
seven minutes as Worthing opened a 25-8 lead.
Greenan
eventually ended the tear, but with Will Ashby
missing a pair from the charity stripe, it was
Thunder who scored the final five points of the half
through Petroslav Zafirov to lead 30-10 at half-time.
The
second half predictably opened with a missed
free-throw, but he hit the second before Steve
Campbell became the first Leopard to convert a pair
from the foul line in the tournament.
Campbell
scored six straight points, including a massive dunk
as the home team set about some damage limitation,
and they did have the consolation of scoring the
final five points of the game with Chris Michaelides
draining a trey before Henry hit a jump shot to round
off a disappointing day for the Big Cats.
Leopards:
S Campbell 10, L Greenan 7, M Henry 6, S Richardson
4, C Michaelides 3, F Rinaldi 2, J Wright, W Ashby.
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22
September 2009
Leopards pay the penalty
Leopards
44 (19) Kent Crusaders 49 (21)
Leopards
were made to pay for some appalling foul shooting as
they lost the opening game in their own tournament at
Brentwood, on Sunday.
The
Big Cats’ went to the line seven times in the
first half, but managed to miss every shot, and three
misses at the start of the second half saw that run
extended to ten before Steve Campbell finally sunk a
free-throw. Leopards finished the game with foul
shooting of just five from 17.
Williamz
Omope – who is expected to sign for the Big Cats
when he moves to London next month – led the way
with 12 points and Sam Richardson added 11.
The
home side went into the game without point guards
Ronnie Baker and Carl Latham-Henry after both players
suffered injuries in the previous day’s Thunder
Cup competition, and things went from bad to worse as
2007/08 MVP Gareth Laws suffered an ankle injury
after just two minutes of action, and played no
further part in the day’s action.
Crusaders
had already scored the opening four points of the
game though Kalil Ivring and Damian Lyons before Laws
injury, but Richardson got Leopards off the mark with
a mid-range jumper.
Francesco
Rinaldi marked his home debut with a trey before
becoming the first of three Leopards’ players to
miss a pair at the line in the first half.
Richardson
hit a pair of baskets followed by Leigh Greenan hook
shot, but as Leopards struggled from the line, the
Kent side regained the lead at the ten minute mark as
Sam Betts sunk a trey.
The
Big Cats stayed in touch during the rest of the half,
and a Greenan score saw them go into the half-time
break trailing 21-19.
The
extent of Leopards’ injury problems became
apparent early in the second half as Jonny Wright
picked up four fouls in just three minutes to leave
the Big Cats without a senior point guard. Marlon
Henry ran the point for most of the rest of the game,
but with the former London Capital player also
struggling with injury, the Crusader lead grew to
double figures by the six minute mark.
Steve
Campbell became the first Leopard to score from the
foul line, and Greenan converted an and-one to take
the margin back down to eight. James Harris replied
with a trey for Crusaders, but Leopards were still in
the game with four minutes remaining as Omope scored
three points to make it 41-37.
However
six Brad Smith points in a 7-3 run, which saw
Richardson hit a trey for Leopards, put Crusaders
back in control and despite Omope hitting a late
three-pointer, Medway Park closed out the win.
Leopards:
W Omope 12, S Richardson 11, L Greenan 8, F Rinaldi
5, S Campbell 4, J Wright 3, W Ashby 1, G Laws, M
Henry.
Back To Top
21
September 2009
Big Cats collect bronze
DART Killester 55
(28) Leopards 64 (37)
A
depleted Leopards team survived a late comeback from
Irish powerhouse Killester to seal third place in the
Thunder Cup on Saturday.
The
Big Cats played the final 90 seconds with only four
players, with three players having fouled out and
both Ronnie Baker and Carl Latham-Henry injured.
Baker
hurt his ankle late in the semi-final defeat against
Guildford Heat, while Latham-Henry fell awkwardly on
his knee just before half-time and sat the rest of
the game out.
A
dominant performance in the first 23 minutes of the
30 minute game saw Leopards build a 62-39 lead, but
as foul trouble took its toll, the full-time Irish
side outscored them 16-2.
Leigh
Greenan led the Leopards scoring with 14 points and
eight rebounds in 21 minutes before fouling out while
Elijah Smith added 11 points before joining him on
the bench. Sam Richardson and Gareth Laws finished
with ten points each, with the latter proving perfect
from the line as he sunk all six of his free-throws.
Killester
opened the scoring through Jermaine Turner, who went
on to score the bulk of his side’s points with
31 as he played all 30 minutes, a low scoring opening
five minutes saw the Irish side lead 6-4.
However,
Leopards took control in the latter stages of the
first half, and with Italian forward Francesco
Rinaldi looking impressive, they went into the locker
room with a 37-28 lead.
The
best was yet to come, though, and the Big Cats simply
blew Killester away in the opening eight minutes of
the second half.
The
Irish Superleague North Conference winners and
Championship runners-up were simply blown away as
Leopards opened the second half with a 25-2 run.
Time-outs after six and ten minutes from coach Mark
Keenan could not stop Leopards as they built an
unassailable lead.
With
Greenan and Smith forced to sit down, Leopards were
down to their final five players, and they clearly
tired as Killester staged a recovery, and the pair
were joined on the bench by Rinaldi 90 seconds from
the end, but the Big Cats never looked in danger as
they held on for their first pre-season victory.
L
Greenan 14, E Smith 11, G Laws 10, S Richardson 10, J
Wright 7, F Rinaldi 6, C Latham-Henry 6, C
Michaelides.
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21
September 2009
Leopards give Heat a scare
Guildford Heat
77 (39) Leopards 70 (43)
LEOPARDS
gave Guildford Heat a scare before eventually lost
77-70 in the Thunder Cup semi-final, on Sunday.
The
Big Cats led for long periods in the game against the
former BBL champions before the full-timers took
control of the game in the final eight minutes. Even
then they had to survive a late comeback from Jon
Burnell’s team before clinching a place in the
final.
Carl
Latham-Henry put in a scintillating display to lead
all scorers with 25 points in 27 minutes of action.
The 25-year-old hit seven of his nine two-point
attempts and drained a pair of treys to cap a fine
performance.
Leigh
Greenan and former Derby Trailblazer Sam Richardson
each added ten points, with the former pulling down
six rebounds to leave new Heat player-coach Chad
McKnight an impressed man.
While
Latham-Henry scored 15 of his points in the second
half, Greenan did most of his damage in the first,
with nine points and four boards before fouling out
after 22 minutes of action.
Former
Leopard and England international Mike Martin opened
the scoring for the Heat, but Greenan replied, and
back-to-back Latham-Henry baskets gave the Big Cats
the lead.
Burnell’s
team retained the lead for the rest of the first
half, with Gareth Laws sinking a trey and
Latham-Henry converting an and-one to send the Big
Cats into half-time with a 43-39 lead.
Leopards
were still ahead by one after four minutes of the
second half before Heat finally took control and
looked to have wrapped up the game with six minutes
remaining as they led 69-58.
However,
with Chris Michaelides draining a pair of treys and
Sam Richardson impressing, Leopards closed the gap to
five with two minutes left before McKnight wrapped it
from the line.
Leopards
C Latham-Henry 25, L Greenan 10, S Richardson 10, R
Baker 8, E Smith 7, C Michaelides 6, G Laws 4, J
Wright, F Rinaldi.
Back To Top
12 September 2009
So close for Leopards
London
Capital 78 (22,34,61)
Leopards 75 (16,34,57)
LEOPARDS
went agonisingly close to upsetting BBL club London
Capital in their second pre-season, on Saturday
afternoon.
The
Big Cats made light of a poor start to run their
higher division opponents close, and were still in
with a chance of forcing overtime with six seconds
remaining.
Leigh
Greenan – who missed out on playing for Great
Britain under-20s in the summer due to an ankle
injury – led Leopards’ scoring for the
first time, with 19 points, a total equalled by
American trialist Sly Brooks.
With
three of the previous night’s squad unavailable
after the tip-off at Capital City Academy was brought
forward, and Leopards’ new Peruvian forward
currently out of the country, coach Jon Burnell took
the opportunity to run the rule over two of the Team
USA players who had beaten Capital 63-61 in the first
of a double header the previous night, with
Brooks’ compatriot Trey Chaplain adding eight
points.
Fellow
trialist Elijah Smith finished on nine points, as
Leopards had a balanced scoring game with nine of
their ten players getting on the scoresheet.
Greenan
opened the scoring with a single free-throw, but the
Big Cats struggled in the early stages as hosts
Capital opened a 9-1 lead after four minutes.
Smith
broke the run, and although Leopards kept in touch,
they still trailed 20-9 going into the final 90
seconds of the period.
However,
a Jonathon Haymon and-one launched a 7-2 run, and
with Brooks hitting four from the line, Leopards went
into the first break only trailing 22-16.
That
run was extended to 11-2 as Carl Latham-Henry
converted a pair of free-throws and Greenan added to
his tally.
The
run was broken by three Capital points, but Leopards
continued to control the game as Chaplain converted
an and-one before three Latham-Henry points ad a
Chaplain free-throw saw the visitors take a 27-25
lead.
Scores
from Chaplain and Gareth Laws saw the Big Cats lead
by as many as four before the home side closed out
the half strongly to send the teams into the locker
room tied at 34.
Smith
opened the second half with a free-throw, and the
game continued to be tight through the first five
minutes – with a Greenan put-back tying the
score at 45 at the midway stage.
Capital
then looked to have taken control of the game with a
9-0 run which saw a bizarre situation where Leopards
stood and watched an uncontested lay-up after a
buzzer from the scoring table.
To
their credit, Leopards recovered, and Brooks and
Campbell each sunk a pair of shots from the charity
stripe before back-to-back Brooks baskets made it a
three point game.
Sam
Richardson and Haymon kept Leopards in touch, and
they went into the final break trailing by four.
Capital
looked like taking control in the opening minutes of
the fourth period, but the Big Cats were single
handedly kept in the game by Greenan.
The
former England junior scored eight straight points to
keep Leopards within seven before baskets Chaplain
and Smith reduced the arrears to 72-69.
Greenan
missed a pair from the line, and was made to regret
it as Capital hit a pair of their own to make the
margin five points.
Brooks
and Greenan made it a one point game wit baskets for
the visitors, only to see Capital make it 76-73.
Brooks
again took the margin to one, and as Leopards were
forced to foul to stop the clock, Capital converted
both free-throws to make the margin three point with
six seconds remaining.
Coach
Jon Burnell called a time-out to set up a play and
advance the ball to the halfway line, but after what
appeared to be the shortest six seconds in the
history of mankind, Capital stole the ball and hung
on for the win.
Leopards:
L Greenan 19, S Brooks 19, E Smith 9, T Chaplain 8, C
Latham-Henry 5, J Haymon 5, G Laws 4, S Campbell 4, S
Richardson 2, J Wright.
Back To Top
11 September 2009
Leopards lose opener
Leopards
51 (10,22,41)
Team USA Select 78 (20,34,51)
At
Capital City Academy
A
poor fourth period saw Leopards fall to a heavy
defeat in their opening pre-season friendly.
After
falling 11-0 behind the first period, the Big Cats
did a good job of getting themselves back in the
game, but a five minute drought in the final quarter
saw the touring side collect a big victory.
American
trialist Elijah Smith led the Leopards’ scoring
15 points, with Carl Latham-Henry hitting ten and
Leigh Greenan nine.
Smith
was one of seven new players in the 11-man Leopards
squad, and predictably the Brentwood side struggled
for spells during the game and were prone to far too
many turnovers.
Coach
Jon Burnell started with the four players left from
last year’s team – Ronnie Baker,
Latham-Henry, Gareth Laws and Greenan – with
guard/forward Smith completing the five, and a
catalogue of turnovers and ill-advised shots from the
outside saw them fail to score until the 5:23 mark
when Greenan hit a jump-shot.
By
then Team USA had rushed into an 11-0 lead, including
three straight treys. Leopards did improve after
that, spending much of their time at the foul line
Jonny Wright and Smith each hitting a free-throw and
Latham-Henry hitting a pair before Greenan drained a
rare three to send the Big Cats into the first break
trailing 20-10.
Marlan
Henry opened his Leopards’ account with their
first two baskets of the second period, and despite
former Milton Keynes Lion Stephen Campbell struggling
from the line, the Big Cats kept in touch during the
quarter.
Smith
converted from the Land of Plenty, and with Greenan
also adding three points and Baker a free-throw as
time expired, Leopards went into the locker room
trailing 34-22.
The
third period proved to be the Big Cats’ best
quarter of the game, with Campbell hitting a
free-throw to open the scoring and Latham-Henry
driving to the basket for a lay-up.
Laws
hit a three to keep Burnell’s team in the game,
while Smith continued to cause the American side
problems with seven points in the stanza. Sam
Richardson scored his first points as a Leopard, as
the Big Cats went into the final break trailing
51-41.
Team
USA scored the opening two baskets of the fourth
period to lead by 14, but Latham-Henry dragged the
Big Cats back into the game with five straight
points.
The
Americans replied with a single free-throw, before
Greenan made it a ten point game with a pair from the
line.
However,
that was as good as it got for Leopards as a five
minute drought saw the visitors reel off 14 straight
points, and although Campbell eventually broke the
tear it was too late to prevent Team USA improving to
2-0 on their UK tour.
Leopards: E Smith 15, C
Latham-Henry 10, L Greenan 8, M Henry 6, S Campbell
4, S Richardson 4, G Laws 3, R Baker 1, J Wright, C
Michaelides, J Haymon.
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