Essex Classic day two round-up – Sep 10, 2018

POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN

First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.

London Lions lifted the inaugural Essex Classic title with a 101-50 victory against Team USA Select, on Sunday.

Vince Macauley’s side led from tip-to-buzzer to complete a fourth win in the competition at the Brentwood Centre.

Lamar Roberts was the unlikely top scorer for the BBL side as the big man finished with 23 points in under 12 minutes as his team piled on the pressure down the stretch.

Lions never looked back as they opened with the game’s first nine points, with Ladarius Tubb (19), Brandon Peel (201-F-94, college: Cent.Conn.St.) (13) and Jonathon James (12) also finishing in double figures.

Peel was named tournament MVP, finishing with 55 points and 30 rebounds in the four short-format games.

Team USA, who had edged tight games against Libertyville Vipers and Leopards to reach the final, were led by 14 points from Kevin May and 13 from captain Josh Flowers.

The third place play-off saw Vipers hold off a late run from Leopards to take bronze with a 75-67 victory.

The Big Cats had trailed 62-46 at the final break, but outscored the Americans 21-12 before running out of time.

Thomas Baker’s Leopards had led 19-17 at the first break, thanks partly to a pair of treys by Andre Lavinier, but Vipers took a 34-33 into the interval before a 28-13 third period put the visitors in charge.

A Lavinier and-one saw Leopards start the fourth period well, but although they chipped away at Vipers’ lead, their late run wasn’t quite enough.

Captain Sam Newman, along with debutant Luke Mascall-Wright led the hosts with 11 points apiece.

The day had started with Lions completing a perfect qualifying round record with a 77-62 victory against the Vipers.

Lions rushed into a 10-0 lead after three minutes, and were 25-5 ahead at the end of the first seven-minute period.

Vipers actually outscored the London team after that, going into the half-time break trailing 45-22 before winning the third period 19-14, and the teams shared 36 points in the final stanza.

Despite going 4/12 at the foul line, former GB international Flo Larkai led the Lions with 16 points and five rebounds. Peel finished with 14 points, also adding five boards while Labarius Tabb added 12 points and Justin Robinson added seven assists to his 11 points. Dee Woods led Vipers with 15 points while Jabari Alex added 14 points and five boards.

That result left Vipers needing Leopards to beat a much-changed Team USA Select team to qualify for the final, but it was their fellow Americans who reached the final by beating the Big Cats 68-59.

It was a strong finish from the visiting side that sealed a place in the championship game as they held Leopards to just six points in the final four minutes of the game.

Twenty-one points from Flowers and 15 from Corey Hicks proved key for Select, while Hodges led Leopards with 17 points and five boards, with Newman adding nine points and five assists.

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Essex Classic – day 1 – Sep 9, 2018

POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN

First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.

London Lions go into day two of the Essex Classic top of the table after a pair of comfortable wins at the Brentwood Centre, on Saturday.

Vince Macauley’s side steamrollered their way through Team USA Select and hosts Essex Leopards, and barring a mathematical miracle will compete in Sunday’s final.

The Lions announced the return of Jonathan James on the morning of the tournament, and he made an instant impact in the tournament’s opening game with 13 points in a 69-29 blowout against Team USA.

London held the American scoreless from the field in the first seven minute period, and never looked back after leading 19-1 at the first break.

Captain for the day Andre Lockhart and Brandon Peel each finished with 12 points for Lions as they opened the Classic in style.

Game two proved to be a bit more competitive as Leopards started well against Libertyville Vipers before fading to lose 69-39.

Lee Hodges (formerly Leigh Greenhan) led the Big Cats with 13 points with Dion Easton adding six on his Leopards debut. Devonte Coe and Jabari Alex finished with 13 apiece for the Vipers.

The third game proved to be comfortably the best of the day as the two American sides went head-to-head. Team USA Select as a big three from Taylor Thomas down the stretch set them up for a 62-60.

It was nip and tuck throughout the game, with Vipers seeing their 14-12 first period lead halved to 30-29 lead at half-time.

Vipers led 47-44 at the final break, but it went down to the wire. Thomas’ trey was answered by an and-one from Alex, only for Thomas to hit a jumper to put his side ahead before Johnson wrapped things up at the line.

The day’s final game saw the young Leopards, missing three probably starters, over run by Lions at time as the BBL side ran out 72-39 winners.

Peel was in imperious form with 18 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes of action as Lions again started well with a 27-6 first period lead.

Chuck Duru hit half of the Big Cats points in the first quarter with a triple, but Sam Newman and Tom Child also scored from the Land of Plenty as Leopards opened the second period with an 11-6 run.

A four-point play from Wes Moore – Leopards’ only returning player from last season – helped the hosts keep the scoreboard ticking over, but a pair of Jordan Spencer free-throws sent Lions into the half-time break with a 39-21 lead.

The third period proved to be evenly matched, with Hodges hitting six straight points for Leopards before Andre Lavinier cut the deficit to 52-33 at the final break.

That proved to be only a brief respite for the Big Cats as Lions stepped up a gear in the fourth period, scoring 20 straight points in the first five and a half minutes before scores from Dion Easton, Duru and Newman sparked a 6-0 run to wrap up the scoring for the day.

Hodges finished with 11 points for Leopards with Newman adding seven and Rory Winter six, while Robinson finished with 20 and Spencer added 13 for Lions.

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Team USA Select return – Aug 30, 2018

POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN

First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.

Team USA Select are back in the UK for their annual tour.

Now well into its second decade, Sean Klmartin’s touring programme will bring two squads this season, playing (at least) 29 games in 14 days before taking both rosters to Norway for a three-day tournament.

With ‘only’ two sides this season, it’s a little more sane than last year (though the game in Edinburgh on Monday then hammering back to a hotel in Manchester looks epic), and things start tonight with the combined rosters playing in Feltham. Then the Reds are off to Leicester to face Riders while the Blues start a two-day stint on the south coast that sees them play Solent on Friday and both Worthing Thunder & Hemel Storm on Saturday

Obviously their big weekend is when they visit the centre of the basketball world (AKA Brentwood) for the Essex Classic on September 8/9 where as well as playing Leopards and Lions, they’ll face another American side, Libertyville Vipers.

It all ends in London for the Reds and Coventry for the Blues before they have a private tour of the Houses of Parliament and hop on a plane to Oslo.

While the Reds are generally players looking to get a job in the UK (though immediately signing for a team is now extremely difficult), the Blues are here for the experience with the vague possibility of getting a post-grad scholarship at the uni attached to an NBL team. Which makes this https://daveballblog.wordpress.com/2018/08/27/the-more-i-learn-the-more-i-despair/ scratch my head.

Full schedule
Friday August 31: Red to Leicester Riders 7pm Blue Solent
Saturday September 1: Red Leicester Riders 4pm clinic, game at 6. Blue Worthing Thunder & Hemel Storm
Sunday September 2: Red to Manchester Giants, Clinic 3.30 Match 6pm . Blue Ipswich Basketball Club
Monday September 3: Red 7.20pm Edinburgh Kings Clinic, 5 PM, match 7.20 travel back to Manchester same night! Blue TBD
Tuesday September 4: Red TBD Blue to Loughborough and Charnwood 3.30pm then 5.30 pm (back to back)
Wednesday September 5: Red to Mansfield Giants 7-8 clinic, 8pm match Blue Kingston Panthers (Hull) D2
Thursday September 6: Red to Bristol Arrows . Blue Reading Rockets
Friday September 7: Red Wales National Team (clinic, game) Blue Sheffield Arrows
Saturday September 8: Essex Classic Tournament (Leopards/London Lions Libertyville Vipers) Blue Hemel Storm
Sunday September 9: Essex Classic Tournament (Leopards/London Lions Libertyville Vipers) plus Glasgow Rocks Clinic then game
Monday September 10: Red Newcastle Eagles Blue Liverpool Basketball Club
Tuesday September 11: Red Manchester Magic Blue Derby Trailblazers
Wednesday September 12: Red Greenhouse Pioneers, Blue Coventry Elite (Clinic Only) then Coventry Tornadoes (Clinic and Match)

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USA Select V Bristol Flyers

Photo Credit: Julia at JS Sport Photo
Email: [email protected]
Social media: @jssportphoto

Photo Credit: Julia at JS Sport Photo
Email: [email protected]
Social media: @jssportphoto

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