DOUBLE VICTORY OVER HUCKNALL

Wins for U16 and U18 in the CVL

Another 2 good wins for the U16 and U18 teams against Hucknall in the Nottingham Central Venue League. The U16 match was a small affair with both teams fielding only 5 players but this didn't slow LL who started strong, running the break from the start. Both Korynickyj and Carr set the pace pushing the score at the end of the first to 14-4, despite a number of missed team layups. The second quarter saw little change, Jennings was strong under the boards, securing rebounds and pushing the ball up the court, with LL exploiting the gaps to the basket to keep the scoreboard ticking over and reach the half 25-8 up. Despite the good lead, LL refused to slow down leading to some tired passes being turned over and contested layups being missed as the team rushed to score, fortunately Hucknall were unable to convert enough of them but started to close the gap. For a short period at the end of the 3rd and early 4th, Hucknall were reduced to just 4 players which actually resulted in some of their best play. As the game closed out, all LLJ players got on the score sheet with 3 players hitting 3-pointers in the closing minutes and the game finished 43-21. Stand out player Korynickyj with unbounded energy throughout the game in offence and defence, secured 20 points.

Despite missing a few players the U18s had 10 players on the bench for the second game, although 4 were fresh from the U16 victory. Expectations were high after beating the same team 4 weeks ago. Charged with establishing a commanding 1st quarter lead, the team did just that with Hatherly and Jagminas tearing the court up on the break throughout the opening minutes closing the first 21-6. The bench was rotated in the 2nd but the momentum didn't sway despite a number of missed basic chances, with the team closing out Hucknall in throughout the quarter while adding another 17 to their total. In the 3rd LL were encouraged to rotate the ball and look for the gaps, this, alongside further player rotation slowed the game down as they stepped back a little from the first-look scores. Another close out led to a 10-0 score in the 3rd (48-6). In the 4th the challenge was pushed further with a threat of a bench for anyone missing contested layups or not cutting from established positions. This enforced rotation on the court, and off the bench, but paid dividends with another 20 points being put on the scoreboard, the points spread throughout the team. The closeout didn't happen though with Hucknall making 8 in the final quarter, 1 field goal and 6 from the line. The game finished 67-14 with Hatherly and Jagminas scoring 41 between them, mainly on the break - a tougher match awaits against Chillwell next week - a 'must win' to keep progressing through these playoffs.