LIGHTNING GRAB A COUPLE OF WINS AND DEMONSTRATE IMPROVEMENT ALL ROUND IN CVL TRIPLE HEADER

LLJBC were in action at U14, U16 and U18 this week, winning the first 2 games and showing great strength of character and improvement as a team in the last game.

The U14s started the night with a match vs Hucknall who were struggling for players, fielding only 5 - which should have set them on the back foot. They started well though moving the ball and attacking our defensive gaps, keeping up with the Kal K-Bates’ fast breaks and Mockus rebound tally, to end the 1st only 2pts down. Although Umaras and Brewin helped keep the score ticking over, LL eased off their defensive aggression in the second, and with Hucknall shutting the door to our drives they took a 4pt lead into the halftime break. With the third quarter drawn 10-10 that left LL with a lot to do in the last 10mins. Defensive intensity was stepped up, especially from Brewin and Ward, with the team restricting a tired Hucknall to just 2pts in the last Q, while LL pounded the floor on the break, to earn another 14. Closing out an 8pt win.  

The U16s were out of the blocks fast against Rushcliffe who had a fully stacked bench. Racing the floor LL surprised the opposition with the pace of their attack, moving the ball wide and long, with Jennings hoovering up rebounds like a machine. The team played some of their best basketball taking a 17-9 first quarter lead. Rushcliffe are a good team though and they learnt from their errors, with both teams increasing defensive intensity snuffing out any activity in the paint. At 5-7 over the quarter, there were as many free-throws scored as field goals. With a 6 point deficit at the half, Rushcliffe showed their class, almost shutting LL out in the 3rd - they stole our play-book, turning the tables, they ran the break, exploited the lanes to the hoop and defended hard, scoring 2-14 points and reversing the score to lead by 6 going into the final 10mins. After a rather severe coach chat, the team went out fired up. Kal K-Bates repeatedly hit the lane, Jennings owned the defensive boards, Stachurski’s physicality pressured the top, Carr and S Rooney found their long-range ‘3’, W Rooney moved the ball effectively…the whole team fought for each other. With 2 minutes to go they had a 4 point lead, lost it regained it and then played the clock. A ‘3’ from their No8 with seconds to go got the pulses racing, but they played sensible keep-ball and held on for a 1pt win.  Outstanding effort by all 8 players that contributed.   

The U18 faced a season-long undefeated Cobras in their 2nd play-off match. The first few minutes showed why they had that record as they ran the floor repeatedly with LL unable to find a response at first. Cobras pressured the ball while LL passes were being picked off as they rushed to try and get points on the board. They eventually found their stride with Hatherley taking some good options in distribution and attacks, the rest of the team started to look more purposeful but they still struggled to contain the opposition, especially the big-men who were controlling the boards. The first quarter ended 16-5 down and the second 13-5, despite some aggressive basketball by Jagminas who was repeatedly hitting the paint, drawing fouls and getting to the line to score all LL points in the Q.  Our ‘D’ was better in the 3rd but the team still struggled to get the ball past the ferrocious Cobra defence as our offence never managed to set up effectively. A reset at the start of the 4th saw a changed team, they pushed the ball wide, created more space and attacked the gaps. Biernacki started dropping points with contributions from Carr and Frangu, who along with Jagminas and Hatherley defended with all they had, while Perkins become ever more effective inside. The team outscored Cobras 10-18 in the last quarter, closing at 53-33. A tough game but an excellent challenge for the team who rose to the occasion as the game went on, others have suffered far heavier defeats. That’s our lifeline gone, all games are now must-win.