U14Reps0607

Ipswich Tomcats U14 Boys played their final two National League games of the season when they hosted the Brighton Bears and Northants Thunder Too at Westbourne on Sunday 25 March..

Going into these games, there was a realistic chance that the Tomcats could be part of the playoff picture and they certainly started with that intent.

The first game was against Brighton and although they started slow in the front court, they were able to keep themselves in the game by playing strong team defence. An eight point deficit at the first quarter saw them claw their way back to a lead of two points by the end of the third quarter

Brighton quickly started to pressure our guards which resulted in costly turnovers and alas a 10 point deficit by the end of the game. This was a tough loss in a game in which they had an opportunity to possibly steal a win. Final Score: Tomcats 32 – 42 Bears

The second game against Northants repeated a similar situation another very painful loss. Our team defence limited the opposition to one basket attempts as they dominated the defensive boards taking many rebounds. The Tomcats we were able to push the ball up the floor at pace during the game which pressurised the Thunder defence into mistakes. This resulted in a comfortable half time lead.

The third quarter saw the Northants team up the tempo and quickly attack with ball pressure in our back court which again proved to be the Tomcats downfall. By the end of the game Northants had maintained a close but comfortable lead with the final score: Tomcats 37 – 45 Northants Thunder

Ipswich players N. Senzel, A Miles, E. Dixon, L. Butcher, N. McGeachie, J. Worcester, O. Barratt, J. Clayton, R. Sargent, E. Mhende, D. Lockwood, A. Dowdy.

Coach Dixon said after the games, “Both defeats, which do not reflect positively in the league standings, has given us a strong foundation on which to work from for next season, as we move to the next age division. Each player can be confident in the realisation that they have been a personal success this season and will need to build on this experience when making the step up to the next level.

I would like to thank the boys for their commitment and effort throughout the season, the coaching assistants and the manager for their contributions in what has been a good season.”

Ipswich Tomcats welcomed Gt Baddow Eagles to Westbourne Sports College on Saturday in what should have a triangual tournament but with Camden Jaz forfeiting yet another set of games it turned into a single pre Christmas game for both teams.

Before the game there was a presentation of a much appreciated sponsorship cheque by Tom Clayton of SCS to head coach Denis Dixon.

Resplendent in seasonal if unfamiliar red, The Tomcats starting five of Mhende, Dowdy, Dixon, Barratt and their captain Robert Sargent came to court on a mission, Edwin Mhende first to the basket to open the scoring for the home side just over a minute into the game. Gt Baddow missed opportunities from the free throw line but equalized less than half a minute later and proceeded to pull out a slender lead.

This was not as fast game as Westbourne is used to when the senior squad play here but it was played with every bit as much conviction. It was seven minutes before the Tomcats had an opportunity to shoot from the free throw line, Nathan McGreadie making both shots count and bringing the Tomcats back in the lead 12 - 11, but Gt Baddow struck back and ended the quarter with a two point advantage 16 - 18

The beginning of the second quarter was interrupted when a shoe lace needed tying - not unusual with boys of this age, but in this case it was the ref's lace! Coach Dixon's talking to between the quarters worked, the Tomcats improving their husseling beneath the basket which made up for the Eagles successful long range shots. The quarter ended with the Tomcats holding a comfortable 11 point lead: 41 - 30

The second half began with more fruitful hard work under the net for the Tomcats - none more active that Josh Clayton Just before the half way point Tomcats Richards fouled out leaving Gt Baddow to go to the line to bring the teams a little closer. The Tomcats captain Robert Sargent was off the court after an awkward tumble on his elbow, but not for long.

The unsettling effect of all of this was to allow Gt Baddow to creep back into the game and by the time the buzzer went off it was a three point game - 55 - 52

The visitors sensed they could get back in control and started the final quarter with purpose, but Coach Dixon was ready for them and his squad were soon twelve point ahead, which Gt Baddow worked hard to reduce to 8 then 6 - the final two minutes saw some frantic action with the Tomcats holding on to win by ten: 83 – 73

Tomcats Players and Scores: J. Worcester, J Sykes (2), E. Dixon (6), B. Richards (3), L. Butcher, N. McGeachie (11), A. Dowdy (2), O. Barratt (12), J. Clayton (6), R. Sargent (5), E. Mhende (8), and D. Lockwood (26)

11^th November 2006 – Great Baddow, Essex - Tomcats Improved Defence Earns Second Win of the Season

Our third tournament of the season was a short trip down the A12 to take on the Great Baddow Eagles and a return match up against the league leading Haringey Warriors.

Coming into these two games, we wanted a better showing against Haringey and were not quite sure what to expect from the Eagles, but were quietly optimistic of our chances.

The first match against Haringey was as tough as we expected, but the team was up to the challenge. Defensively we stood firm and even though the result was not in our favour, we gave a good account of ourselves.

The margin of defeat was considerably lower than in our first meeting and we were able to keep the Warriors to a lower score than in their match against the Eagles.

In the second game against the Eagles, we kept up the same defensive intensity which enabled us to jump out to an early double digit lead. We came into our own offensively in this game due largely to the defensive pressure which created many lay up opportunities.

The Eagles attempted a spirited come back to within two baskets in the second quarter, but our bench responded and we soon re-established our sizeable lead.

The team is gaining in confidence and individually, each player has raised their standard of play. We are eagerly awaiting our next fixture which will see us play at home for the first time this season.

We travelled to Watford this weekend to play against the West Herts Warriors and Brighton Bears at the Parmiters sports club in Watford.

We started strongly on the defensive end but could not buy a basket on the offensive end. We missed easy lay ups and we had the ball roll around the rim and out quite a few times on our shots and lay ups.

We were better at handling the pressure of the full court press this time out, but once we broke the pressure, we were not able to confidently mount a positive offensive response.

We were only down by 10 points at the half and felt that we could mount a come back. But it was not to be. The frustration was evident as we gave away easy baskets at the dying stages. Final score 54-36.

Our second game against the Brighton Bears saw our best chance to at least get one victory slip away quickly. Again our undoing was our inability to put the ball in the net and to stop the second and third chances at offence for the Bears. The box out and rebounding needs to improve, if we are to stand any chance of winning against teams which are marginally better.

Despite the loses today, I feel we do have the talent to have won both games. We need each player to step up to their potential.

We travel to Chelmsford next week to take on the Baddow Eagles and the Haringey Warriors, our worst lost to date. No easy matches ahead for the ‘cats. Look for them to up their game.

Tomcats U/14 Boys opened their National League campaign losing one but winning one at Haringey on Saturday.

The first game against one of the strongest Junior Boys Clubs in the country was really a baptism of fire for the Tomcats when they found out what National League was all about.

However showing real character they came out for their second game with real determination and although a real 'nailbiter' eventually won by a single point which is most encouraging.

Results - Game 1 - Haringey 91 - 26 Tomcats
Game 2 - Tomcats 34 - 33 Sevenoaks
Game 3 - Haringey 61 - 39 Sevenoaks

Assistant Coach Ted O'Grady had these positive words to say about the teams performance 'The boys did very well to come back and win the second game. They stayed mentally tough to the very end, making a brilliant defensive stop as the clock ran out. I'm very happy that the boys are starting to take on our mantra of pass and cut, work hard and move your feet on defence, no stupid fouls, and take the ball to the hoop without fear. They came a long way to winning the second game after being blown out in the first. We will definitely make a better accounting for ourselves the next time we play Haringey.