7 & 8 Boys Basketball v Gordano II

On Wednesday 5 April the year 7 & 8 boys basketball team travelled to Gordano for round two of their head to head contests. Having won in their first match the boys were very much looking forward to their second but conscious that their opponents would have been hard at work since. On their arrival they walked into the sportshall to find at least 20 members of the Gordano team – what a fantastic advert for school basketball!

Of the 11 boys that travelled on this occasion, 4 were making their debuts for the school. Year 7 & 8 basketball practice is regularly attended by around 20 boys and so there are huge numbers to choose from.

Isaac ADEBO, Kyle BARRETT, Ruffin BUNKETE, Shadrach BUNKETE, Tom EVANS, Beau GILBERT, Nana GYIMAH-SARPONG, Benjamin LUMOSO, Charlton MILLIGAN, Jazper PEACEY, Joseph WILLIAMS

Basketball really seems to have taken off in the lower school and this group of boys have huge potential on the basketball court.

In the first quarter the boys played with their foot hard down and quickly started to build a lead. Their first possession came from a midcourt steal that was run in by captain Kyle Barrett. This really set the tone and the boys were aggressive in defence from the off making life very difficult for the Gordano players. Athleticism was the word that sprung to mind as Kyle, Charlton, Jazper, Beau and Tom were the five boys that started. Charlton added 4 points of his own before Jazper weighed in with a neat little step back jump shot for 2. Beau and Shadrach both added points towards the end of the quarter to give the boys 12 point lead at quarter time.

Their relentless approach to both offence and defence didn’t change as time wore on; other boys simply continued the excellent work of the starting five. Shadrach Bunkete was really started to look menacing on court making a number of good steals as well as looking a real threat shooting from inside the arc. Ben Lumoso was making himself a complete nuisance in defence. Ben has such a long reach that he seems to have the ability to lay his fingers on the ball when he is nowhere near his opponents but he also has great shooting form which he demonstrated at the end of the quarter. Jazper Peacey had already added 4 points to the team tally and the boys were looking really good for their lead.

Having built up a healthy lead at half time we agreed to try out a few different tactics and plays. The first of which was the boys getting to grips with the half court press; a vital defensive tactic. The boys demonstrated their ability to organise themselves on court and maintain a man each despite a number of substitutions. The boys also worked hard to fill the floor offensively so that they could get their passing game going. On a handful of occasions they linked together some brilliant passes that worked an opening to the basket. Tom Evans and Joe Williams in particular have developed somewhat of a reputation for throwing a bullet of a chest pass! Beau Gilbert was working really hard to get up and down the court and his natural athleticism and leg power were making him stand out on under the hoop at both ends. In the third quarter Ruffin was getting open in some brilliant shooting positions and the boys were finding him with their passes but unluckily for Ruffin his shots just wouldn’t drop.

In the final quarter Charlton and Kyle were doing their best to play team strategy and were really effective. Both boys won a huge amount of ball on the offensive rebound from their own and team mates’ shots. In the final quarter the younger boys were really encouraged to step up and lead on the court. It was great to see Nana GS and Isaac showing huge improvements and much more basketball game sense after just one fixture – both boys look to have incredibly bright futures on court. Despite their dominance in the final stages of the game SK struggled to add more points with Shadrach being the only boy to score in the third and fourth periods. He had played brilliantly and the smile on his face said it all when he added points to the tally!

It was a really enjoyable match to watch with players from both sides showing huge improvements since their first encounter. The game was played in a wonderful spirit with smiles all round. A fantastic way to end the term and some great basketball to boot! MVP was a tricky one – really could have gone to Charlton and Kyle as both were given a real challenge during the second half which they both responded brilliantly to. Shadrach and Jazper have to share the plaudits. Both boys top scored but more importantly their progress on the basketball court was evident!

Well done gentlemen.

Mr Cook