Three defeats for plucky Warwick Basketball

Warwick Men’s 1sts 69-84 Loughborough Men’s 2nds

Warwick Men faced a stiff test as they tackled a Loughborough Seconds team stacked with England Basketball League (EBL) and experienced European players.

The hosts quickly raced into the lead, with Phil Reeder and Omer Rub pushing the ball in transition and converting difficult layups on the offensive end. Loughborough answered with three-point shots and great ball rotation that pushed Warwick’s zone to its limits.

The story of the first quarter, however, was Ventsislav Georgiev. Seeing his first big minutes for Warwick Basketball, Ventsis showed his startling potential as an offensive and defensive force, crashing the boards on both ends of the floor. The first quarter ended promisingly with Warwick leading 23-17.

Loughborough stepped up their defensive game in the second quarter, rotating their defensive players expertly and forcing crucial turnovers from the away team. Coach Chifamba’s side clutched to maintain their lead, but were unable to stop the momentum shifting in Loughborough’s favour: the teams were level at 37-37 at the end of the half.

In the third quarter, Loughborough shifted from a man-man defence to a zonal system, forcing Warwick to shoot difficult outside shots from the perimeter. Unable to penetrate into the heart of the defence, the hosts struggled to keep possession of the ball; multiple turnovers and poor decisions allowed the home team to get out and run. Warwick were unable to stick with the home team and trailed by five points as they entered the final quarter.

The fourth saw much of the same thing with Warwick still unable to gain footing. Frustration with calls from the referees led to technical fouls and coach Chifamba was forced to blow his final timeout to retain the composure of his team. Unable to bring back the deficit, the visitors were forced to accept defeat.

However, the game was a testament to Warwick’s emerging talent: the first half especially showed how far the men’s side has come, and what to expect from the future. Warwick will seek revenge when Loughborough return next term. MVP rights go to Ventsislav Georgiev.

Warwick Women 49-59 Bedford

In the Women’s game, Warwick opened the first quarter well, with Sabine Chassagne well on her way to a game and season high in points. The home team made use of a 2-3 zone, a defensive formation Warwick women were unused to attacking.

Forcing Warwick to play a five-out offense and swing the ball for open shots, the Bedford zone prevented the away team from gaining any footing in the post. As an exciting first quarter drew to a close, Warwick trailed by only two points and looked to apply the pressure in the second.

Good ball rotation from the opening whistle saw Claire Woods and Giulia Zecchini free for long two’s and three’s. In her debut performance for Warwick Basketball, the introduction of Eve Steketee saw huge plays on both the offensive and defensive end for the away team, and with the scores tied at half-time the game was Warwick’s for the taking.

Big shots from Bedford’s no.10, however, saw Warwick’s lead diminishing in the third. Unable to contain the Bedford star, Warwick were forced to use up timeouts to stop the home team’s momentum as they raced to a ten-point lead. Employing a box and one defence on no.10, Warwick women were able to stymie the Bedford offense and close the gap, winning the third quarter and going into the fourth ahead by a single point.

With the score a tantalising 49–47 with only nine minutes remaining, Bedford pressed full court on defence. The Warwick side were unable to retain composure and feeling the absences of Maria Spathari and Anne Antoni, they could not hold out under the Bedford pressure and were forced to admit defeat. MVP rights go to Eve Steketee for a stellar debut performance.

Warwick Men’s Seconds 83-90 Ernesford Eagles

The men’s second team game on Tuesday saw a double-overtime thriller against league rivals Ernesford Eagles.

With huge plays in the first half from captain Ashley Payne-Reid and Aleem Jiwani the scores were level at 47 -47 coming into the third. Ernesford’s star player, who scored 38 points, took over in the third and fourth quarters; however Yogesh Morjaria kept the home team in the game with crucial steals on the defensive end.

The fourth quarter saw Aleem Jiwani hit three pointers and with Warwick leading 67-63 with 36 seconds to go, victory seemed inevitable. However, with a late rally and with some clutch shots Ernesford managed to make a huge three and sink a free throw at the line. With only 16 seconds left and the score 67-67, Warwick had an opportunity to win but missed and the game went to overtime.

Erneford raced to a five-point lead in the additional time, however massive plays from Payne-Reid saw Warwick equalise in the final seconds. A second overtime would ensue at 77–77. Sadly with all the momentum in Ernesford’s favour and with poor decisions from the Warwick side, the second overtime spelled defeat.