Game Time
Prior Put On A Good Show
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| James Burton shoots a difficult shot for Prior |
College Basketball in association with Game Time & Prior Pursglove College
Prior Pursglove Basketball Team did well yesterday at the Regional Finals of the British Colleges Cup, but unfortunately not well enough to progress to Loughborough. Prior won their first two games to progress to the second round, beating Wilberforce 28-17 and Stockton Sixth Form 41-17 along the way.
Claiming the local bragging rights over Stockton was a boost for the Guisborough outfit but their next game would be against the famed East Durham Basketball Academy who have a full time basketball academy attracting some of the most talented players from across the country.
The 11 point win over Wilberforce was a great start for Prior, especially as the team knew very little of their opponents before the game. James Burton was unstoppable as he plundered the opposition for 21 points. Jack Sanders and Usman Hussain added 5 and 2 respectively.
With the confidence of a first win under their belts, Prior went on to punish local side, Stockton 6th Form by 24 points. This game provided a good run for the whole team with Burton again leading the scorers on 14 and a good spread of points throughout the rest of the players as Early, Sanders, Hussain and Norman collected 9, 8, 6 & 4 respectively.
Prior knew they faced a tough task in challenging the might of East Durham, but they prepared well and out played the Peterlee based squad in the first five minutes. The shock forced East Durham Coach and former BBL coach, Craig Lynch to call a Time Out which had the desired effect as Prior struggled to cope with the inside presence of their opponents.
East Durham's main threat was their height with three players over 6'6" and their centre standing at 6'10". Burton and Hussain played well during this game, with Burton hitting an 'And 1' 3 pointer to take the lead in the third minute. Prior's good start though was short lived as the momentum slowly but surely shifted to East Durham and although Prior can be proud of a good performance, especially the start, East Durham were worthy winners, 32-14. Only Burton and Hussain marked the score sheet for Prior hitting 12 and 2 respectively.
The final game for Prior was against Huddersfield New College and was a game Prior were controlling for the three quarters of the match. Bu It was more a case of Prior crumbling at the last hurdle leading to a 24-15 loss, which is disappointing as it would have been an opportunity to progress further in the competition, however it was another good learning curve for the Prior College team. Matthew Norman played well adding 4 points but more importantly coming up with some big blocks and rebounds. Jack Sanders added 3 points while Burton completed his role as top scorer for each game with 8 points.
Another local College involved in the Tournament were Hartlepool 6th Form, who boasted Tees United Lions guard; Alex Moore in their ranks. Hartlepool did well to progress through to the second round along with Prior, although the two teams never met. Moore was in fine form along with Mark Taylor but they faced a mammoth task when they came up against Norton College from Sheffield. Norton had previously beaten Prior in North East Cup 154-77 and they continued with their winning ways by beating Hartlepool 40-20.
Results
Prior 28-17 Wilberforce
Prior 41-17 Stockton 6th Form
East Durham 32-14 Prior
Huddersfield NC 24-15 Prior
Tournament MVP for Prior: James Burton
Top Scorers: Burton 55, Sanders 16, Hussain 10, Early 9, Norman 4
For more photos of this tournament and other basketball events visit www.game-time.co.uk or click the links below:
8:59pm Wednesday 27th February 2008
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