National Trophy, Patrons Cup & Shield Action Begins - NBL Round Up, Week 2 - Hoopsfix.com
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National Trophy, Patrons Cup & Shield Action Begins – NBL Round Up, Week 2

By on September 27, 2018
Bode Adeluola Hemel Storm

National Trophy, Patrons Cup and National Shield action tipped off this weekend across the country, as we continue to get our first looks at NBL squads across the leagues.

National Trophy

Manchester Magic vs Team Newcastle
Team Newcastle left Manchester with a 74-78 victory after Overtime, using a 6-0 run in the final two minutes to pull away for good.

A 3-pointer in the last 30 seconds from Josh Houghton helped keep the Magic within touching distance but Katchi Nzerem – who finished with 13 points – knocked down his free throws down the stretch to give Newcastle the victory.

“Really impressed with our character with this year’s squad,” Team Newcastle’s Head Coach Ian Hewitt told Hoopsfix.

“We were missing the Urli brothers, David Hanson, Mark Elderkin and Victor Fuentes. Despite that we shared the ball well and fought together in key moments. It’s a good indicator for us in comparison to last year’s team.”

GB Under-18 Tosan Evbuomwan made an impressive debut at the Division 1 level, registering 23 points and 10 rebounds on 8-for-9 shooting.

“I knew Tosan would make an impact but he showed real maturity for a 17 year old,” Hewitt added. “It’s a good game for him to feel comfortable within the team and the division. He has a lot of potential so I’m looking forward to seeing him use this opportunity to get better and help the GB team in the summer again hopefully.”

American Eric Stafford led the scoring with 26 points and 8 assists for Newcastle, who basically went six-deep in the rotation.

The Magic were led by captain Daniel Pilkington’s 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, as Richard Bell and Kaphel Ulett-Waul added 11 points a-piece.

Box score.

Derby Trailblazers vs Nottingham McDonald’s Hoods
Kayne King’s potential overtime forcing shot didn’t drop leaving Nottingham Hoods with a 83-85 win over Derby Trailblazers on Saturday at The Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre in Derby.

Delaney Powell finished with 24 points for Nottingham, whilst David ‘Tintin’ Watts had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double and Luke Mitchell 8 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Matt Ward-Hibbert led Derby with 21, new recruit Tre-Shawn Wilford had a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double, as Oli Stanley, chipped in his own double-double performance with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“It’s never nice to lose a game, but I felt there were plenty of positives to take from it. It was a great
crowd too and hopefully they’ve seen enough to keep them coming back,” Derby Head Coach Matt Shaw commented.

“It was pleasing to see how Charlie [Brown] and Blake [Bowman] handled their first game at this level. I thought they both did very well and showed composure beyond their years.

“It was certainly heart breaking stuff at the end and I just wish we could have got over the line, but unfortunately, we made some poor turnovers at crucial moments and that cost us.

“However, I really liked the way we battled and I think we will improve a lot in the coming weeks.”

Box score.

Hemel Storm vs Thames Valley Cavaliers
Bode Adeluola went off for 36 points as Hemel Storm held on for a 100-99 win over Thames Valley Cavaliers on Saturday at Hempstead Leisure Centre.

After Martelle McLemore drained a deep three to bring Thames Valley to within 1 and less than a second remaining, Prince Lartey stole the inbounds pass but was unable to get another shot attempt off as Storm escaped with the victory.

Adeluola knocked down six of Hemel’s club-record fifteen three pointers, with Levi Noel adding 4 on his way to 16 points.

“We have the players this season to make those kind of shots,” said Hemel Head Coach Robert Youngblood. “We were completely outsized but we weren’t phased by it and in the end the rebound count at 40/50 to them was acceptable given the obvious physical difference between the teams.”

Storm are still without potential starters 6’ 9” Tom Adorian and 6’ 6” forward Mike Darlow through injuries they sustained in preseason training and there is no certain date for their return.

“Our team balance has been affected by the preseason injuries but I thought we adapted and battled well and played with a lot of heart,” Youngblood added.

Andre Baptiste had 27 points and Martelle McLemore 24 as Cavaliers enter their first season in Division 1.

Box score.

Barking Abbey Crusaders vs Worthing Thunder
Having stacked up in the off-season, Worthing Thunder proved too strong for Barking Abbey, with a 99-72 victory at Brompton Academy in Kent on Saturday.

Missing Tom Ward and Brendan Okoronkwo made little difference for Worthing who pounced on the game early, as former GB U20 Nick Lewis exploded for 32 on 13-for-25 shooting, Alex Owumi had 24 points and 11 rebounds and former BBL MVP Zaire Taylor finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.

The young Barking Abbey squad – made up entirely of Under-19s – were led by 15 points each from Ade Adebayo and Robin Bedford, whilst Theo Hughes and Jonathan St Hilaire added 11 each.

Box score.

Patrons Cup

Ipswich prevailed 72-98 over home side Derbyshire Arrows, recovering after a slow start. Youngster and Hoopsfix All-Star Classic alumnus Ethan Price impressed with 21 points and 3 blocks for Ipswich, with Colin Dockrell having 21.

Sussex Bears handed out a 52-77 walloping to Greenwich Titans, behind 32 points from Jack Sunderland.

Jonathan ‘Jon J’ Johnson had 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting to lead Westminster Warriors past London United 82-85 as they survived a furious last minute run from the home side. Some Westminster highlights here:

Men’s National Cup

Team Derby Spartans got 39 points from Mical-Ryan Boyd to open their National Cup campaign with a 87-106 victory against Birmingham Mets as we head into the Second Round next week.

National Shield

On Saturday Bristol Hurricanes got a 97-83 with over Huish Taunton Tigers and Dorset Storm got a 73-65 win over Surrey Rams.

However, most of the action took place on Sunday with no less than 13 games scheduled (of which four ended up being forfeits). Tameside got a 74-57 win over Kingston Panthers, Nottingham Trent prevailed 98-72 over Mansfield Giants, Warwickshire Hawks defeated Birmingham Mets II 68-51, City of Birmingham Rockets were victorious 81-63 over Northants Thunder, Southwark Pride got a 69-51 win over Barking Abbey in a battle of the two leading junior basketball academies in London behind 26 points from Hoopsfix All-Star Classic alumnus Louis Norton-Cuffy.

London BC Medelynas got a 59-75 win over London Thunder Lewisham, despite 19 points from GB U16 Josh Uduje, Michaelides had 31 but Chelmsford Lions fell 82-79 at the hands of Hemel Storm II, and finally, Swindon Shock got an 83-75 win over Richmond Knights.

Please send all NBL related stories, pictures and videos for inclusion to [email protected].

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