Crusaders (61) 108

Colchester (36) 83

Crusaders Kill Off Colchester In The First Half

A full house at the Coventry Sports Centre, were treated to another entertaining and confident display of basketball on Saturday night when Coventry and Warwickshire Crusaders took on Colchester United. 

Crusaders led from start to finish, delivering their fifth win in their last six games, and once again producing a century score line. 

Larry Graves got the home side impressively of the mark from long distance, but it was some classic play from Dip Donaldson and some fine inspirational shooting from Alaster Spiers that saw Crusaders pick up an early 15 - 8 lead inside the opening five minutes.

Despite a few errors from Crusaders, Colchester could not respond to the Crusader domination of the first quarter, with the home side making 10 from 16 floor shots and 6 out of 7 from the line.

Regular substitutions brought no change in Colchester's fortunes as the first quarter closed 28 - 17.

Colchester's possession got the second period underway, but having been replaced midway through the first quarter, Crusader Manny Sharland returned at the start of the second and immediately stripping the visitors of the ball, Sharland was able to feed the ball in to his skipper Derrick Pope.

However, the Crusader coach failed to hit the target on this occasion and although Sam Spare dragged down the rebound for a second attempt, the ball went out of play, giving Colchester the possession and enabling Jules Keeling to open up the scoring in the second for the visitors.

Within seconds though the Crusader supremo was back on target as his shot went in off the backboard following a superb inside pass from Sam Spare.

This started a 14 - 5 run for Crusaders, who confidently but almost casually made their shots from all areas of the key.

With four minutes gone and the scores at 42 - 24, Colchester called for a time out to give them selves a chance to regroup.

But still their shooting fell well short of the mark, and there was no way the Crusader defence was going to give their visitors any second chances.

Vic Booty was forced to try his hand from long range as Crusaders kept their defence tight inside the key, and despite two well placed three pointers from Booty, Colchester failed to narrow the gap.

They looked like a team already beaten as they trailed back to the changing rooms for the half time break, 25 points down 61 - 36.

Crusaders had done what they set out to do in the first half. In the match night programme Coach Pope wrote:- 

"I used to plan year by year, then it was game by game then quarter by quarter. Now we are looking from play to play. We have to stay focused on the short term things we are doing in order to get where we want in the end."

So now Crusaders had to put their Coach’s words into practice for the second half of what was turning into a gripping game, so long as you were a Crusader fan.

It has to be said though, that regardless of Crusaders winning the tip off for the second half, it was Colchester that had the better start in the opening two minutes.

Nevertheless Crusaders quickly got back into the groove, with Graves and Spiers chalking up 14 points between them to maintain the healthy lead for Crusaders that would enable match night coach Marcus Garvey the chance to one by one replace his starting five with his bench players.

By the time the third period closed at 87 – 60 all five bench players would be on court to play out the rest of the game.

As Garvey said after the game,

"Yes I could have increased the score line and entertained the crowd more, but we have games yet to play this season, against top of the table teams. The experience that the bench have got tonight will make all the difference in those games."

Having closed the scoring for the third quarter, Crusaders Wes Hall opened up the fourth and final period, with composed and confident shooting.

All the way through the fourth quarter the Crusaders "second string" held their own, producing 21 points between them and again confirming the depth of this season's squad.

A skilful interception from Baynes Clarke followed up by an equally good pass from him into Hall saw Crusaders stretch their lead to 31, before Booty sunk his fourth 3 pointer of the night from “downtown” for the visitors.

Although Crusader shooting was at times off target, fast breaking Lee Muir playing point guard, was insuring that his team had plenty of opportunity, and when with three minutes left Craig Robertson tipped in a shot from Baynes Clarke, it was pleasing to see that once again all ten Crusader names appeared on the score sheet.

Robertson who, came back into the side at Worcester having missed three games since Christmas, certainly looked more composed now than in the games early stages, and playing well along side Sam Spare in defence.

Crusader's century came in style with a nice long three pointer from Wes Hall, who despite having only come into the game near the close of the third would have, by the final buzzer produced his best score of the season of 11 points.

The game closed in equally fine style as Baynes Clarke drained a talented three with no time left for Colchester to do any thing other than lick their wounds as Crusaders celebrated their seventh league win of the season 108 - 83.

According to Marcus Garvey, "All in all Crusaders did what was needed.  We benefited from having two training sessions head of the game, unlike the week before when the bad weather saw us without an available training facility. 

I was pleased with the way the whole team played, but especially the way that the bench came on and didn't let the game slip."

Crusaders are away at Oxford next Saturday before returning to the Coventry Sports Centre to take on 2nd placed North West London the following weekend.

Crusader Scorers                                    

Larry Graves 22, Alaster Spiers 21, Derrick Pope 17, Ed Baynes Clarke  12, Wes Hall 11, Manny Sharland 8, Dip Donaldson 7,  Lee Muir 6, Craig Robertson 2, Sam Spare 2               

Colchester Scorers

Vic Booty 24,  Simon Taylor 15,  Alex Birch 12,  Alec Ward 11,  Jules Keeling 8,   Leroy Manhcrtz 8, Joe Matthews 3, Femi Ariyo 2