Report by James Bourne
Coventry Crusaders were unable to turn their improving National Trophy
form into an opening League victory against the Bristol Academy Flyers,
going down 73-86 at the Sports Centre in a performance head coach Scott
Neely called “a sideways step”.
The score was relatively close going into the final
quarter, with the Crusaders only needing to make up a seven point
deficit at 52-59 down, but Flyers pressed on hard in the opening stages
of the fourth quarter to seal what eventually turned out to be a
comfortable win.
The Crusaders were dealt a blow before the match with
a shoulder injury to the versatile Dan Taylor, meaning that they could
only field three replacements for the game.
However, Coventry could not have wished for a better
start. The Crusaders attacked the Bristol basket with vigour and intent,
managing to secure an 11-3 lead within the first few minutes of the
match. This included a six-point haul from Stephen Danso, including a
great piece of skill to beat his defender before scoring.
The only points Bristol scored during this time came
from a perhaps controversial decision. American forward Davis Bowne was
adjudged to have been fouled whilst scoring underneath the hoop, but
Crusaders coach Neely wanted the play brought back earlier on for
travelling.
The referee, however, did not relent, and Bowne coolly
slotted home the free throw to earn three points and to take the scores
back to 6-3, after Stephen Danso and Jon Olinger had netted for the
Crusaders.
After this bright start, the Flyers gained parity in
the match. Bristol mixed up their play to good effect, using both the
physical presence of former Sheffield star Doug McLaughlin-Williams to
bustle his way through the Crusaders defence, as well as patient passing
around the three-point line, often initiated by the lively Greg Streete.
Bowne was the recipient in the best example of this
passing game to take the score to 11-13, whilst McLaughlin-Williams
caused problems for the Coventry defence with his strength and speed,
including a slam dunk following a breakaway to make it 14-19 just before
the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started evenly, with Kane Hudson
and McLaughlin-Williams trading scores early on. Stephen Danso missed
both free throw opportunities at 18-21 – uncharacteristically, given
that he hit five from nine free throws this game – with Simon Payne
being denied on the rebound thanks to superb defensive work from Enrique
Garcia.
These misses would prove to be costly, as three quick
scores in succession from the Flyers helped open up a pivotal 19-30
lead. The Crusaders were unable to overturn this deficit before half
time despite their best efforts.
A time-out called with six minutes of the half on the
clock seemed to ignite the Crusaders, with five consecutive two-pointers
nailed in a short space of time. This included two efforts from Jon
Olinger and Stephen Danso, as well as a score from Dave Edden.
However the Crusaders couldn’t find their way to half
time in front, with the Flyers netting a crucial score with a few
seconds to go. Greg Streete was fouled whilst scoring, and with the
Bristol captain having missed the free throw, Tony Berry nailed the
rebound to give Flyers a four-point haul, and a 32-38 half time lead.
The third quarter again
started evenly.
The highlight of the opening stages was
Crusaders guard Joe Francombe slotting home in acres of space after a
great dummy. But a sweet three-pointer from Mike Gregory ensured that
the Flyers had a bit of breathing space, although two free throws from
Jon Olinger closed the gap for a while.
The Crusaders were made to rue their missed offensive
rebound opportunities in the third quarter, with both Olinger and Edden
missing rebounds after Ryann Samuel’s initial shot. To make things
worse, the resultant counter-attack fell to Doug McLaughlin-Williams,
who promptly scored to give Bristol a 45-51 advantage.
Another timeout rejuvenated Coventry for a short time.
Two impressive scores – a slick three pointer from Olinger, and a slam
dunk at pace from Danso –narrowed the gap, but the Flyers held firm to
ensure a 52-59 lead going into the final quarter.
The Crusaders needed a fast start in the final stages
in order to give them the best chance of winning, but unfortunately,
this didn’t happen. Instead, Bristol took advantage of the sluggish
start from their opponents to open up a 54-65 lead early on, with Tim
Donaldson the only scorer for the Crusaders.
It could have been worse, but the impressive Samuel
managed to deny a near-certain basket for the Flyers, getting a hand to
Greg Streete’s inside pass to send the ball out in a great defensive
play.
The points kept on coming for Bristol, the highlight
of which being a slam dunk from Tony Berry after running through a
Crusaders defence which had opened up far too easily. Doug
McLaughlin-Williams threw a full-field pass to Jack Stannard to open up
a 58-77 lead with a few minutes to go in a quarter that threatened to
turn into a procession.
However, credit must go to the Crusaders for the way
they stuck to their task, with Coventry becoming the more dominant force
in the final few minutes of the match. Stephen Danso slotted eight
points in this period, including a three-pointer on the buzzer to make
the final score 73-86.
For the Crusaders, there will be positives to take up to Derby this
coming Saturday when they take on the Trailblazers. The points were
shared fairly equally, with Danso and Jon Ollinger joint top scorers
with 24, and Scott Neely will have to be pleased with the application
shown from his young team in the latter stages of the final quarter.
Quarter Scores: 19-19, 13-19, 20-21,
21-27.
Crusaders top scorers: John Olinger
24, Stephen Danso 24, Dave Edden 15.
Bristol top scorers:
Doug McLoughlin-Williams 27, Greg Streete 16, Davis Bowne 13.
Crusaders next home match is on the 21st
November when they face Reading Rockets, tip-off is 7.30pm at the
Coventry Sports Centre.
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