[23 JAN 10] CRUSADER NEWS

 Coventry Crusaders (56) 110

Tees Valley Mohawks (55) 93

Match Report by James Bourne:

COVENTRY Crusaders made it three home games unbeaten with an exciting 110-93 victory over struggling Tees Valley Mohawks at the Sports Centre.

The visitors were matching the Crusaders all the way, but four consecutive free throws from John Olinger in the third quarter from a technical foul helped shift the balance of the tie, which Coventry never looked like losing in the final ten minutes.

Olinger hit six out of six for the game to keep his free throw average above 80% and maintain his record as the best free thrower in the division.

The game was also marked by the high amount of three point shots, with an impressive 29 long efforts hitting the target. Crusaders skipper Olinger hit seven for his team in his total of 31 points, whilst Mohawks’ Steven Leven hit five for his side.

Head coach Scott Neely said after the game that, whilst he was happy with the win, he wasn’t happy about his side’s defence and the more cavalier approach to the match, despite the amount of threes hit.

Neely said: “I’m happy with the win, but not happy with some of our execution, especially in the first half. Defensively, giving up 55 points in the first half just shouldn’t happen.

“There were some bombs being put up there, and as for us, to have that balance when John [Olinger], Stephen [Danso] and others are hitting threes but then, a lot of times when you take the quick, early three, then it’s to the other team’s advantage.

“With Matt [Smith], we were doing lots of work on the inside and so for us not to get the ball into him to at least hopefully have an easy shot or maybe get the foul, then it’s not smart basketball.”

The first quarter started off evenly with the visitors taking the early advantage, going 0-5 up with a fine long shot from Leven. The Mohawks held onto this slender lead until four minutes before the end, when an Olinger three-pointer made it 19-18.

Stephen Danso coolly slotted home free throws after being barged by Carl Colmer and Ryan McQueen to quickly extend the Crusaders’ lead.

A further score from Dave Edden helped the Crusaders to a nine-point run to give them a comfortable gap; however a good three pointer from Michael Thompson just before the buzzer reduced the lead to 31-27 in a high scoring first ten minutes.

New recruit Matt Smith had a relatively quiet first quarter, but he more than made up for it in the second with fine work both on the defensive and attacking rebounds. Smith hit ten points in his overall total of 32, including a fine tap rebound from an Olinger shot to make it 37-39.

Both teams were evenly matched, with the lead changing hands on 14 occasions during the second quarter. A good example of this was when Matt Smith’s long range effort was immediately cancelled out by a three pointer from Brian McCotter to make it 45-46.

The Crusaders couldn’t seem to keep hold of a lead, as shown when Michael Thompson coolly slotted a three pointer from wide left following Stephen Danso’s earlier effort to give the Mohawks a 50-52 advantage.

But a swift five point run from Coventry, thanks to two further scores from Danso, ensured that the home side would enter the changing rooms with a tight 56-55 lead.

The Crusaders started the second half sluggishly, and scores from Lee McLaughlin and Brian McCotter gave the visitors an immediate six point advantage at 56-62.

However, the Mohawks lost their hold on the game as a result of a great 14-point run from the Crusaders, including four consecutive free throws from Olinger after a technical foul and a huge slam dunk from 6’9’’ forward Smith.

Within minutes, the scores had changed from 64-71 to 78-71 and the Crusaders had turned the game around to make themselves heavy favourites approaching the final quarter.

With the scores at 83-78 going into the final ten minutes, a bright start from the home side would seal the result, which they achieved thanks to smart shooting and tiredness from their opponents – a fact Mohawks coach Paul Douglas bemoaned after the game.

Matt Smith ensured that the scoreboard kept ticking over with three consecutive two-point scores, including another fine rebound from a missed Olinger long shot. However, he also proved his worth in defence, with a great grab from a McCotter effort preventing a certain score.

Despite classy three pointers from Michael Thompson and Carl Colmer, the Crusaders eased past the century mark for the third time this season thanks to a rebound from Dave Edden, and they cruised home from there with Joe Francombe’s free throws being the last scoring actions in a 110-93 win.

 

Quarter Scores:  31-27, 25-28, 27-23, 27-15.

 

Crusaders top scorers: Matt Smith 32, John Olinger 31, Stephen Danso 25.

 

Mohawks top scorers: McCotter 29, Leven 26, McLaughlin 11.

 

Crusaders next home match is on the 6th February when they face Derby Trailblazers, tip-off is 7.30pm at the Coventry Sports Centre.

  Main Menu | News | Crusaders vs. Tees Valley Mohawks  23 JAN 2010