[02 FEB 10] CRUSADER NEWS

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By James Bourne 

Coventry Crusaders’ Under 18s had a disappointing weekend as they lost ground on their rivals in the Midlands Conference with two defeats in successive days.

The Saturday fixture saw Alvin Scott’s men lose 70-89 to WNC Mansfield Giants at the Coventry Sports Centre, whilst the Sunday game resulted in a 83-71 defeat in Telford to the Team Spirit Shropshire Warriors.

Against the Giants, Coventry failed to recover from a disastrous first quarter, being 4-20 down after ten minutes. Often, slick passing around the two point zone failed to result in points, and Mansfield placed their shots well. The only scores were a turn and shot from Henry Janda and a lay-up from Craig Dakin.

Skipper Dakin produced a credible performance in both defence and attack, and his tally of 14 points in the second quarter helped restore composure and clarity to the Crusaders.

But the visitors kept the scoreboard ticking over, and the Crusaders’ ill-discipline – Mansfield nailed seven free throws in the quarter – helped ensure a 30-47 half time score.

A swift nine-point burst at the start of the second half gave the Giants breathing space, but the Crusaders continued to fight hard.

Billy Paronia slotted seven points in a minute in an inspired spell. His first came from a great defensive play, whilst his last came from a left hand shot, supplemented by three free throws.

Paronia would hit 12 out of his team’s 17 points in the third quarter, but it failed to prevent a 17 point deficit going into the final ten minutes.

Mansfield again kept the scorers busy in the final quarter to resist the Crusaders’ challenge. They hit 24 points, including three long-distance threes, to see off the match comfortably at 70-89.

Coach Alvin Scott said after the Mansfield game: “I thought last week we turned the corner, but today was a disappointing performance.

“We don’t seem to have five guys who are aggressively looking to score. I think everybody went in with a positive attitude, it just didn’t happen for us.”

Scott singled out captain Craig Dakin, saying: “He’s become a better leader, and is starting to lead the team really well. He’s the captain outright now and he’s doing a good job on the court. He leads by example, and plays hard.”

The Sunday fixture saw the Crusaders on the road against Team Spirit Shropshire Warriors. Coach Scott said after the Mansfield match that he was optimistic of a victory, but it proved not to be in a hard-fought contest.

Aside from the final quarter which was won 20-25, the Crusaders struggled to match the scoring power of the Warriors in the other quarters, being 23-10 down after the first, and 47-35 behind at half time.

The third quarter ended with a 17-point deficit for Coventry at 63-46, and despite a good effort in the final ten, the Crusaders fell 12 points short losing 83-71.

The weekend’s action saw the Crusaders slip to the bottom of the table, with four teams – including the Warriors – tied on 20 points, with Coventry holding an inferior points difference.

However, Alvin Scott’s men will look to redress the balance when they travel to another team involved in the basement battle, Notts Nova, on February 6^th.

                               

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