[08 FEB 10] CRUSADER NEWS

 U16's Triumph against Sporting Albion

Match Report by James Bourne:

Coventry Crusaders’ under-16s coach Marcus Garvey praised a “more composed” performance as his side defeated Sporting Club Albion 58-51 in a low-scoring contest at the Sports Centre.

The under-16s bounced back well from a defeat at home to table-topping Derby last time out against a side they had lost to both home and away this season.

Despite conceding a height advantage to their visitors, the Crusaders battled gamely and didn’t come second best in the physical encounters. Elliot Walker impressed on attacking rebounds, whilst new recruit George Riddington impressed on defensive duty.

The Crusaders made a blistering start to the match, going 10-0 up inside four minutes, the highlight of these scores being a swift move from defence to attack, culminating in skipper Luke Johnson running past a sleepy Albion defence to lay up.

After the visitors got the score back to 10-3, the Crusaders went on another ten point run to firmly cement their advantage, thanks to three scores from Johnson, one from Walker, and a lovely effort from Riddington just inside the two-point zone, sailing through without touching the sides.

The team looked assured, with slick passing around the two-point zone keeping the Albion defence on its toes. However, a play before the end of the quarter left the visiting coaches apoplectic, as Luke Johnson was allowed to play on whilst the West Bromwich defence were retreating.

Johnson fired the ball across to Sam Cardwell, who duly scored to make it 24-6 after the first quarter, and head coach Dexter Dixon sought a quiet word with the match officials.

The tables turned completely in the second quarter, as the visitors pressed on and scored 22 points to the Crusaders’ eight.

A swift seven point run from Albion was cancelled out by a great three point shot from Sam Cardwell to make it 27-13. Moments later he came inches away from hitting another from a similar position.

Luke Johnson went down in pain two minutes into the second quarter after an accidental elbow to the face, but he suffered no lasting effects and was back in action four minutes later after a timeout, with the score at 28-21.

The Crusaders inched their way slowly towards a half-time advantage, with free throws from Johnson and George Riddington helping to ensure a 31-28 half time scoreline.

The third quarter was a low-scoring affair, but the Crusaders continued to look assured and battled hard to keep themselves in a winning position.

Crusaders nailed four out of four free throw opportunities – two apiece for Riddington and Sam Blackwell – and a six-point run ended by a great reverse lay up from Luke Johnson turned the quarter around to help give Coventry a slender 41-40 lead going into the final ten minutes.

The game was still in the balance in the final quarter as both sides pushed for a vital win, but a four-point swing for the Crusaders all but clinched it with four minutes to go at 47-42.

After a foul from Luke Johnson, the free throws were both missed, allowing Sam Blackwell to race up the other end and feed Johnson, who top scored for the Crusaders with 21, to lay up beautifully.

Further scores from Elliot Walker and Johnson made it 54-43 with three and a half minutes on the clock, and despite conceding a few late scores, the Crusaders held on for a 58-51 success to draw them closer to the teams in the top half of the Midlands Conference.

 

  Main Menu | News | Sporting Albion  08 FEB 2010