Norfolk Iceni Basketball

UEA Panthers 63-47 Iceni Saints

 

UEA kept their league title hopes alive with a 63-47 victory against a gritty Iceni Saints side on Monday evening, UEA needed a run of sixteen unanswered points at the start of the fourth quarter to take them to the top of the table.

 

The third ended with the teams tied at 42 before a Natasha Hampton free thorw opened the UEA floodgates. Five different players contributed during a fluent period of basketball which saw the students overcome fierce resistance from Saints.

 

Panthers opened an early 6 - 0 lead but never had things their own way as the Saints backcourt of Sarah Westgate and Eleana Andreeva provided both a stabalising influence and scoring threat for the visitors.

 

The first quarter ended with Panthers up by one but it was Saints who enjoyed the better of the second quarter as they held Panthers to just nine points, whilst six Saints players contributed to the fourteen points, which saw them edge into a 28 - 24 interval lead.

 

The third quarter saw a series of scoring runs as Panthers scored the first six to lead at 30 - 28 before Saints tied things up at 30. Panthers scored the next six and Saints the following seven to nudge ahead 37 - 36.

 

In the circumstances, it was entirely fitting that the teams went into the fourth with all to play for. In the end, it was at that moment that Panthers produced their best basketball of the evening to close out the contest and keep them on pace for a title showdown with King's Lynn Eagles next month.

 

Choi led all scorers with 20, Valero adding 15 and Feilhauer 14 for Panthers.

 

Westgate scored 10 to lead the Saints response with Andreeva adding 9.

 

 

 

22/2/16 UEA Panthers 51-53 Saints

 

UEA Panthers were favoured against Iceni Saints but for the second game running they found themselves in early difficulties as Saints opened up a 20 - 7 first quarter lead.

 

Each side was missing key players, Panthers most notably Antonia Feilhauer whilst Elena Andreeva was missed by Saints.

 

With Sarah Westgate controlling play for Saints, who included four young players who have moved through the club's junior programme, things got worse for the Panthers as Saints increased their advantage to 28 - 9 mid way through the second quarter forcing Panthers into playing catch-up.

 

Panthers defence restricted Saints to just one more first half basket whilst they enjoyed a run of seven unanswered points but at the half Saints held a 30 - 16 lead.

 

As against Pumas, it was the shooting of Eva Fernandez Valero which sparked a Panthers come-back. She opened the third quarter with a triple followed by two further foul shots to immediately eat into the Saints advantage.

 

Panthers captain, Hannah Willcock, also came to the fore with six points in the quarter as her side 17 - 3 run to edge into a 40 - 37 lead before Westgate hit two from the line to bring the game back to within a point at 40 - 39 at the end of the third.

 

Momentum seemed to be with the Panthers but it was Saints who got off the mark quickest in the fourth. A 7 - 1 run was keyed by four from Amelia Abodunde giving Saints a 46 - 41 lead.

 

An 8 - 2 run from Panthers saw them edge ahead when Fernandez Valero hit to make it 49 - 48 with three minutes to play.

 

In a frantic finale the game was decided from the foul line. Westgate held her nerve to hit four from four for the Saints the last two closing out the game after Fernandez Valero had tied things up at 51 inside the final minute.

 

Fernandez Valero led all scorers with 20 points, Willcock adding 10 for the Panthers.

 

Westgate, 14 and Vivian Moyo, 11 led the Saints.

 

 

4/1/16   Eagles 40-29 Saints

 

Injury is always unwelcome in local basketball where the players are ultimately in the game for enjoyment so when Jackie Bunting went down with a broken wrist towards the end of a 40 - 29 victory for Eagles over Iceni Saints the gloss was taken from a competitive Norfolk League Women's Division encounter.

 

The break could keep Bunting out for a significant period which wil certainly challenge the league leading Eagles to adjust their game-plan given her superb management of the point for a number of years.

 

Within the game, each side showed some post Christmas rust with the early stages marked by a number of missed shots and turn-overs. Saints were 8 - 2 up before the Eagles found their range and came back to tie things up at 8 - 8 by the end of the first.

 

Eagles pressed out more in the second quarter and this helped them score eight without reply to take charge of the contest at 16 - 8. Vivian Moyo broke the Saints drought and the teams went in at the half with Eagles ahead 17 - 10.

 

Saints dug deep and remianed well in the contest as they reduced the margin to 23 - 18 towards the end of the third.

 

At this point the Eagles enjoyed another good ruin scoring eleven without reply to go into the fourth with a more comfortable looking 34 - 18 advantage.

 

Saints were not yet finished and used an 8 - 2 run to reduce the margin to ten, 36 - 26, by the mid point of the fourth. That was as close as they got as Eagles closed out the game in a final five minute marred by the injury to Bunting.

 

Carla Prosper led the Eagles with a game-high 12 points whilst Moyo and Karen Jones had 6 apiece for the Saints.