|
Bears knew that the trip down to Portsmouth was going to be a particularly tough one, and that there would be no room for mistakes. Smugglers, perennial league champions, were smarting from the defeat that Bears handed them at the start of the season, and were keen to make amends.
The hosts raced into a 7-2 lead with just 4 minutes on the clock, dominating the glass on both ends of the floor. The introduction of Matty J, back in a Bears kit for the first time this season, brought some much needed presence to the court, and sparked an 8-0 run. Smugglers found their form again, and pulled back to within 1 as the quarter ended.
The home team kept their momentum going in the 2nd as Bears failed to score for 2½ minutes, falling behind 24-17. A much needed timeout was called, and Bears regrouped. Baskets were traded for the rest of the quarter, but Bears nicked a few more than their opponents and reduced the deficit to just 4 points at the half.
Big Daddy Al joined the game at the start of the 3rd, taking over from Liam Wyatt at point. This tactic paid instant dividends as it gave Liam the freedom to concentrate on his offense rather than marshalling the team. This sparked another 8-0 run, which saw Bears regain the lead (40-39). Smugglers struggled offensively as Bears pressure defence took hold, and by the end of the quarter the lead increased to 4 points (54-50).
Bears failed to make things count, failing to make much of impact on the opposition basket. With 5 minutes gone in the 4th, the game was balanced on a knife edge, as the hosts had pulled back to within a point of Bears (58-57). At this point Bears turned up the heat, and stepped up a couple of gears to produce a near-flawless performance for the rest of the game. Roland Ngarambe and Liam Wyatt between them shut down the hosts’ guards, whilst MJ and Moon dominated the glass. At the same time the Bears bench (vocal throughout the match) cheered, clapped and encouraged their team mates to work harder. The result was an 11-4 run which put the game out of reach with less than a minute to go. Each team scored another basket before the buzzer ended the game for an emphatic win.
This was a fantastic victory for Bears, and one that underlined their league title credentials. The Bears bench is definitely proving to be an invaluable “sixth man”, and the whole squad is starting to gel again and produce the goods when required. Let’s hope that this form continues into the remaining games of the season!
|