Recap

U16 Boys fall to Riders on the road

There was disappointment for the Eagles U16 boys after they couldn’t quite make it back-to-back wins after falling 77-70 at Leicester Riders.

With both teams having posted similar season records and results, the well matched nature of the fixture was clearly visible as the action unfolded during the early stages.

The win was very much on offer for each side and it was Riders who took the initiative by moving into a slender 21-19 lead heading into the second period.

The Eagles’ inability to take care of the ball became a problem and having fallen down by double-figures as a result, they did well to work themselves back into the game. However, a couple of lapses in concentration saw the Riders back on the rise 41-31 at the interval.

There was little to choose between the teams in the third period and it boiled down to the last 10 minutes when the Eagles persistently erased the bulk of the lead to make it a one-shot game.

But they just couldn’t get over the hump and Riders saw the game out in the closing seconds with a big three-pointer and series of free-throws.

Jakub Bobkowski top-scored with 17 points for the Eagles.

“This was a difficult one to take because we allowed an opponent who were clearly no better talent-wise to impose themselves on us,” reflected head coach, Chloe Gaynor.

“We spoke in the locker room about the need to stand up for ourselves and to get onto the front foot. We have to realise how much easier it would be if we are the ones with the bigger desire to dictate at both ends of the court.

“A massive 30 turnovers hurt us while just 10 team assists showed how we didn’t share the ball enough or make smart decisions offensively,” added the playcaller.