Recap
It was another tough trip away from home for the Newcastle Eagles U16 girls when they came up against Nottingham Wildcats on Sunday 22nd January.
The game got underway to an intense start with both sides desperate to be the first to put some points on the board. However, a lack of spacing combined with a high number of turnovers and some poor boxing out from some members of the visiting team gave Nottingham Wildcats an early lead that it was impossible for the Eagles to come back from. Lexie Walton got the first basket of the game which was quickly followed by points from Sophie Hawkins who worked hard on offence to drive to the basket.
In the second quarter, the Eagles girls continued to struggle against the height and speed of the opposition. Despite this, Grace Rae used her strength on offense to fight for the rebounds supported by Erica Elsom who put herself in some good positions under the basket. The Eagles girls executed some good possessions but struggled to convert them leaving them significantly behind at half time with a score of 13-47.
Following a stern half-time talk from Coach Marina Fernandez in which she told the girls to set the tone for a better performance, the Eagles stepped up at both ends of the court. Seraphine O’Neill got the first basket of the third quarter and this, along with a free throw from Sophie Hawkins, meant the visitors had 4 points on the board before the Wildcats had made one. The Eagles girls displayed some good transitions at points providing good opportunities at the basket which Katherine Bird and Ava Bensley were able to take advantage of. The Eagles girls produced a 3rd quarter score of 12-13 which was a significant improvement on the first half scores.
In the final quarter of the game, Newcastle Eagles maintained their intensity and this, along with better boxing out and improved movement meant the score line didn’t really widen any further. Sophie Henderson put in the effort on defence to get the rebounds whilst Ellison Burke made strong, accurate passes to aid the ball in transitioning to the basket. Their efforts were rewarded with another close quarter score of 8-10.
With a final score of 33-70, he frustrations were clear at the end of the game as again, Coach Marina questioned how to get a good start from the girls that would reflect the ability they showed in the second half.
They have a difficult double-header weekend coming up with home games to Sheffield Hatters and Milton Keynes.
