South East Tigers 53 – 52 East Grinstead Flyers

South East Tigers made it three wins out of four with a 53 – 52 victory over East Grinstead Flyers last Wednesday evening at Battle Sports Centre.

A tough match where defence dominated offense saw many lead changes throughout, was decided by one point.

A slow nervy start by both teams kept the score low and after the first quarter Tigers had a slender 11-10 advantage. Both teams were unable to move the ball inside successfully against compact defences, which saw the forwards from both sides cancelling each other out.

Both teams started the second quarter playing full court pressure defences which in turn forced poor shot selections and a number of turnovers. This time however the visitors were the better winning the quarter by two points and taking a one point lead into the half time break.

The second half saw both teams re-focus and the flyers become more aggressive on their offensive play. Tigers found more space on the perimeter and scored 3 three pointers (Lowe, Burt, Hambridge) in the quarter. East Grinstead were better at drawing fouls and made 9 trips to the foul line, scoring from 7 of them. Score at the end of Q3 saw Tigers 40-38 up.

Final quarter and Flyers resorted to a 2 man game with the majority of there points now coming from speedy left handed point guard Kallas (15), and 6’7” Koster (17). Geoff Lowe had a great final quarter, stealing possession twice and scoring 8 points including 2 three pointers. Tigers were 2 points up with 90 seconds remaining, but a Kallas free throw and 3 pointer saw Flyers grab the lead by 50-52 with 29 seconds on the clock. Tigers last offence reversed the ball round to Lowe who hit the clutch long shot to give the Tigers the narrowest lead with 11 seconds left. Flyers flew up court but their last second shot was heavily pressured, and hit the front rim and bounced out.

The win keeps Tigers level at the top of the Sussex league. Men’s coach Andy Hodder said after the match ‘The team have developed a resilience this season that enables them to grind out results when necessary. However, our offence is still not functioning well and we have a lot of improving to do, as we should have won this game by 12-15 points.”

Scorers:- Geoff Lowe 19; Tim Hambridge 10; Pawel Skrzypek 9; Joel Hunt, Duane Weller, Josh Burt 3; Justin Hemmings, Louis Parsk, Gary Harrison 2.

The Youth teams were also competing this week. The U16 were against Crawley Cagers and the U18 verses their local rivals the Eastbourne Lions. Both teams were unable to secure a win but club chairman Hung Li said ‘This is our first year competing with youths teams and I am encouraged by the improvement in both teams as they face their first experiences of real league competition.’

South East Tigers 62 – 70 Bognor Pirate

South East Tigers had their first setback of the season as they suffered a loss to a highly experienced Bognor Pirates that featured 3 players who play in the National League.

Both teams started the game well with efficient offence from their guards; the Tigers scoring baskets and the Pirates using strong drives to the basket to draw fouls and gain free throws. The first quarter finished 16-19 to Bognor.

The second quarter saw a reversal of fortune and tactics. Tigers aggressive pressure defence caused a number of turnovers which they ran back for easy lay-ups. Strong drives to the basket drew fouls which led to a string of free throws while Bognor were able to keep the score close with accurate perimeter shooting. At half time the Tigers led 35-33.

The 3rd quarter saw Bognor ramp up the pressure as they switched defences and they regained the lead with some good steals and fast breaks. The intensity of the game caused emotions to run high on both sides and unfortunately two Bognor players picked up unsportsmanlike fouls. The quarter ended Tigers 48 – 51 Pirates.

The visitors started the last quarter with high intensity that the Home team found hard to match, the lead extending to 9 points. A Good use of Time-Out by Coach Andy Hodder stopped the slide but the damage had been done and the lead was maintained until the final whistle, the Pirates winning by 70 points to 62.

Tigers still top the league table although other teams have games in hand.

South East Tigers scorers:- Joel Hunt 17, Geoff Lowe 17, Piotr Skrzypek 11, Pawel Skrzypek 8, Tim Hambridge 6, Jake Thompson 2, Justin Hemmings 1.

Free Throws:- SET 9 from 16; BP 7 from 16.

Fouls:- SET 13, BP 18.

3 Pointers:- SET 6, BP 5.

The local club also fielded its first U16 team this week with a match against Worthing D&D Dunkers. The young players were unable to grab a victory but gained valuable experience against one of the best teams in the league. Youth Coach Joel Hunt said ‘My players performed well for their first outing, we know now where we need to aim in terms of standard and intensity’.

 

The Tigers have found themselves with a new mascot however the poor thing has no name.

 

Can you think of a good one?

 

Post suggestions on our Facebook page

South East Tigers 55 – 45 Haywards Heath

South East Tigers has had one of their best starts to the season with a victory over Haywards Heath making it two wins in a row.

Tigers started the game well with an impressive display on both offensive and defensive. Aggressive pressure defense created turnovers which lead to number of early fast break opportunities. By the end of the second quarter Tigers were leading by 15 points. The home team extended this lead to 20 points by the end of the 3rd with 17 points coming from Joel Hunt and 14 from Duane Weller.

The fourth quarter saw the Panthers rally and reduced the score difference to 10 points with little response from the Tigers.

The visitors started the final minutes with purpose and a strong defence was rewarded by three fouls throws and a number of baskets that further reduced the lead to 5 points.

The risk of undoing all their hard work seemed to refocus the Tigers and they dug deep to stop conceding points and added to their tally to finally put the game out of reach of Haywards Heath.

Tigers top the league table although it is still early in the season, Team coach Andy Hodder said after the game. ‘We still need to improve in a number of areas but I’m pleased with how we have started the season. We have a strong team and I’m looking forward to seeing how we progress this season’