Northamptonshire Titans Under-14s put in a fantastic effort before losing their EBL Under 14 Boys play-off quarter-final against Lewisham Thunder 71-62.
This game was always going to be close and it didn’t disappoint with nerves on edge for most of the match.
Titans came out strong and looked a completely different team from the previous week.
Keenan Salmon looked inspired with a quick turn round to score Titans’ first basket within one minute of tip-off.
The atmosphere in the gym was electric with a great crowd of both home and away supporters.
The first quarter saw great efforts from all the staring five with captain Elliott Farrar unable to train all week due to an injury picked up in the first round match in was unsure whether he would manage any court time at all.
Within seconds of tip-off the doubts were put aside and he played as freely as the opposition would allow.
Trei St VIe and Hayden Alcindor did what they do best and both scored well in a few minutes keeping the table busy.
Lewisham were ready for action and at the end of the first quarter had almost levelled the scores.
The second quarter was a different story and Lewisham seemed to find their rhythm and took Titans a little by surprise, scoring 10 points in quick secession Titans had to find a way to stop them.
Although Titans came out fresh and renewed after the half time locker room talk, Lewisham were equally as strong and both teams fought hard Lewisham started to run away with a lead.
Titans came back with a superb show from all players on the court.
Unfortunately there was not much room for the coach to rotate the players, however one at a time most of the bench had court minutes.
The final quarter was as tense as game we have seen at Weavers for a long time.
The boys dug deep with the noise almost unbearable from a group of boys on the bench desperate for their team to find the basket.
As the Titans drew the match level at 61-61 with two minutes to go, it looked like they may realise the dream of a trip to final fours.
However, Lewisham again proved relentless and scored three baskets quickly to take the game.
The undefeated Titans had finally been beat in what can only be described as an amazing game of basketball worthy of a Final Fours final game.
This year may not have been the year for the Final Fours, but make no mistake the NEBC Titans learn fast and will take all they have learnt this year from coaches John Clarke and Danny Alexis to get them to where they deserve to be next year.
EBL Under 16 Boys Play-off Quarter Final
Newham All Star Sports Academy 66 Northamptonshire Titans 52
The Northamptonshire Titans U16 Boys travelled south for the first time this season to take on last season’s U15 Champions Newham All-Star Sports Academy for a place in the Final Four Championships.
Titans were considered the underdogs in this game as Newham had clinched the Southern Premier title with a 19-1 record as well as winning the U16 Boys National Cup.
With these credentials and home court advantage, NASSA were confident that they had already booked their place in the end of season showcase.
However, NEBC Titans were determined to put up a fight and despite being at a considerable height disadvantage they played with gusto and matched the London team’s physicality.
Unfortunately the game officials decided that it was the smaller Northants side that were too aggressive, and this resulted in key Titan players and regular top scorers Andre Arissol and Terrell Salmon picking up two fouls apiece in the first quarter of play.
Having to go to the bench early meant that Titans struggled to convert early opportunities and with a last second buzzer beaing a three-pointer by the home side, NASSA took the first quarter 19-10 which would prove to be the largest margin of all of the remaining quarters.
The start of the second saw the two teams trade baskets as both teams used fast-break opportunities to try to establish a foothold in the game.
By the fifth minute of the quarter, Titans had managed to double their points tally and now trailed by 28–20.
However, that was to be the last time they troubled the scorers for the remainder of the first half.
NASSA scored the last eight points of the quarter all from the free-throw line and headed into the half-time interval with a big lead of 36-20.
Titans were left to rue the fact they could have narrowed the margin to single digits if they had not missed seven of their 11 free-throws at that point.
If the Northamptonshire side were to cause a huge turnaround and upset the form guide they would need a Titanic effort in the third and fourth periods.
Titans won the third quarter 15-14 but knew they would have to push themselves in to an even higher gear to keep their season alive.
The boys in purple decide that they would not go down without a fight and took the game to the hosts.
In their best period so far Titans rallied to cut the deficit to just 10 points with a superlative three--pointer from Sharif St john and as Titans sniffed blood and used their stifling defence to get back into the game, the NASSA coach was forced to call a time-out to allow his players to regain their composure.
This tactic worked as the home side managed to score the last six points of the game thanks to their two England players Calvin Kintu and Johnathon James, who combined for 40 of their team’s 66 points.
Despite Titans also winning the fourth quarter 17–16 and outscoring their illustrious hosts 32-30 in the second half, with top scorers Sharif St John (17) and Terrell Salmon (12) being the only two players managing to get into double figures for NEBC, time had run out on Titans Final Four aspirations.
Coach Danny Alexis concluded said: “Upon reflection the Titan boys can look back with pride at their achievements this season.
“They can consider themselves as one of the best six teams in the country and look forward to going one stage further next season as they compete in the Under 18 Premier League.
“With hard work, commitment as well as the addition of some experienced players Titans feels that over the course of the next season they will be able to compete with the top teams in the country”.
Come and play...
In preparation for next season NEBC Titans would like to invite players interested in playing in the National League in age groups under-13 to under-18 to come along to training sessions starting in July at Northampton Academy and Weavers Leisure Centre.
check the club’s website and Facebook page for dates and times which will be announced at the end of May.
Titans’ sister club Wellingborough Phoenix are running sessions for 8-12 year olds on Saturdays from 10.30am-Midday 00 at Weavers Leisure Centre.
Another sister club, the Northampton Nets, are running sessions for 6-14 year olds on Sundays from 10-11.30am, and young girls sessions on Mondays from 6-7.30pm (until May 5 then starting again in July-due to exams) at Northampton Academy.
Check the websites for more details: http://www.nebctitans.co.uk/ http://www.northamptonnets.net/index.html http://www.wellingboroughphoenix.co.uk/