Collins Stewart Three 78 v Goldridge De Beauvoir 0

Last years defending champs got their season underway with a convincing display against Goldridge.  CS 3 welcomed back Simone Harris who looked like she had never left, as she consistently drove the centre of the key to register 24pts. Goldridge had no answer to the physical CS offence as Lorna Brown converted 27 from close range. As the games drew to its conclusion, a sizeable crowd urged the Goldridge team to make one final effort to get their name on the scoreboard, but it was not to be as the succumbed to a 78-0 defeat.

 

RBC 38 v Specsavers 24

RBC met Specsavers in a top of the table clash, yet the game failed to produce the kind of game that was expected. Both teams started slowly, guilty of too many turnovers and wayward shots. The first half remained close and at half time there was nothing to choose between the teams - 14-9 in favour of RBC. The third quarter proved to be the turning point as RBC scored the final 11 points of the quarter to open up a 15pt lead.  To Specsavers credit they did not give up as they took the fourth quarter 8-7 but it was not enough to prevent RBC from registering their first win of the season by 38-24. Aaron Le Masurier was the only player in double figures with 13pts.

 

Mavericks 78 v Brock Road 33

An experienced  Mavericks team met Brock Road in the season opener for both these sides. The game started at a frantic pace with both sides missing easy scoring opportunities. Neither side settled in the opening ten minutes but it was Brock Road who took an unexpected 10-6 lead into the 2nd quarter. The second quarter started better for the Mavs with 3 three-pointers finding the bottom of the Brock Road net on three consecutive offences. From this point the game never looked in doubt as the Mavs continued to make openings, scoring a number of lay-ups off fast breaks. The third quarter continued in the same vain as Brock Road failed to score a point, ending their chance of a causing an early season upset. They did however finish the game strongly with some fine passing and finishing but it was not enough as the Mavs won comfortably in the end by 78-33. Chris Simms lead all scorers with 24 points for the Mavericks.

 

Brock Road 52 v Richmond Worriers 36

48 hours later and Brock Road were back on court to face Richmond. In a heated affair the youthful Brock Road side once again started quickly but the strength and height of the Worriers meant the game stayed close throughout the first half. A 3 pointer from Tom Creed in the final seconds of the 2nd quarter left the game evenly poised at 23-20 in Brock Roads favour. The third quarter was again close with Brock road opening up an eleven point lead only to be cut back to 4 through some confident free-throw shooting from Ken Davey and Dave Legg. They could not, however, continue the accuracy into the final quarter and as Brock Road made the most of their opportunities, Richmond failed to connect on any of their 8 free throw attempts. The fourth quarter score of 16-4 gave Brock Road their first win of the season leaving Richmond to reflect on two tough loses in three days.

 

Under 21 Women 44 v Dee-Caf Magics 34

Both Junior Island teams were in action on Friday and first up were the Under 21 girls as they took on the newly formed Dee-Caf Magics.  In their first competitive game the magics showed they will be no pushover in the development league and in a close first half they trailed by just 2 points. This was largely due to some good shooting from Dan Hooper and Dominic Coquelin.  The magics then proceeded to win the third quarter  - restricting the Under 21;s to just 6 points. Five minutes from time the game was delicately balanced at 32-32 but a 12-2 run instigated by Kerri Brown ensured that the Under 21's started with victory. Dee-Caf can take heart from a solid first performance, as can the Under 21 Women who will look to challenge at the top of the table. Kerri Brown lead the scoring with 20 in an exceptional individual performance - possibly her best in an Island uniform and Dan Hooper finished with 12 for the magics.

 

Under 17 Boys 69 v Northern Trust 25

There was only ever one team in this contest after an early 16-2 run by the Under 17's put Northern trust firmly on the back foot. The second quarter was closer but at the end of the half the lead was a comfortable 21 points. It was a case of more of the same in the second half as a rampant Billy Page scored 10 out of his total of 15 in the final 20 minutes. The lead gave new coach Adam Farish a chance to rotate his squad giving debuts to Max Hamon, Tom Creed and Ian Froome who all looked competent at this level.  The final score of 69-25 showed that the under 17's will be a tough side to beat this season.