Semi Finals
Westcliff High School 59 V 90 Bristol Metropolitan Academy
Bristol Met Academy booked their place in the U14 Co-Ed Final after a commanding 90-59 victory over Westcliff High School.
After an even opening to the game, Bristol got onto a roll and put together a double digit run to create some daylight between the side. That streak was built on tough press defence and timely baskets from beyond the arc with Cam Watson already having a big impact on the game. The explosive guard forced multiple turnovers on defence and showing great athleticism on the drive to score 8 points in the frame.
That trend continued into the 2nd quarter as BMA continued to inflict damage in the lane as Westcliff struggled to adjust. Noah Louis was doing his bit for the Westcliff cause though, he had 16 of his side’s 22 points with a little over 5 minutes remaining in the half. Still, Bristol enjoyed a double digit lead at 43-31 come the interval.
A 15-2 run by Bristol after the break put the game out of reach by the midway point of the 3rd quarter, pushing the difference north of 20. Ishmael Ruglass was integral to that effort as he scored 6 of Bristol’s points, capping a 26-11 quarter as the lead flirted with 30 going into the last.
The 4th quarter played out in routine fashion as Louis finished on 24 points for Westcliffe and Jake Bausor and Jude Frimpong scored 11 and 10 respectively as the only other player to reach double digits. Ruglass top scored for BMA with 25, and Watson finished with 24.
Alec Reed Academy 0 v 20 Sale Grammar School
Final
Bristol Met Academy 84 v 72 Sale Grammar School
Bristol Met Academy managed to survive a 43-point onslaught from Sale Grammar School’s Tom Kelly to win the Dynamik Sports Floors U14 Co-Ed title 84-72.
Despite a 6-0 start by Bristol, Sale fought back to close things up at 14-13. The watching crowd were treated to an early matchup between Bristol’s Cam Watson and Kelly as the pair had 12 and 11 points respectively come the end of the 1st.
Eight straight points from BMA saw the South West side push ahead, but back to back triples from Kelly soon reduced that deficit. That trend would continue as Kelly kept his side in touch, but Bristol still led 44-38 by the half.
D Y N A M I K S C H O O L S. 🏆
— Basketball England (@bballengland) May 12, 2019
Highly enjoyable half of basketball in the U14 Co-Ed Final here at the @DYNAMIKsport Finals. Tom Kelly has 26 for @SaleGrammar, Cam Watson with 16 for @BMABasketball, what a duel!
GALLERY 📷 https://t.co/KAcv6z4eos#TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/vgK2UlgYPC
The 3rd quarter started much like the 2nd, with Bristol going on a 9-2 run this time to once again forge ahead. Unsurprisingly it was Kelly who had the answers for Sale, assisted well by guard Leo Widdall to keep the North West side from falling away. Still, BMA double digit lead was intact with 10 minutes to go at 64-54.
One of the game’s biggest turning points involved a small cut to Kelly’s shooting hand to close the 3rd period. The injury would take some stopping, leaving the eventual MVP to sit at the start of the 4th as BMA tried to move ahead in his absence. Kelly would return once the bleeding was under control and he once again sparked his side’s offence, closing things up to 70-66 with 6:30 remaining.
From there, Sale would go cold, unable to find the telling baskets they needed to draw back level. Kelly would leave the game once more to attend to his finger, and though Widdall stepped up to fill the scoring void, BMA managed to do enough to seal the win as they pulled away before the final buzzer.
Semi Finals
Woodlands School 63 v 52 Kings School (After 1OT)
Woodlands School pulled off a dramatic comeback against Kings School to seal a place in the Dynamik Sports U14 Girls Final, but they needed a period of OT to do so, eventually winning 63-52.
Kings School started the brighter of the two sides, racing out to a 6-0 lead to force an early time out from their opponents. Kings Sam Corrie was finding success driving the lane with purpose to draw attention before passing to an open team mate, and those looks pushed Kings School ahead 14-7 after 1.
An early 7-2 run propelled the Winchester programme further ahead before Woodlands’ began to find their stride behind baskets from Tia Bradbury. Those points helped reduce the arrears and by the half time buzzer the deficit had been trimmed at 28-20.
The 3rd quarter was a see-saw affair as both teams took it in turns to take control. With Bradbury continuing her fine form, Woodlands brought the difference down to 5 before Mae and Jess Fry worked hard to push Kings ahead once more. That left the score finely poised at 37-33 with 10 minutes to go.
The 4th quarter was a wild affair and Woodlands’ opportunity to win appeared to have gone when they slipped nine behind at 44-35. That wouldn’t be the case though as the scores narrowed once again and with all the momentum in Woodlands’ favour, they grabbed a last-gasp basket on the buzzer to tie the game at 46 and force OT.
That last score was only worth 2 points on the score board but forcing OT took the wind out of Kings School’s sails as they faded in the extra period. Woodlands kept rolling with renewed hope of a place in the Final and did just that following a one sided period of overtime.
D Y N A M I K S C H O O L S. 🏆
— Basketball England (@bballengland) May 12, 2019
Drama on court 1 as well! After forcing OT with a buzzer beater in regulation, @Woodlands_sch kept that momentum to beat @school_kings. Another incredible Semi-Final!
GALLERY 📷 https://t.co/KAcv6z4eos#TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/KHlJ7QtXfu
Barking Abbey School 56 v 60 Trinity C.E. School
Not to be outdone by the OT drama on Court 1, the second Semi-Final between Barking Abbey and Trinity hung in the balance until the final few seconds of the game before Trinity escaped with a 60-56 win.
With Trinity pushing ahead early, Barking were forced to battle back to avoid being in a hole to start the game. Despite trailing 11-6, BA managed to pull things back to a more respectable 15-12 as the quarter wound down though a late basket from Trinity would leave them up by four at 18-14 after 1.
The 2nd quarter is where Trinity made their move, breaking the game open as they went on an 18-3 run for much of the period. With Saffron Erving Murphy in fine form, the young shooter continued to pour in the shots as BA were forced into tough looks at the other end. A 38-22 score line at the half meant Barking had a lot to do.
An even 3rd quarter did little to suggest that a big comeback was on the cards. For everything captain Ines Goryanova and her Barking side tried, Trinity had an answer and the double digit difference was maintained at 53-40 going into the last.
This time, it was Barking’s turn to go on a tear. 53-40 quickly became 53-48 and with some excellent travelling support firmly behind the London side, Court 2 was getting loud. Trinity found some stability with a couple of timely baskets but Barking refused to go away. At 58-53 with 25 seconds to go, Goryanova scored a huge triple to set the game up for a grand stand finish. It looked to be on the cards as well when Trinity turned the ball over, leaving Goryanova to race down the court as the final seconds ticked by. Just as she pulled up for the decisive shot, a Trinity defender poked the ball loose on the chase, with a team mate falling on the turnover before passing out and getting the North West side a fast break score. At 60-56, Barking’s opportunity had gone in what was a thrilling end to the game.
3rd/4th Playoff
Kings School 87 v 86 Barking Abbey School
Kings School managed to come out on top in yet another tight game in the U16 competition, sneaking past Barking Abbey in a cracking game 87-86.
The opening period of the game suggested there might be late fireworks as neither team was able to seize the advantage. Ines Goryanova was continuing her good form from the Semi-Final and the teams went to the first change at 22-20 Kings School.
Just as they did in their own Semi, Kings School used the 2nd quarter to make a move. By coupling together defensive stops and leaning on Jess and Mae Fry on offence, Kings began to build a lead that passed into double digits as the half time buzzer loomed. Barking pushed hard to stay in touch, eventually heading to the break trailing 48-38.
Whilst BA’s pressing might not have been rewarded in the 2nd, it most certainly was in the 3rd as the London side steadily built momentum that would prove pivotal the longer the game wore on. As the minutes ticked by, the Kings’ lead dwindled until it was down to just four by the start of the final frame.
Despite their charge, there was another twist yet to come as Kings School pulled away once more. At 77-68 with a little over 5 minutes remaining, it appeared the Winchester side would be home and dry. That didn’t prove to be the case though as BA came roaring back with a 12-4 run to trail by just a single point with 2:10 remaining.
Kings would have been forgiven for folding off the back of such pressure, but they kept stepping up to make clutch baskets and retain a narrow lead. With 24 ticks remaining the score was 87-83 Kings, but a big triple knocked that back to a 1-point advantage, sending the noise levels through the roof on Court 2. Kings School came up empty on the game’s penultimate possession, but Barking’s final shot could only find the rim as the Kings’ bench erupted after claiming 3rd place.
Final
Woodlands School 50 v 52 Trinity C.E School
Woodlands and Trinity played out a fitting Final to the U14 Girls competition as yet another tense game provided an apt end to the day’s play in Manchester. Trinity eventually escaped with a 52-50 win to be crowned U14 Dynamik Sports Floors National Champions.
For the majority of the game, Trinity held the upper hand in the contest and looked to be more than able to keep their opponents at arms’ length. Leading 20-12 after 1, the potent duo of eventual MVP Saffron Erving Murphy and captain Lola Whittle were keeping the scoreboard ticking for Trinity as they went into the main change up 33-22.
Woodlands’ main source of offence in the opening 20 minutes had come from Paige Stephens, who scored 12 of their 22 first half points. She’d struggle the rest of the way, adding just two more to her points tally. That drop off allowed Trinity to move further ahead and as the end of the 3rd quarter came into view, the lead was edging towards 15 points.
Even as the game moved into the final frame, Trinity looked comfortable. Their lead remained in double digits with over 6 minutes remaining, but that is when Woodlands made their move. With Stephens taking a back seat, Deborah George moved to the fore as she began to control the glass and get her side’s offence rolling. A 9-1 run quickly tightened the score up and with 90 seconds remaining the teams were tied at 50 apiece.
From there, both teams struggled for fluidity, understandable with the growing tension to the Final. Turnovers crept in and good looks were hard to come by, but Trinity were able to find one basket to push into a lead. Woodlands did have one last look to force OT, but as they brought the ball up court, Trinity forced a turnover and iced the game to claim their title.
