Aztecs Lions 54-50 Chiltern Fastbreak (OT)
(12-12; 6-10 [18-20; 15-15 [32-34]; 13-12 [46-46]; 8-4 [54-50]
Leading scorers:
Steve Metson 16; Gareth Hill 11; Adam Woolford 9; Gerry Hill 7
MVP (nominated by the match officials):
Gerry Hill. 7 points; 2 fouls and countless rebounds.
Aztec’s #25 dominated the paint for the Lions, played some tough defence and was a constant threat on the offensive end.
Match summary:
The newly re-branded Lions recorded their first win of the season after a nail-biting encounter with Chiltern at Wellington College. After flying out of the blocks and recording an impressive 7-0 opening score the Lions gave up the next 8 points and so the ding-dong battle ensued with neither team managing to establish a significant lead in the first half. Chiltern went on a 10-2 spree at the start of the third period, but some tough defence and a couple of long-range scores brought the home side back into it with just ten minutes left. The sides traded baskets and could not be separated so overtime was played. The Lions scored 8 on the trot to seal the game with a minute to play. The win takes the Lions to third spot in Div 3, behind last week’s victors Basingstoke and Farnborough Phantoms 2.
Key stats:
The Lions spread the scoring with Steve Metson impressing from mid-range, scoring 8 of the Lions 11 points in an 8-minute spell in the final period. The Lions were called for 17 fouls in the game which put Chiltern on the foul line on 13 occasions. They made 11 of 24 shots. In return the Lions made 2 of 5 shots from the line. Chiltern played the entire game with just five players as 4 members of their team were unable to prove they had registered with England Basketball.
Coach Walker’s assessment:
The new season got under way with a win, a welcome result after the heartbreak of going down by just two to Basingstoke the previous week. The improvement was marginal in terms of scoring – the team scored one more point and conceded five fewer than they did against the Blizzards. In an attritional game against Chiltern having a deeper bench was an advantage, but in future games the aim must be to maintain the levels of energy, keep focus and not allow the opposition easy lay-ups. Training is on Tuesday at 8.30pm at Wellington College.
Next Lions game:
Thursday 21st October. Windsor Warriors vs Aztecs Lions. ACS Egham International School.
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