The weekly roundup is back! Check out the the scores and coaches' thoughts from week 11 of the National league season.
Week 11 saw 12 games underway across the North in the Senior and Junior National Leagues
Let's see how it all went down as we roundup week 11 of the 2023/24 National League season.
Saturday 9th December 2023
COLBA vs LDM
NBL Divsion 3 Men North
Result: 50-89 (L)
Player of the game: Luke Garner
Coach Matt Newby: "In a game that had signifcant meaning, our young side did not show the form that you would expect as we hit Christmas. A mature performance from the visitors would see us second best in multiple aspects of play, including transition offense and defense. However, it's all learning for our young cohort and we'll look to make the adjustments for the return fixture."
COLBC U18 Men vs Bradford Dragons
U18 Men North I Conference
Result: 65-77 (L)
Player of the game: James Higgins
Coach Ryan Weir: "The U18s fresh off of two wins in their last two games, looked to make it three in a row on Saturday. The boys started off scoring at an electrifying pace establishing an early double digit lead in the 1st quarter. A strong response from Dragons saw them close the gap heading into the half. In the 3rd quarter a barrage of 3s from Bradford and scoring slump from COLBC saw a 26 point deficit facing us with around 15 minutes of game time to play.
In a last ditch effort to salvage the game we switched to a 1-3-1 half court, trapping defence. With excellent work from Daniel Onabrakpeya, Ethan Hall and Ethan Lough trapping and scrambling, we were able to disrupt the flow of Bradford’s offence and close the gap. With all the momentum in our favour through some excellent defence and timely shooting from Ethan Lough, we sat mere 8 points down with around 5 minutes to play. However, with a lack of execution in finishing at the rim, the points required to complete the comeback were left on the floor. Consistency will be key through the rest of the season to close out games much like this one."
Sheffield Hatters II vs COLBC U16 Girls Gold
U16 Girls North Conference
Result: 32-56 (W)
Player of the game: Pearline Boateng
Coach Katie Lamond: "We love a Yorkshire Derby! Sheffield and Leeds games are always something to remember. As always, both teams wanting to give all they can.
The first half we got caught up with the pace of Sheffield. Defensively recovering well and keeping up the speed of transition, however rushing offensively. Our competency with the ball actually hindering our ability to successfully bring up the ball. Hatters pressure and our decision to dribble rather than move the ball slowed our advantage, limiting our offensive movement. A little uncertain on our drives at times allowed Hatters to hustle and steal the ball, attacking with pace and confidence. Fair play to both teams, the closeness of the halftime score due to neither group wanting to let the score slip, Hatters a constant threat. Hustling for the ball from both sides, both in the air and on the floor throughout all quarters.
The second half COLB did an exceptional job of stepping up their performance. Offensively and defensively on the same page. Providing both the pressure and correct management of help. Analysing opposition decision making , making the correct reads on the help rotation. N0.4 Francesca Iodice hustling after EVERYTHING! Keeping up with players, loose balls, not letting up on steals or interceptions. Iodice having back to back , high level performances. As a team, stepping up the defensive intensity lead to great transition opportunities, to which the girls converted brilliantly. Forcing a larger gap between the two sides.
Much more composed in the 4th. Looking after the ball in transition. Both player and ball movement offensively much more present and controlled. Allowing Gold to see out the game comfortably. Another strong offensive performance by No.8 Zoe Nathaniel, who's movement and physicality lead to multiple scoring opportunities. Outstanding defensive performance by No.12 Pearline Boateng! Excellent defence on Hatters No.5 Mollie Windle! A tough position to be in, to which she handled to perfection. Looking forward to the match up once again next week!"
Northamptonshire Titans vs COLBC U16 Boys Gold
U16 Boys North Premier
Result: 56-79 (W)
Player of the game: Callum Conroy
Coach Sam Messam: "The U16 Gold squad travelled south to Northampton still looking for their first win. In fact, the aim was clear, the intent agreed, and the purpose shared. From the opening tip the CoL chased their aim with passion and effort. The home side Titans put forward a strong response of their own as they too sought their first win of the season. The clash was befitting a medieval battle as both teams chased every loose ball, wayward shot, and limp pass. The CoL stepped up their defensive attack, pressing on every score and forcing mistake after mistake. The net result benefited the visiting CoL as they surged ahead and forced the home side into timeouts, disagreement and technical fouls in a bid to holt the momentum of the Leeds Owls. At the final whistle the U16 Gold secured a 20+ point win and left the clash victorious."
COLBC U16 Boys Black vs LDM
U16 Boys North I Conference
Result: 39-74 (L)
Player of the game: Max Jablonski
Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "The U16s came into this one with a thirst to compete against the cross-city rivals LDM Leeds and show what had been worked on over the last few practices. The boys started very well and kept the game close with some quick steals which was shortly supressed by LDM's physical play over the 1st quarter. As the second quarter came rolling in, the boys kept pushing with valiant drives to basket to create some shots in the corners or smart finishes at basket but unfortunately, the ball just wouldn't roll in. The second half came in while we showed resilience on the defensive end against a taller side, however this didn't phase Harry Firth and Max Jablonski as they played hard and physical to push their bigger players away from their strong spots and even came away with some steals! Josh Gatsi also kept the team in as he showered in three 3's in the third-quarter and another in the fourth.
Regardless of the result, the boys showed a really good account of themselves which represented the second-tier of the U16s program at City of Leeds very well. With a lot of things to think about and work on for the next few week into Christmas, I am proud of the team and their progress over the last three months."
COLBC U16 Boys White vs Barnsley Metros
U16 Boys North I Conference
Result: 41-66 (L)
Player of the game: Sam Oldroyd
Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "An anticipated matchup against a team which we had faced earlier in the season that was closely matched. All of the boys brought the energy with a loud shout to get the game started. I was impressed with how they had imposed themselves onto the game which is something I had not seen before. After a strong first quarter with some back and forth play mainly centred around some solid unselfish transition baskets from Noah Brevitt and Aidan Dogra. The boys continued to show glimpses of the team-based, hard nosed and fast paced play which we had been working on in practice and that reflected in the score as the game went on. Although, we struggled to maintain that lead going into halftime. After some encouraging words, the boys kept pushing and managed to get the game within 5-points in the third-quarter after Sam Oldroyd showed off an impressive display of finishing. Hannes Au kept it in our grasp with some sharp moves to make good passes to teammates. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep us in the game. Again, this team has come on leaps and bounds since we played Barnsley last time and managed to cut the difference down to 15 points instead of 30! I look forward to the last game of the year against Grimsby Phoenix!"
COLBC U14 Girls vs Sheffield Hatters II
U14 Girls North Conference
Result: 55-34 (W)
Player of the game: Elizabeth Asonmwonriri
Coach Greta Stout: "The girls brought their ‘A’ game on Saturday, and it was felt from the tip-off that it’s going to be an exciting game. We understood the game wouldn’t be easy, playing against one of the top teams in the league, Sheffield Hatters, but our City of Leeds girls came out focused on both offence and defence, keeping the Hatters to only 34 points throughout the game.
It was great to see some younger talent starting the first quarter with some amazing steals from Amelia Sherwood and both Georgia Allen and Maggie Newby putting valuable points on the board. We were pushing the ball well and managed to secure some points in transition whilst taking advantage of several great passing sequences. The girls were successfully applying pressure and playing great help defence, communicating effectively, and making a number of nice steals throughout the game.
We managed to hold Sheffield to a mere 2 points in the first quarter and only an additional 6 points in the second, really demonstrating how hard the girls worked on defence.
Elizabeth Asonmwonriri and Natasha Kumaraswamy had superb games, both showcasing an impressive level of basketball for all to enjoy. Between them, they demonstrated some great drives to the basket, outstanding assists to open players, and Elizabeth's successful conversion of two 3-pointers were key highlights of their exceptional performances. Sophie Ramshaw also had a great game, collecting numerous rebounds while Jessica Woodward once again provided the glue to the teams’ performance, her great attitude and pushing the ball down the court contributed to our victory.
In the final quarter, we rotated players to provide an opportunity for teammates to play with one another. Both Amelia Clayton and Amelia Sherwood concluded the quarter with impactful plays, contributing additional points to the overall score.
Coach Phil Cleeve and I were immensely proud of the girls for their performance on Saturday. The standout elements were teamwork, determination, and individual player contributions, showcasing their ability to compete against a top team in our league. Now, it's time to focus on continual improvement and return in the new year as an even stronger team!"
Sunday 10th December 2023
Derby Trailblazers vs COLBC U18 Women
U18 Women North Conference
Result: 66-65 (L)
Player of the game: Ella Ryan
Coach Katie Lamond: "Tough loss on the road, and a lot of aspects to the game today that was beyond our control. Regardless, exceptional hustle from the U18s today.
Some extremely positive moments from the girls today. Intensity and desire were present right from the start. Help rotation often faultless. The teams' communication with each other was outstanding. Trailblazers a fast and physical team! Making it extremely tough to deal with in the key. However, the girls worked their hardest to be in the right positions and take the contact. Even when doing everything right, Trailblazers managed to convert in tight defensive situations. The score naturally being close throughout, keeping pressure present within the game.
Officiating impacted our defensive rhythm a lot today ,especially in the second quarter, which led to a small breakaway in score for Trailblazers. However, the third quarter the U18s stepped up brilliantly. Tactically efficient, performing a new and unfamiliar offence to perfection, making great reads, and attacking options to bring the score back to a close battle.
N011 Hattie Miles with a buzzer beater layup to take us to overtime! The girls began incredibly well, setting the tone both defensively and offensively, taking good control in overtime. Unfortunately, personal foul trouble and team fouls impacting our ability to be truly physical and stop a lot of Derby's drives. The pressure of the situation also impacting our decision making within the last 30s, meant that unfortunately we were not able to come away with the desired result. We had the right intention! Just unfortunately not the execution.
Tough to take, but despite the result, the performance they were able to give was exceptional. They should feel proud of the way they performed today."
COLBC U16 Boys Black vs City Of Edinburgh Kings
U16 Boys North I Conference
Result: 41-79 (L)
Player of the game: Emil Omidiran
Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "The second game for the U16s Black this weekend against an experienced Edinburgh side which had recently been relegated from the Northern Premier Division. Once again, the boys established themselves into the game with some good defensive plays which gave Emil Omidiran and Josh Gatsi some quick scores in transition. Edinburgh came back strong as they punished us after we lapsed on some defensive rotations. After a timeout, the boys came back strong and continued to fight with some good defensive rebounds which gave us the opportunity to flow into our half-court style of play.
Although it seemed like there was something covering the basket as some points, the boys stuck at it and saw some success after beating Edinburgh's 1-2-2 press which created some opportunities in the fourth quarter. I am happy with how we have ended the season and look forward to continuing the improvements into the new year!"
Padgate Aces vs COLBC U14 Girls
U14 Girls North Conference
Result: 53-55 (W)
Player of the game: Jessica Woodward
Coach Phil Cleeve: "We travelled to Warrington with every intention of getting the 2nd win of the weekend. Although Padgate have only won 1 game we knew it wouldn't be an easy game.
We started the game strong on defence but struggled to convert that onto the scoreboard going down by as many as 8 points in the first quarter. Finally getting settled into the game we brought the game back to 4 points by the end of the 1st.
With the emphasis of the game on high intensity defence and to claim every rebound we flew into the 2nd and 3rd quarter on fire. With their top scorer unable to get past elizabeths one on one defence and strong drives from Natasha and Jessica Woodward we went onto lead the game by nearly 20 points before falling into fouling trouble late in the 3rd.
Padgate had a renewed fire in their belly going into the 4th quarter attacking the basket on all accounts. With some quick baskets by Amber Bradley Smith it kept leeds ahead before disaster struck and both COLB leading scorers Elizabeth and Natasha fouled out with 3 minutes to go.
With Amelia clayton and Jessica Woodward both on 4 fouls each COLB were afraid to play defence. Leeds lead by 6 points with 1.21 on the clock, aiming to run a long offence we couldn't convert. With the opposition converting with 2 baskets in succession put some real pressure on the girls.
Leeds leading by 2 with less then 10 seconds on the clock, leeds gave up a sloppy pass for a steal for Padgate. Jessica Woodward showed off her athleticism and managed to cut off their fast break with a clean steal to keep the ball until the time expired.
Leeds deserved this win, and should be proud of the win they achieved
Rounding off the tenth weekend of the National League season, COLBC Director Matt Newbynoted the improvements across the programme as we head into the last couple of weeks before Christmas break"
Newcastle Eagles II vs COLBC U14 Boys White
U14 Boys North I Conference
Result: 137-12 (L)
Player of the game: Micah Brodie
Coach Olly Kerwin-Clegg: "A undermanned U14 White squad made the trek up to Newcastle for a matinee tip off against a very technically sound Newcastle side.
While Leeds got off to a slow start struggling to rebound the ball and being late on help defense we had moments of brightness with players showing a willing to drive the ball such as Pavan Doullay. This willing would continue through the whole game in spots as micah Brodie did a good job of forcing Newcastle into foul trouble in the 4th. The game leave the side with a lot to reflect on and excited to get to work this Monday."
Rounding off the eleventh week of the season, COLBC Director Matt Newby was feeling very happy about the signififcant developments with a number of teams: "Notably the U14 Girls continue to go from strength to strength recording back to back wins, as well as the U16 Boys Gold picking up their first win of the weekend, while improvements are apparent in the U16 Boys Black team who are making great strides under Coach Shuttlewood. The U16 Girls Gold continue their impressive form to round off the first half of the season atop of the Conference."
The roundup will return next week after a 14 game slate on week 11 of the National League season.