Weekend Roundup - Week 6 - Young guns pick up another W

Week 6 of the 2022/23 Junior National League season saw 9 of our junior teams in action across the region.

The weekly roundup will highlight the results and key performers from each weekend across the programme along with quotes from coaches about each performance. We continue the series with Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th November.

Saturday 5th November

COLBC U12 Boys Gold vs Sheffield Sharks

Result: 52-51 (W)

Coach Dave Piggott: "Good to be in a tight game, where neither team was in control for long. Sheffield brought a skilled and organised squad to the game and the boys did well to match them in transition and were calm in the final minutes to see out the win from a leading position. Some big foul shots and solid defensive play sealed the win."

Performer of the game: Kobe Wilkinson

York Eagles II vs COLBC U14 Boys White

Result: 75-31 (L)

Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "The boys were excited and energetic on defence to start the game which created multiple opportunities in transition and kept us close on the first half. The boys kept the ball moving and had great moments on offence of finding the open man for easy scores. A great team performance but couldn’t catch-up against a more experienced side."

Performer of the game: Daniel Pearce

COLBC U14 Boys Black vs LDM

Result: 33-46 (L)

Coach Jake Shuttlewood: "We started the game extremely strong battling against LDM’s tall lineup which played to our strengths in transition. The game was an even battle throughout but just fell short in the last quarter with some defensive lapses in the half-court."

Performer of the game: Omar Nawrani

Mersey Mavericks vs COLBC U16 Girls

Result: 39-60 (W)

Coach Katie Lamond: "Back in business for the U16 girls! A tense first quarter! Very similar beginning to last week in terms of rushed decisions, turnovers and lack of defensive recovery. Lacking a little in unity as a team. Incredible turn around in the second quarter onwards! The girls worked incredibly in their defensive cohesion, pressure ensuring key steals and scores, lead brilliantly from the front by both N0.11 Hattie Miles and N0. Marley Littler. The intensity of everyone's defence and desire to fight for everything turned the control back in our favour. This kept up for the rest of the game. Once again incredibly proud of the girls for their resilience and ability to keep their composure in heightened environments."

Performer of the game: Micah Afficial

COLBC U16 Boys Black vs LDM

Result: 49-69 (L)

Coach Marcus Browne: "The players really embraced the challenges in front of them today. We competed and kept the game close for 3 quarters, bravo. Much improved, more to work on in training."

Performer of the game: Dominic Vila

Northamptonshire Titans vs COLBC U16 Boys Gold

Result: 92-50 (L)

Coach Sam Messam: "Following an early start and a three hour drive south, the COLBC U16 Boys faced a 2-2 Titans in front of a rowdy crowd. Having made the long journey, the boys got off to a great start, despite being three players down. Their ball movement was sharp and the their execution on point as they traded baskets with the home side. The first quarter was a close affair, just one point separating the two teams. The second quarter started with much of the same, and included good individual play from both Will Tracey and Efe Dolunay. Unfortunately, the U16s were unable to sustain their good play, due in part to the suffocating full court defence, leading to several runs by the home side to close out the half. The boys managed to pick up their play in the third quarter, although it would prove to have little impact on the now large lead held by the Titans, one that would eventually see them take the victory on their home court. The boys continue to develop, both individually and collectively, and we have a lot to be happy about moving forward.

Performer of the game: Efe Dolunay

JLC Wolves vs COLBC U18 Boys Gold

Result: 78-52 (L)

Coach Murray Bingham: "A tough away game for the team missing a few key players. JLC were excellent at rebounding and a slow start shooting made it very difficult to get into the game. We made a strong run in the second quarter showing some serious promise but the initial score line was too much to build back from."

Performer of the game: Adam Otto

COLBA vs Derby Trailblazers

Result: 46-69 (L)

Coach Matt Newby: "Matching up with one of the forerunners in the U18 Premier North, Derby Trailblazers was always going to be a tough matchup. However the U18s Academy showed strong improvements in a number of areas, most notably, offensive execution and higher-order defensive output. This meant at the halftime break, the score underlined what was two of the strongest periods of basketball this season. The Simpson brothers lead from the front in terms of defensive output with Akil Simpson showing significant improvement in his perimeter shot. Marcello Maffezzoli showed more maturity at the point and had one of his best games in running the offence. This improved consistency leaves us excited for the season. Seth Maloba and Bartosz Rolka showed significant improvement at positions 4 and 5 and overall the boys showed an improved level of team cohesion.

Performer of the game: Akil Simpson

COLBC Director Matt Newby shared his thoughts on the weekend:

“The weekend highlighted positive growth across the programme with notable performances from our U12 Boys who beat South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Sharks in a close game, reflective of the growth and strength of the new Yorkshire Regional League. Furthermore there were two close games against LDM for both our U14s & U16s Black teams, with the games showcasing the young talent from both programmes.

The U16s girls maintained their strong run of form with a win against the Mersey Mavericks, with a number of our U14 girls who were playing up, showing increased outputs and maturity.

I would like to thank all of our coaches for their efforts in the first 6 weeks of the season, with notable improvements across the programme and we look forward to the busy run up to Christmas.””

That wraps up the sixth edition of the Weekend Roundup - Join us next weekend for more action across the Junior National League programme.