Match Date: 21/09/2023
A close call in the season opener, see comments below from Coach Martins
"We arrived early at the venue with big squad of 12 players raring to go. Following a quick team brief and warm, the game tipped off and the first game of the season began. We had very slow start to the game struggling with our man-to-man defence in the initial possessions. We switched to a 2-3 zone which reduced the points being made close to the basket, but Rossendale still managed to find some great shots that we struggle to fully contest. Down the other end, it was a slow start, but a fast break and offensive boards started to put us points on the board. A very slow start for us 22 – 8 them.
In the second quarter, things were turned around and quickly stopped the threats from the first half, pushed up the tempo and made great shooting decisions. An offense to swing the ball both ends of their man-to-man created a lot of space for players to go to work. Almost every other offensive possession we were getting sent to the free throw line, yet despite our team free throw percentage not being great this game, the intensity on both ends closed the gap, ending the half 9 – 18 us.
Following the half, Rossendale had spread the floor a lot wider and was making more penetrating moves to the basket on offense. We switched to a 1-3-1 and this allowed us to end a slow scoring quarter with plenty of fast break opportunities and baskets. We always had a fresh squad on the floor because of the deep bench and kept swapping between a 2-3 and 1-3-1 to keep disturbing the spacing of our opponents. We created a lot of opportunities in the last minutes of the quarter, ending it 21-16 them.
Entering the final quarter and being down marginally, we started in a full court trap to fall back into a 1-3-1. This was a new strategy for us but created so many offensive opportunities for us. It was not surprising that we were slow rotating on some of the plays but considering this was the first time it was being used in a live game, the potential was clear. Offensively, big shots were made to close the gap gradually but sadly too little too late. Rossendale did the most damage in the first quarter with some great shooting and high percentage points in the paint. We ended the game 65-61 but heads held high with how concepts in training have been transferred through to our first game. Despite the loss, it looks like a it could be a great season taking key learning points in this defeat."
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