U11 Swish 30 – 25 U11 Warriors
It was an all-Phoenix affair at the Ball Hall this week as The Warriors faced The Swish in a lively opener to the local league season. Following on from an impressive regional win for the U11’s collective last week and with the addition of new faces on both teams, pre-game excitement was at fever pitch as we waited to find out who would come out on top in this inter-team clash.
From the tip off it was clear this was going to be a competitive match and it was Swish who started the scoring early after stealing the ball and breaking down the Warriors left wing. The pregame nerves had clearly carried over to the court as both teams exhibited some overzealous defending resulting in a number of fouls being called early and it was Swish who capitalised on free throws to increase their lead.
Mid-way through the first of the two twenty minute halves, the Warriors began to get their offense together and end to end action saw them take back some much needed points. However, they struggled to break down the strong Swish lines that were effective in turning defence into attack and a number of tenacious offensive rebound plays saw Swish opening the points gap.
This lead continued to extend as the Warriors failed to establish a rhythm under the mounting Swish pressure. Some sloppy passing out from the Warriors defence saw Swish make the most of a shooting opportunity and combined with points from some aggressive centre court drives they ended the first half with a healthy 20-9 lead.
The second half began with the Warriors attacking with more urgency than in the first but despite conceding some fouls, the Swish defence held strong. Play swayed back and forth with both teams working hard and showing a level of skill and fitness that is testament to the hard work undertaken by both the coaching staff and these young athletes in the off-season.
At the mid-point of the half, the Warriors were defending well and offered a resurgence in attack that saw them scoring multiple times unanswered and they managed to reduce the Swish lead to just 3 points as the game headed into the last five minutes.
With fatigue setting in, both teams battled to gain possession of the ball as the time ticked away. A well executed steal saw Swish break quickly and a missed shot attempt highlighted their determination and desire to win the rebound under the Warriors net and take the score to 25-28 with seconds remaining.
With a time-out called by Swish it was a last opportunity for both coaches to rally the troops and make their final plays. The game restarted with the frantic action expected as Warriors sought to claw back the Swish advantage. A last ditch attack saw the Warriors advance on the Swish net, however a bad pass thwarted their efforts and the Swish defence refused to be undone. A swift counter attack was on and a good finish under pressure saw Swish score another 2 points to take the score to 30-25 at the final buzzer.
It was a dramatic end to a hard-fought, physical match. The skills on display from both teams were exemplary and every single player gave their all with performances to be proud of. It’s going to be a great season!