Basketball teams win three out of four fixtures

Barking and Dagenham Post: Barking Abbey's Savannah Wilkinson shoots for the hoop (pic Barking Abbey Academy)Barking Abbey's Savannah Wilkinson shoots for the hoop (pic Barking Abbey Academy) (Image: Archant)

Barking Abbey’s basketball teams enjoyed a busy end to the year with all four teams in action at the weekend.

The Division Four men cruised to a 72-35 win over Anglia Ruskin University at Barking Abbey Leisure Centre on Saturday, jumping out to an early 25-point lead in the first quarter.

They never looked back as head coach James Vear rotated his players throughout the contest, with Pierce Maslen scoring 14 points and Sam Wilson 13 as Abbey moved to 6-4 to sit fifth in the South East League table.

Vear said: “The guys came in with the right mental approach and played very well, especially in the first half.

“It was nice to rotate everyone and get to try out some new things we want to work on in the New Year.”

Abbey return to action in the New Year, facing Folkestone Saints at home on January 14 at 2pm.

The Division One women had a disappointing end to 2016 with a 53-30 home loss to Charnwood College Riders on Sunday.

Abbey were held to just two points in the opening period, trailing by 14 early on and were unable to recover despite improving throughout the game.

“It’s very hard to be competitive in a game when you score two points in your opening quarter,” said head coach Karen Burton.

“The problem we have at the minute is we are beating the teams below us, but the teams above us seem to be just out of our reach and that’s about the players holding themselves accountable and trying to be more consistent as a team and individuals.

“But we go back to the drawing board and move on to the New Year.”

Naomi McKenzie led Abbey with 13 points, whilst Wura Ijelu added five as Abbey dropped to 5-4 and fifth place ahead of a trip to Reading Rockets on January 7 (1.30pm).

There was better news for Abbey’s WBBL squad as they came from behind to beat hosts Sevenoaks Suns 56-53 for their fifth league success of the season on Sunday.

Savannah Wilkinson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Abigail Johnson grabbed 13 boards in the win as the Abbey made their move in the second half.

Imani Whittington also had 12 points, but it was veteran Diana Naydenova-Goryanova who played a key role down the stretch and head coach Mark Clark said: “I’m very pleased with result. It was a big win for us over a tough well coached group.

“Diana is literally a legend, she took over the end of the game and refused to lose. She is an inspiration to our young players.

“Imani showed how much we missed her last week, it was simply a case of refusing to lose. It’s a great way to finish before the Christmas break.”

Tereza Brantlova hit back-to-back triples in an early 8-2 run from the visitors, but the Suns soon levelled and then took control with a 10-0 burst late in the opening period.

Trailing by nine, Abbey saw Whittington connect twice from beyond the arc to tie the game at 28-28 and they held the hosts to eight points in the third quarter as it remained all square heading into the fourth.

A 7-0 start gave the Suns the upper hand, but they made just one more field goal as the visitors gradually chipped away, before Wilkinson’s go-ahead basket with 68 seconds to go.

Abbey’s partner club Kent Crusaders – made up predominantly of academy players – finished the year with a comfortable 74-55 win over hosts Nottingham Hoods.

Looking to bounce back after a double-loss weekend, Crusaders pounced early and jumped out to a 26-5 lead after the opening quarter and never looked back.

Amin Adamu had 22 points, while John Shodipo finished with 19 and brother Tim Shodipo added 15.

“I was really pleased with the way we responded after the games last week,” said head coach Lloyd Gardner.

“We really came out strong and really sealed the game in the first 10 minutes. Our defensive effort was excellent. I think Nottingham are a team that don’t reflect their record; they’re a dangerous team with some good players.

“They they made some adjustments after the first and caused us some problems but we responded well in the second half and obviously we’re delighted to head into the Christmas break and New Near now sitting at the top of the league and having reached two semi-finals already.”

Crusaders close the year with a 9-1 record at the top of the table and return to action on January 14 against Doncaster Danum Eagles at Barking Abbey Leisure Centre (2.30pm).