First Division South

Sheffield Steelers 44

Bears: 39

The Bears first and the third team suffered a tough trip to Sheffield last Sunday. Both teams suffered a frustratingly narrow loss and all embarked on the long journey home feeling both tired and disheartened.

The first team took to the court, against a well drilled and tough opponent. The first quarter saw an edgy start to the game, with both teams defence rebutting the other and neither side finding themselves able to establish a lead.  With the scores at end of first quarter being Steelers 8 – 7 Bears.

The second quarter was a close affair, with the Bears defence solidifying into a sound mechanism of well-drilled plays. Ben Haigh, a key asset for the Bears, was shut out completely. Jacob Robinson, another key player for the side, was given extra attention in the Steelers half team in a set of well executed defensive plays. Teams went into the break tied at Steelers 16 – 16 Bears.

The third quarter saw a slight shift to the Steelers team, one that would prove fundamental to the outcome of the game. Steelers Tom Barnes started to establish his shooting range and with this, Sheffield pulled away into a slight lead for the last quarter. Steelers 28 – 25 Bears.

The last quarter was a nail-biter, with the Bears falling further behind. After a timeout, the Bears came back out onto the court with a surge of energy and emerged into the lead with only three minutes to go.  The Steelers side, in an attempt to recall their lead, called for a timeout. With the home side regrouped, Steelers successfully hit three unanswered baskets, which pushed them into the lead and shut the game down, to take the victory Steelers 44 – 39 Bears.

After the game Coach, Masterson said” So disappointed with the loss but have to congratulate Steelers and their Coach Kev Hayes, who played a magnificent game.  I’m hoping that this might be a wakeup call to the team that there are going to be no easy games with the teams we will face this season.”

Third Division Central

Earlier in the day, the Bears 3 team suffered another narrow defeat to the Steelers 4 team.  After earlier losses this season, the Bears performance was a significant improvement as they pushed the Steelers team all the way to the very last quarter.  The Bears side, which included a large number of junior and developing players, held its own against a well-drilled opposition and fought to maintain a close score. Following the final whistle, the score was 41-34.

After the game Coach, Robinson said  “ a very tough game against a very well drilled opposition, however, we played some excellent basketball at times, both offensively and defensively, and have plenty of positives to take away from the game”