Another tough weekend for Crusaders as the club’s Division 1 men’s team dropped two more games which resulted in being eliminated from the National Cup and put its chances of progression in the National Trophy on thin ice.
Despite the losses, the team did play some of its best basketball of the season.
On Saturday Crusaders head north up the M25 to face Hemel Storm in the second round of the National Cup. A slow start for the visitors in the first quarter saw them trail by 12 points early, while a better second quarter meant Medway was down 49-33 at half-time.
While Hemel was able to stretch its lead to 20 early in the third quarter, the men reacted with a level of intensity rarely shown this season and went on to cut the deficit to eight points. The hosts reversed the momentum of the game to close the quarter and went on in the last period to seal an 81-61 game, eliminating Crusaders from the Cup.
“It’s really difficult to begin a game trailing by 12 points deficit after the first quarter. We´re not tough enough mentally to be able to react to a start like that. It’s something we have to work on, says Head Coach Ivan Cuesta.
“But unlike the Manchester game the weekend before, the team stepped forward to play a very good five minutes in the third quarter. In that period of play we could see the ability of this team to play good basketball and show that they can compete with any team in the league. Unfortunately, at this point of the pre-season, is difficult to maintain that level of intensity. But I’m sure we can get it.”
Canadian-import Jeremy Dunn led Crusaders with 20 points, while Tanner Adu had 14 and Josh Whyte 13.
The following afternoon Medway hosted Essex Leopards in a Trophy match-up with progression in the competition in the balance.
The hosts started the game strongly and pushed the ball at Essex, but the entrance of Ishmael Miller by the Leopards turned the first quarter on its head as he hit three threes to help the visitors gain a 25-17 lead after the first quarter.
The second period of play saw Medway go on a tremendous 17-2 run in which the team over-took the hosts and establish a lead of its own. Once again, however, Essex was able to completely turn the table on Crusaders. Leopards over-ran the hosts in the final five minutes of the second quarter and established a 44-37 half-time lead.
Coach Cuesta asked for a much better defensive game from the team in the second half, but he got the exact opposite. Essex fired up 29 third quarter points to the hosts 19 and stretched the lead to 73-56 after 30 minutes of play. With Medway needing stops to get back in the game, instead the teams went basket-for-basket for much of the fourth before each team’s benches finish the game for a 91-70 Crusaders loss.
Whyte led Medway scorers with 23 points, Dunn had his second 20 point game of the weekend and Noel Pollock had 11.
“Unlike the recent games we kept the pace of the game in the first quarter. That´s a step forward,” says the Coach. “Like the third quarter against Hemel the day before, the first five minutes of the second quarter saw the team running and enjoying its basketball. But it seems that is all we can do so far – five minutes of intense and good basketball. The lack of energy and joy in the last part of the third quarter put the game out of our hands. We cannot expect to give just 95 per cent over 40 minutes and win game.”
The loss now sees Medway and Essex in a tie for last place in Pool 1, each with a slim chance of progressing from the group. Crusaders will need to beat southeast rivals Worthing Thunder on November 2 and then wait a long three weeks to see if unbeaten Reading Rockets can defeat Essex in the last Pool 1 game.