The Men’s 1st Basketball are back to winning ways with a strong victory over Derby 1st. The game finished 83-55 in the Munrow Sports Centre.
After the Lions’ defeat in the first game of the season to Oxford Brooks they were determined to make amends. The game was shaped to be a very interesting encounter as Derby were yet to play this season which meant no one knew their capabilities. This brought excitement and anticipation to the large crowd in the Munrow, their chants were ringing around the gymnasium even before the game started. It was set to be a superb night.
The Lions started the first quarter extremely strongly. They hit Derby with pace, energy and accurate passing. The Lion’s skipper, Andy Salmon, was leading the team, as a Captain should, with superb communication, composure with the ball and a lovely 3 pointer. Although the Lions looked the stronger of the teams, Derby still managed to hold their own. The first quarter ended 24-16 to the Lion’s.
There was an entertaining short break between the first and second quarter due to the wonderful voices of the home fans that could only motivate the players to put on a good performance. This is exactly what they did. They came out with the same amount of energy and skill making them the stronger side. Stefan Stojsavljevic was on fire, playing without fear, and giving the fans much to cheer about as he expertly dribbled past any player, scoring many 2 pointers. Derby were letting themselves down by continually blocking, giving the Lions free throws which they calmly capitalised on. The Lions went into the half time break leading 40-27.
The third quarter really showed the incredible fitness levels of the Birmingham boys as they ramped it up another notch. Stefan Stojsavljevic was always being a handful with many interceptions in defence allowing the Lion’s to break quickly and tot up the points on the board. This quarter brought out the best in Kievon Turnbull as he executed two perfect dribbles through the heart of the Derby defence leading to two 2 pointers. This certainly put a smile on his face.
All the Lions’ hard work was paying off. It could be said the home fans, many dressed in banana outfits, gave a helping hand with some cheers of encouragement. Derby knew they were in the Lions’ Den and they couldn’t get out. The third quarter finished 65-33 to the Lion’s.
The final quarter saw the hosts drop off a little. Derby took advantage and began to play better. It was a valiant effort. However, the Lions held on and managed to keep a solid point gap by defending well and continuing to execute interceptions and strong dribbles leading to even more points.
The game finished 83-55 to Birmingham. It was a great win that the team and the coach can be proud of. The future certainly looks bright. Star performance had to go to Stefan Stojsavljevic, he will be instrumental in ensuring more victories like this one. All the bananas in the crowd could definitely go on into the night with a smile on their faces.
