The fairytale season of the Lancaster firsts Basketball team continues, after a 70-51 victory over opponents Liverpool John Moores (LJM) saw them progress to the last 32 of the Northern conference cup. The go on to face MMU Cheshire seconds in the second round. The victory marked the fourth win in a row for the home side which is currently sitting comfortably at the top of the group table.
Lancaster dominated the open stages of the game with skipper Mike guille and Karl Ingemar Viilver showcasing some strong defence to keep LJM at bay. By the end of the first quarter, Lancaster led with the score line at 25-11. By half time, Lancaster had tightened their grip on the game extending their lead by 18 points with the score at 41-23.
The next two quarters were close with Lancaster taking the decision to rest some of its big guns in order to test the strength of its bench. This mattered little to the games proceedings as by the time the changes had been made, the game was well out of Liverpool’s reach.
A major difference between the two teams was defence, and Lancaster through the presence of big defenders such as Mike Guille and Karl Ingemar Viilver were able to dictate the game’s proceedings. LJU’s lack of a game plan was visible, and at times the team looked scattered around the court. They also missed some very easy points as their shooting left much to be desired.
Lancaster’s point guard Zach Greene demonstrated some fantastic form throughout the game, and looked in complete control as he notched up 14 points to become the game’s joint highest scorer alongside Dimitrius Karakasis.
Coach Gregg seemed more than satisfied with the win and told SCAN; “we are very happy to be in the second round, but could have played better in the last two quarters. It was a good overall team effort and I’m really happy with the way the team is playing at the moment.”
Captain Mike guile told SCAN; “we had two good quarters, and it was a good overall effort from everyone and the whole team managed to get on the scoring sheet. It’s another win at home and we are still undefeated this season.”
Lancaster now has some big games coming up, and the away game on the 16th November against The University of Chester is expected to be a close match.
Much is expected of the team after the way season has begun. They began the season with a bang and demolished MMU seconds 64-39 on home turf. Their next two games proved more of a challenge, yet saw them defeat the University of Liverpool in a 58-50 victory and Liverpool Hope University in a 57-51 nail biter.
Only time will tell how far the team can go, but the blend of youth and experience has so far paid well for Coach Gregg’s team. The current season looks to be very promising for the Lancaster men firsts.
