Crawley Lightning Basketball

Match Report - Thunder vs Amazon’s

After a minute silence for the dear legend Kobe and Gigi Bryant , on Tuesday 27th of January Thunder started with intensity and won the first quarter. There was some really good defence and good shooting. We finished the first quarter on a high. In the second quarter Bognor Amazons started putting their shots in and making good rebounds.
By the third quarter we lost concentration and started losing points and let Bognor take a big lead. In the middle of the third quarter one of the Thunder players had a nasty fall and the game stopped for a little bit for fortunately she recovered. There was some good ball handling throughout the whole game. We were only 7 and kept fighting to try and win the game but we kept losing points to rebounds from Bognor Amazons. On the last quarter we tried hard to turn the game around but it was no longer possible as Bognor Amazons has already gained a big lead from the begging of the fourth quarter. Final score 66-36

Match Report : Monday 20 January

Lightning 68, Hawks 18

The rivalry between Crawley and Horsham is understandable. Being a stone’s throw from each other, and having players in the Crawley squad living in Horsham while some of Horsham’s representatives indeed live in Crawley, team allegiances are stronger than that to town. Even since the beginning of the season, Horsham had gained some former Crawley youngsters and the ladies of Crawley Lightning were not interested in being shown up.

While not scoring at the pace that they could have, Crawley took a commanding lead from the start by out playing the Hawks 12-2 in the first quarter. They built upon that lead in each subsequent quarter outscoring their near neighbours 20-9 and 20-7 respectively. Playing a box and one defence, Lightning kept top scorer and former Crawley player Lanhinen to a single basket for the duration of the game. Their own offense demonstrated how much of a team they really are with three players scoring in the double digits. The final whistle blew with Crawley securing a comfortable win 68-18.

Walsh 13, Rose 12, Merchant 10. Lea-Clayton 8, Roche 8, Retter 8, Novakova 6, Walker 3.

Match Report:
Crawley Lightning 56, Bognor Amazons 58

Monday night found Crawley Lightning hosting the Amazons of Bognor Regis to their first match of the new year. Not having played much as a team over the past few weeks may have taken a toll unless it was too many mince pies and drinks, but Lightning lacked their usual flare with a slow start scoring only ten points in the first quarter to the Amazon’s similarly low thirteen. The second quarter wasn’t any better as they went into halftime nine points down to Bognor 23-32. Having brushed away the cobwebs, the Crawley ladies started the third quarter with the intensity needed to go after the Amazons, pulling them to within two baskets in an increasingly physical game. The teams were neck and neck in the fourth quarter with Rose’s three-point play finally tying the game with four minutes to go, followed by another shoot from the floor by Walker to take the lead. A further jump shot from Lea-Clayton again gave the lead to Crawley, only to have it lost again by Amazon foul shots. With seconds remaining on the clock new player to the team Fergus, and their leading point scorer, was able to complete her own three-point play regaining the lead held temporarily by Lightning. Following another Amazon scored foul shot, Lightning had one final possession to try to score and tie the game, but it was not to be. Crawley failed to create the chance they needed and Bognor returned to the coast victorious 56-58. Lightning was led by Rose with 22.

Match report : Thunder vs Phoenix

Thunder played their fifth game of the season home to Brighton Phoenix. The opponents Brighton Phoenix were indeed a very feisty team eager to win from the start and their advantage on shots from some of their players. Thunder kept their cool when it came to making the right passes and the right shots. Thunder managed to hold the win in the 4th quarter. A slow start to scoring but it gradually picked up. All the Thunder players did an amazing job pulling together all their energy into the game. There were so many good passes and also some good shots throughout the whole game.

1st Quarter 4-25
2nd Quarter 7-14
3rd Quarter 14-19
4th Quarter 14-13
Final score - 39-71

E.Milton - 6 pts
T.Weller- 2 pts
S.Cotton - 3 pts
S.Thompson - 13pts
H.Roche- 5pts
M.Novakova -4pts
M.Shaw- 6pts

Match Report :
Thunder vs swra bears

Thunder played their sixth game of the season against SRWA Bears away. They were a fast team and lots successful fast breaks in succession meant that it lead to them having a substancial lead at the end of the first quarter with Thunder only scoring two points. They defended man thorough out the whole game. This meant that the game was more challenging and required more movement which in turn made the Thunder players tired. The pace and the game stayed very much the same with the bears always in the lead for the second and third quarter. The fourth quarter was our best quarter with the score difference of 5 with Thunder players pulling together doing brilliant moves and scoring. It was hard and challenging game but Thunder pulled together to the best of their ability. The end results was 32-67. The game concluded with a 35 point difference.

Q1 -20-2
Q2-15-7
Q3-17-9
Q4-15-20

(1) E.Milton-14pts
(4) C.West-6pts
(6) T. Weller-2 pts
(23) S.Cotton-4 pts
(52) N.Shaw-6pts

Thunder played the fourth game of the season home against Horsham All Stars. The opponents were a feisty team and got their advantage mainly on rebounds. It was a close and though game. Thunder won the first and third quarters but low scoring during the second quarter and very close last quarter meant that the game was lost by a mere three point difference. All Thunder players did an amazing job and pulled together for an elusive victory that was well within reach but didn’t quite materialise. There were many good shots by Thunder but also many missed shots, especially within the key. In the end Thunder lost 33-36. Q1 6-10, Q2 7-2, Q3 8-17, Q4 12-7. Sas 13, Cristina 9, Erica 4, Helen 4, Michaela 3

Crawley Lightning 91, Sussex Bears 47

The ladies of Crawley Lightning, who are currently 3-0, journeyed down to the Sir Robert Woodward Academy in Lancing last night to take on the Sussex Bears (1-1). With last season’s aggressive confrontations still in their memory, Lightning struck hard and fast scoring 25 points to the Bears 10 in the first quarter. Hardly letting up, Lighting further outplayed the Bears in the second quarter with a halftime score of 16- 45. Despite a scoring rally from the Bear in the third quarter which matched Lightning (23-24), the ladies from Crawley always looked in control of the game. Their fast-paced offenses were backed up by better rebounding then the team has shown in previous matches. They finished the game with their highest score line yet, 91-47. In two week’s time the grit of the Lightning will be challenged as they welcome last year’s league and cup winners Brighton Phoenix to Holy Trinity.

Rose: 19, Merchant: 18, Walker: 14, Walsh: 12, Lea-Clayton: 10, Retter: 8, Roche: 8, Novakova: 2.

Crawley Lightning 87, Worthing D&D 13

Worthing D&D made the trip up to Crawley Monday evening to take on the Crawley Lightning ladies basketball team at Holy Trinity. D&D suffered several injuries in their previous match, so only managed to bring six players fit to play. This presented a really challenge for them from the outset, and Lightning showed little mercy as they rapidly transitioned steals into fast breaks so that at the end of the first quarter Lightning lead 30-2. While the pace of scoring slowed in the second quarter, D&D did not manage to score and closed the half 46-2. Good passing by D&D and some defensive laxity on the part of Lightning saw D&D improve their score line in the remaining two quarters, but Lightning maintained their offensive intensity to take the win with ease, scoring 87-23. Lightning’s scoring was lead by Lea-Clayton with a season high of 19 shooting an impressive 9 for 12 from the floor. Hats off to the ladies from Worthing for their good sportsmanship and effort in a challenging game. Lighting will now turn their attention south as they head to Lancing next week to take on the Bears at Sir Robert Woodward Academy.

Lea-Clayton: 19, Merchant: 15, Rose: 14, Walsh: 12, Retter: 10, Walker: 10, Roche: 7.

Match report from Thunder

Thunder played fellow club members Lightning in their third match of the season at Holy Trinity on 4 Nov. We welcomed Karen Rham as replacement coach for the match. At the start, the spirits were high in both sides of the court, as it is always good to see friendly faces. Crawley Lightning only having 6 players and Thunder with 8. Throughout the first half Lightning players made some fouls as Thunder players tried to break through the defence equally Thunder players also made quite a lot of fouls. It was fast paced game with Crawley Lightning getting on the lead with many fast breaks and Thunder struggling to score due to Lightning’s good defence. Lightning also benefitted from having two very tall players which Thunder found almost impossible to prevent them from scoring due to the height difference. Against this background it was always going to be a difficult game. All Thunder players rose to the challenge and played their hardest but lost the game by a considerable difference.
Final score 90-23

C.West 9 points
S.Cotton 6 points
S.Thompson 4 points
K.Alexandrou 2 points
E.Milton 2 points

MATCH REPORT:
Crawley Lightning 90, Crawley Thunder 23

Monday night at Holy Trinity in Gossops Green, Crawley Thunder hosted fellow club members Crawley Lightning in their third match of the season. With the teams training together weekly, their was a friendly atmosphere that thinly veiled the determination of both sides to bragging rights as to who is Crawley’s top team. Lightning lost no time streaking ahead 22-2 in the first quarter. Despite only one substitute for the duration of the fast-paced game, Lightning increased their lead closing the first half 40-11. Maintaining their intensity Lightning held Thunder to a mere six points in each of the remaining two quarters while pouring in another 50 points. Lead by Merchant with 26 points and Rose with 18, the six ladies of Lightning all pulled their weight each scoring in the double digits.

Merchant: 26, Rose: 18, Retter: 14, Walsh: 12, Lea-Clayton: 10, Walker: 10.

Thunders report to follow

Crawley Lightning 79, Horsham Hawks Basketball Club 28

Crawley Lightning woman’s basketball team travelled to Horsham to kick off their season against the Hawks last Monday evening. Having lost several players from the squad since the last season, Crawley only had seven women to take on their near neighbours, but they were undaunted and captured an early lead closing the first quarter with a streak of twelve unanswered points. With aggressive defence which contained the Hawks to no more than eight points in a quarter, Lightning built their lead often punishing the Hawks with a relentless pressure which produced multiple fast breaks for the visitors. The ladies of Crawley closed the game definitively with a 28-79. Top scorers for Lightning were Alice Rose (19 points) who begins her second season with Crawley and new member to the squad Holly Merchant (18 points).

Rose: 19, Merchant: 18, Retter: 12, Lea-Clayton: 12, Walsh: 8, Walker: 8, Roche: 4