Back on form, Nailsea beat the Wizards 64 - 61

November 16, 2006 on 10:49 am | In General

On Wednesday 15th November Nailsea travelled all the way out to Devizes to face the Wizards. A gritty battle ensued resulting in a Nailsea victory, 64 - 61. Stats and match report to follow, or discuss in the forums.

Click on Coach’s corner above to read Coach Boulton’s reflections on the game.

Nailsea Basketball back to winning ways.

The 15th November 2006 saw a depleted Nailsea Basketball side travel to Devizes in Wiltshire to play the Wizards. Playing without forwards Jon Moore and Nick Oldfield, and starting guard Brian Gleeson, the rest of the Nailsea team stepped up to gain it’s sixth win of the season.

The game started late, but both teams came out of the gate fast, running the floor well and matching each other’s effort. Nailsea’s guards drove the lane at every opportunity, taking advantage of the Wizards loose defense to get to the basket for layups. The Wizards finished the quarter with a three point lead, benefiting from a combination of strong inside play and a number of offensive rebounds.

From the start of the second quarter it became obvious that Nailsea’s guards would dictate their offense, captain Jason Boulton and sixth man Jake Watkins getting into the paint to score seemingly at will. Nailsea’s forwards worked hard on the defensive end, hustling for rebounds against the taller home team. Early foul trouble for forward Paul Roy saw Jonnie Taylor playing extended minutes in the quarter; along with Adam Beaumont the Nailsea frontline held it’s own against the Wizard’s tough interior play.

With neither team able to break away in the first two quarters the game was tight as the second half began. Nailsea’s guards continued their strong play from the first half, getting to the line frequently and knocking down foul shots. Reserve Mark Close provided strong play off the bench, scoring a tough layup and helping to limit the Wizard’s perimeter shooting. The home team’s formula remained the same however, and despite Nailsea’s tough defense their inside scoring could not be stopped. The quarter saw a number of hard fouls and tough defensive efforts, Nailsea’s forwards experiencing foul trouble as a result of the Wizard’s continual pounding of the ball inside. With neither team taking control of the game the game entered the decisive fourth quarter.

With both teams looking hungry for the win the final period saw more of the physical play which had characterised the whole game. With Nailsea’s guards continuing to penetrate and draw fouls the home team were soon in team fouls. Game MVP Jason Boulton would capitalise on this, repeatedly getting to the line and finishing with a team high twenty-seven points. Nailsea needed the strong play of their captain to nullify the scoring of the Wizard’s forwards, with all of Nailsea’s available forwards fouling out before the end of the game. In it’s third consecutive close game, the away team would eventually gain the victory, taking good care of the ball and the lead in the dying seconds to improve to 6-1 for the season.