Nailsea beats Wizards for fourth straight win

January 12, 2007 on 5:35 pm | In General

Nailsea’s first game since the Christmas break took place Wednesday 10 January 2007; the league leader’s shaking off the festive rust to continue their winning streak against the visiting Devizes Wizards.

The Nailsea side were eager to get back into the swing of competitive play; boosted by the return of forward/center John Moore hopes were high for a solid game. A balanced offensive display saw three Nailsea players finish with double figures, Moore leading the way with nineteen.

The first quarter was a mixture of defensive pressure and an effective fast break offense to score easy baskets in transition, guard Jake Watkins scoring six points in less than a minute to open up Nailsea’s lead. Playing zone defense from the start of the first period, and with the added insights into the Wizard’s game from playing them already before Christmas, the home side frustrated the visitors. The quarter ended with Nailsea holding the early lead at 19-11.

With their offense stagnating, Nailsea relied on it’s defense to hold the lead for the majority of the second quarter. With five minutes gone the home team had scored only three points; the Wizards had been held scoreless and their frustration was beginning to show, wild passes and shots making the Nailsea defense look even better than it was. A time out by the Devizes team obviously had the desired effect, the team broke out of it’s scoring slump to come alive in the final minutes of the half, scoring ten points in under four minutes.

Devizes could not carry their momentum into the second half however, Nailsea locking them down on the defensive end and resuming it’s fast breaking offense to extend their lead throughout the quarter. Defensive efforts from guards Mark Walters, Mark Close, Jake Watkins and captain Jason Boulton resulted in multiple steals for the home side; backed up by solid interior defense from forwards John Moore and Paul Roy Nailsea limited the Wizards scoring to just four points in the quarter. After a subdued first half it was Moore who lead the Nailsea offense in the quarter, linking up with Boulton the six foot six forward dominated inside, scoring in double digits in the quarter.

With only the final quarter remaining and trailing 51-25 the game was Nailsea’s for the taking. Concentrating on their defensive effort the home side managed to improve on their third quarter effort, holding the Wizards to three points in the final period. Captain Jason Boulton received MVP for his all round play, racking up fourteen points to go with several assists and steals. Despite difficulties with their long range shooting Nailsea emerged victorious, the final score: 66-28.