The Kent Crusaders finished their roller coaster season on Sunday with a spirited but inconsistent performance against Birmingham A’s as they went down 97-78. Although Birmingham is the only Division 2 side not to have been beaten by Kent this season, the Crusaders still arrived full of confidence.

The game started in typically tough and aggressive style. Birmingham A’s play a physical and up tempo style of basketball, which the Crusaders were prepared to meet head on. As the many Birmingham big men crashed through Kent’s defensive line, the away side found their stalwart resilience paid off. Decisive and fair refereeing saw the home side pick up early fouls, which clearly rattled them and started to affect their style of play.

Despite going ahead early, Birmingham struggled to contain patient, smart Crusaders offence. Soren Sorenson and Rafal Sojcynski combined well inside to pick up loose rebounds and create easy second chance opportunities. Sorenson in particular looked a threat every time he drove to the basket and on defence he managed to pick up 4 steals in the first half. At the defensive end switching defence looked to have the home side confused and frustrated.

Birmingham started to pull ahead by sheer force of will and extraordinary athleticism. Despite racking up missed shot, after missed shot, the athletic home side wreaked havoc on the boards and were able to establish breathing distance over the Crusaders. The quarter finished with Kent down by 7, 23-16.

Kent continued to battle away in the second quarter. They managed to stem the flow by playing zone defence and neutralizing Birmingham’s athletic advantage, although they still gave up too many rebounds to the athletic A’s.

At the other end of the floor the Crusaders, led by Damian Lyons, went at the home side relentlessly, drawing several fouls. In no time at all Birmingham found themselves in real foul trouble and having to go to their bench early on as star player Steven Hansell hat to sit down with three fouls.

Crusaders still found themselves down by double figures until sharp shooter James Harris exploded into the game. His teammates soon realised that he was heating up when he hit a three pointer under pressure from the corner. Unselfish team play from Parker and stand out point guard Simon Mitchell soon saw a lot more of the ball in Harris’ hands. Immediately he put Birmingham to the sword, nailing another three pointer from the wing. The defence moved up to counter, only for Harris to penetrate inside and deliver a perfect pass into the waiting hands of JP Dimandja.

The home side again started to disrupt their opponents by physical on-the-ball defensive pressure. Dimandja had countered the Birmingham charge with his own blend of enthusiasm and raw athletic ability. A typical late fade from Harris led to a foul and three free throws and in their frustration at not being able to contain Harris, the Birmingham coach picked up a technical foul with three seconds on the clock and Harris up for five foul shots.

With time winding down in the second quarter the Crusaders had one last possession, because of the technical foul. A neat play intended for Parker was intercepted by a frenetically charged Harris who canned a turn around jumper in the face of a Birmingham defender. Down by only two and with momentum on their side, Kent were confident going into the halftime break, 47-45.

The third quarter has been something of a voodoo for Kent all season. The first round of the playoffs proved no different. With the Birmingham starters reintroduced for the first time since getting into foul trouble, Crusaders were exposed to brutal attack at both ends of the floor. Although they were able to compete, shots rattled out of the ring at one end and Birmingham kept finding open men at the other. In no time at all Birmingham’s lead was back into double figures.

Mitchell tried to exert pressure on the home side’s guards and although picking up several steals, he soon found himself in foul trouble and having to step off ball handlers. Sam Betts and Sorenson continued to drive hard inside and pick up scores, or free throws, but the Crusaders just could not stop Birmingham from scoring at the other end. The game evened out, but by the end of the third Kent were down by twenty points, 75-55.

The Crusaders tried for a final charge in the fourth but found Birmingham more than up to the task. Playing full court defence and steaming in for all loose balls the Kent side gave everything they had. Parker tore through the first defensive line only to have to hit a tough, contested shot, or find help on the perimeter. Sorenson, Dimandja and Sojcynski got hands on loose ball, after loose ball but still Kent could not break the lead to single figures.

Parker, Betts, Mitchell and Harris were all able to drill long range jump shots and edge closer to their opponents, but it was too little, too late. When Kalil Irving came on to hit his debut basket for Crusaders in division 2 the game was already done. The final score was 97-78 and the dejected and exhausted Crusaders season was over.

After the game Captain Pete Ayling was proud of his team, “We have fought hard this season and put in some astounding performances. In the end it was inconsistency that hurt us during the year and today in particular. Everybody on the team gave their all, but in the end we came up just short. It has been a real privilege to lead this group of players and I have no doubt that another year together would see us take the next step towards division 1. I’d like to say a special thanks to all the supporters that have been loyal to us, to all the volunteers behind the scenes and to my teammates who have made the last five years so memorable.”