Reading Rockets vs. Medway Park Crusaders – 59-73

(17/12/11)

Leicester Warriors vs. Medway Park Crusaders – 90-94

(18/12/11)

Report by Nick Moore

The Medway Park Crusaders rounded the year off in style with two huge wins on the road, lifting them into sixth place in EBL Division One.

They triumphed 73-59 against current Champions, the Reading Rockets, on Saturday, 17 and followed it up with an 94-90 overtime (OT) win against the Leicester Warriors on Sunday, 18.

The two victories stretched the Crusaders winning streak to four matches and moved them up into the playoff places.

Crusaders Coach James Vear said: “I think many teams had written us off with the start we had this season and I think the guys have used this as motivation to prove we can be a very good team.

“We have now won against four of the best teams in this league.  I love coaching the Crusaders and am already looking forward to getting back on court after a well-deserved break.”

The on-fire Crusaders kicked things off in Reading with American forward Adrian Fenyn stealing the show with a game-topping 30 points.

The first two quarters were very close, with the Medway side just edging the Rockets 40-38 at half time, but in the third quarter a 22-0 straight run helped them to an impressive 73-59 victory.

Canadian forward Joe Schow helped himself to 13 points in a game that saw all 10 Crusaders on the score sheet.

In Leicester, Fenyn brought his weekend total to 54 points with another 24, guard Luke Baker hit 23 and point guard Steve Vear hit 16.

The Crusaders were down 50-44 at half time, but a strong second half meant the teams were level 81-all at full time, and they went into five minutes of OT.

In OT, both teams, who were understandably tired from their Saturday games, put up an intense fight, but it was the Crusaders, who didn’t want fitness to be the separator, who closed the game out 94-90, with crucial baskets from Vear and Baker – taking OT 13-9.

Coach Vear, said after the game: “I cannot speak highly enough about my team. We had a very tough start to the year but the guys have made no excuses and continued to work hard week in, week out. 

“We have great team chemistry and every player from one to 12 contributes to the team dynamics.  We are already looking at the first game back after the Xmas break against a very tough Derby team.”

The Medway side know the second half of the season will be challenging, starting with a trip to the Derby Trailblazers on Saturday, 7 January.

Derby have won six of their opening nine games, one more than the Medway side, and sit third in EBL Division One, two points ahead of the Crusaders.

84-79

Medway Park Leisure Centre, 10/12/11

Report by Nick Moore

The Medway Park Crusaders made it two wins in two weeks as they toppled league-leaders, the Bristol Academy Flyers 84-79, at home on Saturday, 10 December.

The Bristol side, who went into match having only lost one game from seven in their EBL Division One campaign, travelled with a full squad but could not deal with the Crusaders newly found spirit and intensity.

Crusaders point guard, Steve Vear, who looks like he has never left the court, hit 26 points point on the night, as the Medway side’s big men Joseph Schow and Adrian Fenyn combined for 31 points and 25 rebounds

The Flyers stand-out players were Tyrone Treasure and Douglas Mclaughlin-Williams – who combined for 46 points and six rebounds.

The game started in a cagey manner with both teams focused on the defensive side of their game. Neither team took control of the ball, but it was Medway’s five turnovers which meant they trailed 13-12 after the first quarter. 

In the second, the Crusaders began to find their rhythm, managing to find the clinical passes on offense which allowed them to get some easy looks at the hoop.

As captain, James Harris hit two three’s, guards Tom Raymen and Dizzy Lufadeju put in some great minutes towards the end of the quarter, which helped them build up a 39-35 lead at half time. 

After the break, Bristol came out firing and showed why they are currently sitting at the top of the league. They made easy work of the Crusaders defence and impressively took the quarter 24-12, meaning they led 59-52.

But, as is often the way with the current Crusaders side, they never gave up hope. Before the final quarter their coach, James Vear, demanded that his side step up their defence and played with a little more freedom on offence.

And yet again, his team responded. Fenyn and Schow became a real handful for Bristol as they went hard to the basket, and guard Luke Baker began to find his range from the three point line.

With five minutes to go the game was tied at 63 apiece. Point guard Vear then took over, going on a straight 10 point scoring run.

With two minutes left, the Crusaders streaked into a 12 point lead, but Bristol piled on the pressure, eventually closing the gap to five points. The Crusaders won the final 10 minutes 33-21, taking the match 84-79.

Coach, James Vear was incredibly proud of his team’s efforts and said: “That was a great win for us tonight, especially as Bristol are a team who will definitely be right up there come the end of the season.”  

However, he still thinks that there is a lot of room for improvement, adding: “The unselfish basketball we played tonight might have been the best I have seen since I have been coaching this team.  We assisted on 28 of the 39 field goals scored tonight which just shows you how we always made that extra pass.”

He concluded by noting great performances by his forwards Schow and Fenyn, and guard Vear: “Joe nearly had a triple double and he has formed a great partnership with Adrian. Steve was great in the fourth quarter for us. I haven’t seen him take over a game like that in a long time.”

The Crusaders have a double-header of matches next weekend as they take to the road to face the Reading Rockets, the current Division One Champions, on Saturday, 17 December and the Leicester Warriors on Sunday 18, December.

Both teams sit in joint second place near the top of the league on five wins out of seven in this year’s campaign.

Reading beat Leeds Carnegie 91-75 this weekend, while Leicester beat the Tees Valley Mohawks, 82-73.

Both teams will be up for their clashes with the Crusaders side, who know that this weekend will be a tough one on the road, and possibly pivotal in deciding whether they make the playoffs.

93-83

Medway Park Leisure Centre, 03/12/11

Report by Nick Moore

The return of point guard Steve Vear, and a strong last quarter of 34 points helped the Medway Park Crusaders pull out a 93-83 victory against the BA London Leopards at Medway Park on Saturday night, 03 December.

The win, which helps the Crusaders move up to mid-table in the EBL Division One, is their second win of the season.

Stand out players on the night were guard Vear, who hit a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists, making him only the fifth player in Crusaders history to make 100 career assists, and the power forwards, 6’9 Joseph Schow and 6’6 Adrian Fenyn, who combined for 50 points.

The game was always going to come down to how well Medway contained the Leopard’s Vernon Teel and Ousman Krubally, who are the top two scorers in the league – between them have averaged nearly 55 points and 24 rebounds per game.

Luckily for the Crusaders, Krubally did not play, and they managed to keep the import Teel to just 24 points.

The BA-sponsored Leopards won impressively last week against league leaders Bristol, and their confidence showed in the first quarter, with Teel hitting three 3’s early on.  The Crusaders struggled to find any rhythm offensively and were down 20-15 after 10 minutes.

In the second period the Crusaders started to get the ball inside to Schow and Fenyn who both were becoming a handful for the Leopards defence. 

The Leopards though continued to knock down their shots to remain in the lead, and with only a few seconds left in the quarter 6’2 guard Luke Baker knocked down a big three to take the Crusaders into the break trailing 39-35.

After the interval, both teams came out a bit flat in the third, but half way through the quarter the Crusaders began to hit some big shots. 

Vear and Schow combined well giving the Medway team some easy looks at the basket.  They took the third by three points meaning it was 60-59 to the Leopards going into the fourth.

In the final 10 minutes the Leopards came out very strong and Teel once again found himself getting to the basket and hitting some tough shots. They took a quick five point lead, but the Crusaders continued to chip away at the lead.  

In the last 4 minutes of the game the Crusaders caught fire with everyone hitting shots. Vear, Baker and Schow all hit huge threes to put Medway up by eight. The chasing Leopards had to foul to kill the clock, but the Crusaders held their nerve and saw out the game to get their second win.

Crusaders coach, James Vear, was thrilled with his teams result. He said: “We showed great mental toughness tonight and we have been lacking a bit of confidence over the past month, but the guy’s hard work in practice has finally paid off.”

He also paid credit to the efforts of Schow, Fenyn and Baker: “Our big guys were great today. Both Joe and Adrian played some fantastic team basketball and Luke hit some big shots towards the end of the game – he is easily one of the best shooters in the division.”

Leopards’ coach, Dejan Mihevc, was understandably disappointed. He said: “I would like to congratulate Medway Park’s players for a deserved win. They showed more desire and were more focused especially in the last part of the game.”

He also praised point guard, Steve Vear: “Vear was a true leader on the floor tonight and he showed that he is exactly what they needed.”

Steve’s brother, James added: “It was a massive boost getting Steve back tonight. He hasn’t played since we won the playoff final last year but he had a great game.”

The Crusaders next game sees them take on the Bristol Academy Flyers at home on Saturday, 10 December at 5pm.

The Flyers have been the stand out team in this year’s campaign winning six out of their seven opening league fixtures.

Scoring an average of 81 points per game, the Bristol side will be very hard to stop. Coach Vear concluded by saying: “we know we will have to be better defensively when we come up against Bristol next week who are arguably the best team in our Division.”

82-87

Medway Park Leisure Centre, 27/11/11

Report by Nick Moore

Despite mounting a late surge, the Medway Park Crusaders were unable to overcome a very strong Worthing Thunder side on Sunday evening, 27 November.

The National League Division One tie, which finished 87-82, saw some strong individual performances from both sides, and had the audience on the edge of its seats until the final buzzer.

The game saw the South coast’s American import, Vinnie Darpino, hit a game high 24 points. The 5’10 guard lead the Thunders charge, closely supported fellow American import, Hank Rivers, a 6’7 power forward – Rivers hit 18 points personal.

Kalil Irving top scored for Medway with an impressive 20 points, but even he could not stop Worthing leading from start to finish.

The Crusaders came out very flat in the first quarter and allowed the Thunder to distribute the ball and find their rhythm early on. Important buckets from guards James Harris and Luke Baker kept Medway in the game, but they trailed 19-16 at the end of the first.

Worthing continued to pile on the pressure in the second quarter, knocking down their open shots, and hitting Medway on the break. Darpino came off the bench to make a host of steals, which meant they went into half time leading 42-30.

Crusaders coach, James Vear, rallied his players at half time and after the break they responded. The third quarter was a much closer affair, as they stepped up their intensity and began to play with more desire and passion.

Worthing though, matched the Medway side’s efforts and kept their lead to double digits, taking the quarter 22-20. Their rebounding skills proved to be the difference, killing the Crusaders chances of getting second looks at the basket. Worthing lead 64-50 going into the final quarter.

The final 10 minutes saw the Crusaders mount their comeback, but they allowed the Thunder to pull out to a 19 point lead at one stage.

Coach Vear, changed all five players, and this seemed to galvanise the team onto the late surge. They went on a 10 point unanswered run and closed the gap to just nine.

With time quickly disappearing and the calls not going the Crusaders way, the Thunder managed to hold onto to the lead, closing out the game 87-82, despite a strong 32-23 final period from Medway.

Crusaders Coach, James Vear, was very disappointed with the loss. He struggled to come to terms with the defeat bearing in mind the team’s improvement in the last few matches.

He said “The team chemistry didn’t seem there at all tonight and it looked like our guys had never played together.  It’s unfortunate as we looked to have turned a real corner last week but today we didn’t show the effort and determination we did in our last game.”

The Crusaders next game sees them take on the BA London Leopards at home on Saturday, 3 December at 5pm.

The BA Leopards lost their opening three games to the Brixton Topcats, the Leicester Warriors and the Bradford Dragons, but beat league leaders, the Bristol Academy flyers 91-87 on Sunday.

They will therefore be a tough team to host, entering the forthcoming match with a lot of confidence.

However, the Crusaders could see their instrumental point guard from last year, Steve Vear, James’s younger brother, return to the squad.

Steve was key in helping to the Crusaders gain promotion to Division One and his possible comeback will inevitably boost the team’s morale as they have been struggling to find a replacement since he left.

James added: “Steve will give us that on court leadership I think we are lacking. He is also a player who tries to make everyone around him better which he did for us last season.”