The Flames Beat Crawley Lightning
There is indeed no better way to start a season than with a win. And that is exactly what the Flames managed to do last night in their first game of the 2014 regular season against Crawley Lightning.
The Flames set the fast pace of the game early on – proving that those summer sessions do indeed pay off! The Flames secured a healthy lead in the first half of the first quarter by making use of their speed: Many fast breaks and quick defensive steals allowed the Flames to get ahead on the scoreboard. Crawley, true to their fame, maintained a solid defense and a cool head in attack – managing to reduce the deficit in the first quarter, which ended with the Flames only 4 points ahead (17-13).
The second quarter continued in much the same way, with the Flames keeping up their pace but giving away too many balls so that their dominance did not translate into a big lead at halftime (31-24).
Coach Curran’s talk with the team during halftime made a massive difference to the team: The Flames started applying full court pressure, stealing balls early on, not giving Crawley enough space to plan their attack effectively. The Flames also outrebounded Crawley and kept those dreaded turnovers under control by better moving the ball in attack and converting more of their field shots. Despite missing a few easy layups, the Flames made a huge effort on the court, securing a 20-point lead (46-26) at the end of the third quarter.
The Flames continued to work hard in the final quarter despite the physical effort of all players and won the game by 18 points (56-38).
This is only the Flames’ 3rd year in the league, and in spite of changes affecting their home court, squad, club, coach, etc. and the many challenges resulting from these changes, the Flames performed well together. With commitment and focus from the players, with good training sessions and spending time together on and off the court, the Flames look very promising.
May this season bring many more victories for the Flames!
MVP of the Game: Maria Garcia – the super-fast and reliable new player who performed well in defense with her many steals and numerous rebounds and even better in attack with her incredible 25 points in this, her first match, with the Flames.
Special Mention(s) of the Game: Emma Noall, Lidia Machado, and Charlotte Bailey – all new to the Flames; all very fast, conscientious defenders, great teams players; all of them scoring in this, their first match with the Flames.
The Flames set the fast pace of the game early on – proving that those summer sessions do indeed pay off! The Flames secured a healthy lead in the first half of the first quarter by making use of their speed: Many fast breaks and quick defensive steals allowed the Flames to get ahead on the scoreboard. Crawley, true to their fame, maintained a solid defense and a cool head in attack – managing to reduce the deficit in the first quarter, which ended with the Flames only 4 points ahead (17-13).
The second quarter continued in much the same way, with the Flames keeping up their pace but giving away too many balls so that their dominance did not translate into a big lead at halftime (31-24).
Coach Curran’s talk with the team during halftime made a massive difference to the team: The Flames started applying full court pressure, stealing balls early on, not giving Crawley enough space to plan their attack effectively. The Flames also outrebounded Crawley and kept those dreaded turnovers under control by better moving the ball in attack and converting more of their field shots. Despite missing a few easy layups, the Flames made a huge effort on the court, securing a 20-point lead (46-26) at the end of the third quarter.
The Flames continued to work hard in the final quarter despite the physical effort of all players and won the game by 18 points (56-38).
This is only the Flames’ 3rd year in the league, and in spite of changes affecting their home court, squad, club, coach, etc. and the many challenges resulting from these changes, the Flames performed well together. With commitment and focus from the players, with good training sessions and spending time together on and off the court, the Flames look very promising.
May this season bring many more victories for the Flames!
MVP of the Game: Maria Garcia – the super-fast and reliable new player who performed well in defense with her many steals and numerous rebounds and even better in attack with her incredible 25 points in this, her first match, with the Flames.
Special Mention(s) of the Game: Emma Noall, Lidia Machado, and Charlotte Bailey – all new to the Flames; all very fast, conscientious defenders, great teams players; all of them scoring in this, their first match with the Flames.
RSS Feed
