Brighton Cougars under 16s and Ladies teams win county playoff finals
Posted by on 17 May 2013
In the first match of the playoff weekend that featured nine finals with 18 teams from across Sussex, the Brighton Cougars under 16s beat Worthing D&D 60-34.
In the first half the Brighton team struggled to break Worthing’s zone defence that set out to stifle passes and shots in the key close to the basket. The half ended with the Cougars leading 26-19.
But in the second half the Cougars imposed a full court press to force mistakes and capitalised on turnovers and fast breaks to register 34 points to 15 from Worthing. The Brighton team, which finished third in the Basketball Sussex league table, racked up 24 points alone in the final quarter of the game amid growing vocal support.
The Cougar’s most valuable player (MVP) was Fred Baxter scoring 21 points.
Brighton Cougars under 16s coach Simon Ellery said:
“Worthing restricted us with the zone defence in the first period but the under 16s have been persistent in wins all season and showed the same spirit when it mattered in the final.
“This match and the others over the weekend show just how exciting basketball is with end to end action and this is making it the fastest growing UK sport.”
In the Basketball Sussex playoff finals the league leaders play the fourth placed team and the second and third placed teams compete to play in the final.
On the Sunday the Brighton Cougars Ladies team beat Bognor Amazons 57–51.
In other results, Horsham Hawks mirrored the Brighton club’s triumph winning in two finals. The under 12 Horsham Hawks beat Worthing D&D while the Hawks under 14s squad won against Angmering Cobras.
In the under 11s finals the Henfield Heat prevailed against Brighton Phoenix and Worthing D&Ds under 18s saw off Bognor Buccaneers.
In the men’s cup final Bexhill Giants won against Worthing Tropics while the men’s plate game saw Bognor Pirates beat East Grinstead Flyers. The ladies plate game saw University of Brighton Panthers win against Brighton Phoenix Flames.
Hundreds of supporters cheered the teams on through the Saturday and Sunday over the playoffs that were held in the new gym at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.
