There was a statement win this weekend for Ipswich’s Under-14 Girls, who held hosts London Greenhouse Pioneers to just 23 points in a 63-23 road win.
Ipswich’s usually high levels dropped for the first quarter as Coach John Yorke’s side struggled to find an offence rhythm and the Pioneers worked hard defensively to stay in the game.
Ipswich were able to rotate the bench and kept the tempo high, eventually forcing the short-handed Pioneers to tire, and the Suffolk side took advantage of this in the third quarter to build a comfortable lead.
“Once the lead was extended we relaxed even more and it enabled everyone to get valuable court time,” said Coach Yorke. “A great team performance, and we should be mighty proud that we defended so well.”
Lauren Liddamore outscored the hosts on her own, registering 25 points. Holly Heard added 11 and Maia Wiseman finished with nine.
Abbie Yorke’s game-winning three pointer gave the Under-16 Girls their first win of the season at Sheffield Hatters as Coach Kevin Manning’s team sealed a 60-59 victory.
Having trailed by twelve points at half time, Ipswich fought back in the fourth quarter, before Yorke’s three pointer gave the visitors their first lead since the first quarter.
Hannah Gray paced Ipswich with 20 points; Yorke finished with 10.
Elsewhere, the Under-16 Boys made an excellent start and controlled the first half, but couldn’t sustain their performance level as they eventually fell to a 67-100 defeat at home to Team Birmingham Elite.
Team Birmingham Elite made it a double over Ipswich in the following contest, with a dominant second quarter the difference as the visitors secured a 76-67 win over Ipswich’s Under-18 Men I.
Ipswich Under-18 Men II travelled to Brentwood Leopards White. The team displayed continued improvement in a competitive game. A lapse in concentration in the second quarter allowed Brentwood to accrue a 19 point half time lead, and despite a spirited fightback and getting the lead as low as 11, this proved too much to overcome for Coach Syd Payne’s team.