KESTRELS CLAIM TOP SPOT AS BULLDOGS LEFT IN THE DOGHOUSE

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther

The Kestrels come out on top in the doghouse, winning 64-62 against the Barnet Bulldogs to put themselves at the summit of NBL Division One Pool B and in the driving seat for the title.

On the road and against the team sat top of the league standings in the Barnet Bulldogs was always going to be a tough test on both ends of the floor, but the Kestrels certainly made it more difficult than it had to be. Andre Arissol led the Kestrels with 25 points and created plenty of shots inside for both Wayne Kitenge and Ash Briggs in pick n roll situations, making simple buckets with a fair amount of ease.

It was Briggs that got the scoring underway, finding space in behind two Barnet defenders and a beautiful feed from Ethan Round to give the big an easy opening bucket. On their home floor, Barnet meant business and showed that with hard-fought points to kickstart a lead, Chukwuma Duru hitting back-to-back shots and Dreyshun Brown’s long 2-pointer, making it 11-4, forcing Matt Guymon into an early timeout. Briggs continued his effective opening period, getting consistent mismatches and thus space underneath the basket to operate, the Kestrels found success with Barnet’s blitzing of high pick n rolls to give Briggs a much higher percentage shot in and around the rim. Barnet fired back responses to the strong Kestrels offence, maintaining their lead, until Arissol began to find his jump shot. The turning point in the first quarter was an Arissol top of the key three, brushing off the defender in Sable Cooper to get the Kestrels bench onto their feet.

The first set of changes for both sides did not stop the Kestrels offence finding its flow, Javen Osei-Owusu proving a more and more important piece in the Kestrels rotation with a good finish to tie the game at 15-15. Arissol and Thomas Blower threes amounted an impressive ending to the opening quarter, however, Barnet remained in front.

After a tightly contested opening quarter, the away side were going toe-to-toe with the league leaders but to start the second period, the Kestrels looked like the team on top. Efficient ball movement in transition resulted in a Round three that gave Solent the lead once again, but this time it stuck. The typical double AA battery of energy began to control the offense, with a guard-big two-man game feeding Arissol and Kitenge with good shots that extended the lead with every possession. The simplicity of the offense and the impact of Osei-Owusu on defence meant the Kestrels outscored Barnet by a whopping 20-4 in the second quarter alone, giving them a 44-29 lead at half time.

Neat interplay between Round, Briggs and Arissol produced a well-worked layup for the Kestrels captain to finish home. There was a fresh energy about the home side to start the third period. Backed by the home crowd, Barnet responded quickly with a three-pointer that put the point across that they were going to make this as difficult as possible for Solent. A series of sloppy offensive possessions from the Kestrels had swung the momentum in favour of Barnet who were finding their spots and making the Kestrels rue missed chances.

Although the lead remained in double digits throughout the third quarter, a number of turnovers and poor shot selection had allowed the home side to remain in the game. Sable Cooper, despite being limited to 9 points on the afternoon, hit an important three in front of the Kestrels bench, getting Arissol into the air and netting a tough shot to briefly cut the lead to just nine. After two missed threes to end the quarter, the Kestrels had been limited to eleven points and needed a rejuvenation before the final ten minutes if they were to knock Barnet from top spot.

Until the 7:30 mark in the final quarter, Kestrels had not scored in the final period, and the home fans could slowly sense a comeback on the cards. Robert Mccowan for the home side, who was having an impressive game himself, tapped home from his own missed shot and followed with nice finish and what was a nine-point lead had been cut to six with a handful of minutes to play. Six then became three after a Mccowan wing jumper from beyond the arc was nothing but net and the home fans rose to their feet, with Barnet bridging the gap to the Kestrels with every possession. Three then became zero as Mccowan hit another three-point shot, this time in front of the home support and the feeling inside the Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre was certainly tense from a Kestrels perspective. Matt Guymon was forced into a timeout to stop the bleeding.

Jakub Ofman put the Kestrels back in front, connecting with a simple mid-range jumper after Arissol collapsed the Barnet bigs. The lead was then extended to four as Round and Briggs this time resorted to the trusty pick n roll, Briggs able to absorb the contact and finish over the outstretched arms of Duru. However, the Barnet fans were given another glimmer of hope as Brown finished off the window and was fouled in the process and had a trip to the line to slim down the Kestrels lead to one point with just under two minutes left to play but missed and the score was sat at 64-62.

The Kestrels with possession of the ball with 44 seconds left, Sable Cooper poked the ball away and Barnet pushed to level the score, getting a two-for-one opportunity as Mccowan drove but was blocked by the underside of the backboard. However, it wasn’t over just yet for the Kestrels as it was deemed to have come off Ofman and Barnet called a timeout… nine seconds left and a chance to send the game to overtime.

The initial inbounds play was poked away by Briggs, but the ball remained in Barnet’s hands. Cooper found Brown directly underneath the basket, but the guard missed the layup opportunity, Samuel Williams fought for the offensive rebound but his put back attempt hung on the rim before falling on the near side and not dropping down.

After an action packed last few minutes, the Kestrels come away with the 64-62 win over their title rivals and now puts them in a brilliant position going into the final two games of the regular season. A leader’s performance from Arissol, with 25 points, complimented by his partner in crime Briggs racking up 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, aided a strong away win that now puts the Kestrels in 1^st in the NBL Division One Pool B.

Box score - FIBA LiveStats

Watch the game - Barnet Bulldogs vs Solent Kestrels (LIVE)

Kestrels now return to the Solent Sports Complex this coming Saturday (6pm) in the final home game of the regular season, in a revenge match against CoLA, who beat the Kestrels earlier in the season.

Tickets for that game can be purchased here - D1 Men vs. City of London Academy Southwark Pride - NBL Division 1 Men | Team Solent Kestrels.