KESTRELS DOMINATE ARCHERS IN THEIR RETURN TO THE SSC

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther

A controlled but energy-filled performance from the Kestrels achieved them a massive 90-39 win at home to Cardiff Met Archers that keeps them in the title hunt. The speed in transition of Aimee Nwabisi and scoring of Anna Idiata Mendez overwhelmed the away side on both ends of the floor.

Welcomed back to the Solent Sports Complex after a few weeks away, the Kestrels entered the final two games of the regular season in contention for the NBL Division Two Pool B title. However, with the strong offensive game Jordan Grant for Cardiff, it was going to be a challenge to contain her offensive influence.

Grant made that obvious by scoring the opening bucket and showing her impact instantly, showing great footwork to find space inside and draw the interior Kestrels defence in to space for her teammates. The young Kestrels team didn’t let that shake them, however, as Faith McDowall Dodd continued her fine form with a three-pointer to open the Kestrels’ scoring. The home side then looked as if they would simply run away with the win, opening the game with an 11-2 run, pushing the pace in transition and exploiting the gaps in behind the Cardiff defence. It wasn’t all plane sailing from then on however, as Grant continued to cause issues on the defensive end of the floor, but Cardiff could not capitalise on the resulting open shots.

A flurry of points from Mendez and Jackson to end the opening quarter was enough to give the home side a double-digit lead, going into the break 26-16. Despite the lead, the target player for the Cardiff offence remained, as Grant continued to lead Cardiff for points and began to get her teammates more touches on the ball. Jenna Payne and Martha Bailey added to the Cardiff points total and briefly bridged the gap to the Kestrels midway through the second quarter to just a three-point lead. However, the pace of the Kestrels was just simply too much, and the entire Kestrels team began to get in on the act, Sophia Agboola using her superior pace to break through the transition defence of Cardiff and re-extend the Kestrels lead going into half-time.

Having gone in at the break with a 17-point advantage, the Kestrels had only just got going offensively, with a 24-2 scoring run through the third quarter. Nwabisi led the line at the guard position and led the line in scoring as well, with effective trips to the free throw line and capitalising on simple buckets to extend the gap to the away side. The energy from Ruth Bentley also enabled plenty of second chance points opportunities as Bentley hustled to regain the ball from offensive rebounds and facilitate the likes of Nwabisi and Kurkowski. This monster run meant the Kestrels ended the third at 70-31, and it was highly unlikely that Cardiff would comeback from the deficit.

That didn’t stop Solent going through the offensive rhythm of half court sets and finding open shots, Sophia Miell being the prime example; with her range, Miell spreads the floor and knocks down impressive threes, and this game was no exception, as she hit three across the game. The final quarter was just as controlled as the third for the Kestrels, Grant remained in the Cardiff lineup to total up an impressive 20-piece and contributing over half of her side’s points for the evening.

Top Performers:

Aimee Nwabisi – 14 points

Anna Idiata Mendez – 13 points

Sophia Miell – 11 points

Another weekend and another win for the Kestrels as they look towards their final regular season game next weekend against London Cavaliers at 3:30pm (7^th March). Now tied on an equal record with Barking Abbey in 1^st, all Kestrels can do is continue to put pressure on the teams around them, tickets are available here - D2 Women vs. London Cavaliers II (WNBL Division 2 Pool B) | Team Solent Kestrels.

With the Men’s game right after against CoLA, support both teams and enjoy a full afternoon of basketball action, tickets for the Men’s game are available here - D1 Men vs. City of London Academy Southwark Pride - NBL Division 1 Men | Team Solent Kestrels.

One ticket will get you entry to both games!