Team Solent Kestrels improved to 8-1 in NBL Division 2 South on Saturday afternoon as they took care of Cobham Cobras, winning 77-53, in a relatively low scoring affair on the road. The win sees Kestrels continue to keep pace at the summit of the division along with Barking Abbey and NASSA.
Matt Hughes was back in form as he poured in 14 points on a perfect 7-7 from the field whilst Andre Arissol and Isa Brandon added 12 a piece, in a balanced scoring attack for TSK.
It was Ash Briggs who got the scoring under way for the visiting Kestrels as he converted on an and-1 right away. Cobham replied with a triple but when Briggs and Isa Brandon connected for an easy score Kestrels took an early 10-5 advantage. After a Cobham timeout TSK continued to build the lead and by the end of the quarter, back to back Arissol scores saw his side lead 21-10.
The squads traded scores to open the second period as Joe Lloyd and Matt Hughes came off the bench to continue TSK’s scoring output, whilst Dijarni Parkinson scored a pair of free throws for the hosts. Kestrels pushed the arrears to 15 forcing Cobras into their second timeout of the half and despite a brief response out of the timeout, the rest of the quarter was all Kestrels. A 12-0 scoring run that saw Kestrels hold the home side scoreless for 5 straight minutes, left them 42-17 to the good at the half time interval.
A low scoring start to the second half meant both squads were not able to find any free scoring flow, with both sides combining for 10 points in the opening 5 minutes. They were shared and that better suited TSK with the lead still out a 25 through the mid point of the period. Cobham did cut the gap to 18 points through Parkinson once again but Wayne Kitenge ensured the 20 points TSK advantage was still intact, come the end of the quarter, 58-38.
The teams exchanged scores for the first 3 minutes of the final stanza and the lead didn’t shift, which favoured the Kestrels. Cobras used a timeout when Kestrels pushed the gap to 22 and even post timeout Kestrels continued to build their lead, increasing the advantage to 26 through Matt Hughes. Kestrels eventually taking a 77-53 victory.
Kestrels will return to the SSC for their final league game of 2024 as they welcome Barnet Bulldogs on Saturday at 6pm, tickets are on sale now. Kestrels will also be supporting the local community this Christmas with a food, toy and book collection at the SSC all day this Saturday, so if you are attending a game or have something you would like to donate we welcome it all no matter how big or small, you can drop off at the collection point at the SSC on Saturday.
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