top of page
Search

KESTRELS TAKE HOME NATIONAL CUP TITLE FOR 3RD TIME IN 10 SEASONS

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock
Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock

The Solent Kestrels clinch the National Cup with a controlled 93-74 victory over the Manchester Magic at University of Worcester Arena to cap off a wonderful cup campaign. Manchester opened up the game with an open three from the left wing, a statement early that out fuel into the Kestrels fire, as a quick combination of buckets from Ash Briggs and Greg Durand pushed the Kestrels into a 12-5 lead.


In order to come out on top, the Kestrels needed a team performance on the offensive side of the floor and the opening quarter showed that, with Luke Busumbru adding to the points total. Despite the clean and efficient offensive sets throughout the first quarter, the Magic capitalised on a number of poor offensive possessions through another Walton three to quiet the Kestrels confidence.


The youthful spry of Javen Osei-Owusu injected tenacity to the Kestrels offence to begin the 2nd quarter with two aggressive moves, finishing at the rim.  The tenacity led to frustration for the Manchester Magic with Durand claiming a charge and instantly raising the noise from the loyal Kestrels family. With the roar came the thunder as the Kestrels pushed the offence in transition like a flash. Offensive versatility was the name of the game, with a full 12-man rotation, the bench minutes proved vital in building the momentum heading into the half and gave the Kestrels a 49-34 lead.


The Kestrels started the second half how they ended the first with great defensive stops, particularly through Ethan Round who got back-to-back stops and within a matter of minutes, the Kestrels extended to a 58-36 lead. Manchester continued to fight through Aaron Bile using the smaller matchup in Round to dive and finish with an effortless euro step. Kestrels settled into offensive sets and controlled the tempo of the game to slow the Magic’s run, but the Northern side responded with quick transition buckets. Brilliant team defence from Manchester looked to unsettle the heads of the Kestrels, but the experience of Andre Arrisol looked to prevail and swoop in for buckets, making it look easy.


With both teams heading into the final quarter and ten minutes left of the game, the Kestrels held a lead of 70-56. Jack Walton had other ideas, as he cut that instantly to just 11 points to starts the fourth with another three-point shot, he totalled three in the game. The “strength in numbers” power of the Kestrels continued as the rotated lineup that featured Osei-Owusu showed some competitive spirit, with the Itchen prospect driving aggressively and finishing with the right hand. Just five minutes left on the clock and the Kestrels were forced into a timeout as Magic caught out the Kestrels in transition and maintaining pressure on the Kestrels lead, sitting at 81-65.


The experience of Arissol and Busumbru returned to the Kestrels foreground once again, both guards trading buckets and putting doubt into the minds of the Magic fans. However, time and time again the Magic responded quickly as this time Demi Babalola tried to put a dent into the Kestrels’ armour, but the tempo of the game remained in favour of Solent.



After a controlled performance that saw the Kestrels ahead for most of it, Matt Guymon rotated the five on the floor for the final time, and the team head back to the bench with a wave of applause from the fans. Important buckets from the big names helped the Kestrels hold and control the game, Busumbru ending with 28 points on 83% and was named Finals MVP.




The Kestrels return back to home soil against London Stars on the 14th of February, game tickets can be purchased here – https://www.solentkestrels.co.uk/tickets

Comments

bottom of page