KESTRELS TAKE THE SPOILS IN THE 3RD MICK BYRNE MEMORIAL TROPHY MATCH UP

Image Courtesy Luke Simcock

Saturday evening saw the third annual Mick Byrne Memorial Trophy game take place at the Ravelin Sports Centre in Portsmouth, with Kestrels taking a 97-60 victory over the Portsmouth Force. The visitors used an impressive second half performance as they proved too much for the NBL Division 2 side, keeping their undefeated record in the series in tact.

Kestrels youngster Ethan Round showed off his sharpshooting, as he went 6/10 from deep on his way to 18 points, Andre Arissol and Greg Durand matched his tally with 18 each also. Luke Busumbru also did a bit of everything with 10 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

It was a slow start for both squads with neither team able to score in the first 3 minutes of the game, perhaps to be expected as both teams use the pre season to shake off the rust. Andre Arissol would get the Kestrels going with a triple eventually, kick starting a 10-2 run that would force Portsmouth into an early timeout. The away side would find their rhythm offensively though the back end of the opening quarter, with both Arissol and Greg Durand providing the scoring fire power, 24-9 Kestrels after one.

The second quarter was more back and forth as both squads rotated through different combinations from the bench, it was the Kestrels starting group who continued to do the damage for the visitors. Portsmouth found ways to score the ball more consistently through the second period, through Lukas York and former Kestrels Matt Hughes. Solent were able to hold off any Force fightback heading into the break, 42-29 to the good.

Kestrels started to catch fire from beyond the 3 point line in the second half behind Ethan Round who went back to back early in the third, to stretch his sides lead. Solent would turn up the defensive intensity also leading to a number of live ball turnovers for Portsmouth and transition scores the other way. The young Itchen core gave Solent a fresh lease of life also, as Jakub Ofman and Thomas Blower also joined the 3 point party, whilst Elijah Lotriet set the tone with his defensive tenacity. Kestrels took a 67-38 lead into the final ten minutes.

Solent pushed their lead into the 40’s early in the fourth as they continued to share the ball and find the extra pass, putting on an offensive clinic with 22 assists across the team. Portsmouth also had their highest scoring quarter of the night putting up 22 points as the game wound to a close, with Kestrels taking a 97-60 victory and a third consecutive win in the Mick Byrne Memorial Trophy game.

Solent Head Coach Matt Guymon was pleased with his sides improvements on Wednesday’s performance, “Portsmouth Force provided an amazing atmosphere for the 3rd Mick Byrne game as we continue to celebrate his legacy. I was pleased with our approach to the game, starting with the right intent on the defensive end. We played with pace offensively and had some fantastic ball movement at times. I was also very proud of the contributions from all of our academy players, who continue to adjust to senior basketball."

Kestrels will face a much tougher test this coming weekend as they head to Hemel Storm on Sunday evening (6pm) to take on the BCB side, with pre season preparations ramping up.