CLUB NEWS

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock The Solent Kestrels won the NBL Division One Play-Off Final after beating the Worcester Wolves 74-66 at the National Basketball Performance Centre, picking the final trophy in their collection for the season. Up against the No.1 seed from the North, the Kestrels held the lead for most of the 40-minute ball game, Andre Arissol picking up another Finals MVP with a 19-point performance to lead Solent to back-to-back Play-Off Final wins. After hard

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther Another season, another Play-Off Final for the Solent Kestrels but also a chance at the treble, after clinching both the D1 South title and NBL Cup this season. An unknown matchup between the two sides will make for an entertaining final this Sunday, the last recorded matchup between the two was during the NBL Division Three Play Offs back in 2022, the Wolves coming out on top 72-63. A number of changes for both sides since that game with the st

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels reach the NBL Division One Men's Play-Off Final with a 65-50 victory over Barking Abbey at the Solent Sports Complex. Matt Guymon’s side will play against Worcester Wolves on the 26 th of April after they defeated Manchester Magic on the other side of the draw, this will be the third consecutive playoff final for the Kestrels. A leading 19 points by the ever-consistent double A battery, Andre Arissol alongside a decisive 12 on the

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels are through to the NBL Division One Play-Off Semi Finals after an 85-70 win against Birmingham City University, with an Andre Arissol 32-point performance. The home side knew what was needed of them to progress into the next round of the Play-Offs, having beaten Birmingham City University earlier in the season. However, the month of March can be full of surprises. The trusty offence of Andre Arissol settled the ship early, despite t

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels lose out in the opening round of the Division Two Play-Offs with a 62-50 loss against the Milton Keynes Breakers. The battle of the 1 st seed in the north and the 4 th seed in the south, MK Breakers came into the game as favourites, however, the Kestrels ended the season with a strong run of results and had a sense of momentum, despite the loss against the London Cavaliers most recently. Aimee Nwabisi opened the scoring to begin t

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock Two competitions, two titles for the Kestrels so far this season, now they start their journey towards claiming the third against Birmingham City University this Saturday. Having played the midlands side already this season in the NBL National Cup, with the Kestrels coming out on top 84-54, Matt Guymon and his coaching staff will look to complete the double. With a 12-game winning streak on the line, it will be sure to add another level of motiv

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels closed out the season with a 72-69 win on the road against the London Stars to extend the unbeaten run the 12 games and end the regular season with a 16-2 record. Although the title was decided last weekend, the Kestrels were playing as if it was still all to play for in the opening minutes of the game. Andre Arissol and Ash Briggs combined for seven unanswered points. The London Stars, coming off the back of an impressive win again

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Solent Kestrels have been crowned champions of NBL D1 Pool B after an extremely dominant 87-49 victory against CoLA. Thomas Blower led all scoring, netting 15 points in 22 minutes to equal his highest scoring game for the Kestrels and show out in front of a packed-out Solent Sports Complex in the final home game of the regular season. Elijah Lotriet was the player who opened the scoring, banking in a three from the left wing right in front o

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels lose out to the London Cavaliers 61-50 after a low scoring first half performance, meaning they miss out on the NBL Division Two Pool B title. Faith McDowall Dodd continued her fine form with another double-digit points haul, scoring 14 points across the afternoon. To open the game, the Kestrels established themselves as a well-coached unit, finding offensive rhythm in their half court sets and efficient ball movement, but it was th

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock Following their narrow win against the Barnet Bulldogs on Saturday, the Kestrels have an opportunity to win the league title heading into the final two game weekends. The first matchup is a revenge fixture up against CoLA, who beat the Kestrels 78-71 in the reverse game back in December. However, with key players now back since that result, the Kestrels look to continue their unbeaten streak and end the season in top spot. CoLA Pride The City of

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 poin

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 Divi

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther The Kestrels had to overcome a poor first quarter to fight back and beat Cobham Cobras 76-59 to kick off their back-to-back away trip weekends. Andre Arissol’s 18 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals and Wayne Kitenge’s impact off the bench to shore up the glass and provide impactful points to kick the Kestrels into sixth gear. The home side opened up the game with a flash, scoring just 3 seconds into the game, Charlie Ollis winning the t

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther Kestrels maintain their winning streak after a composed 65-42 win over London Thunder to solidify 2 nd place in the league. Another Faith McDowall masterclass, besting her 19 points last weekend against London All Stars II with 23 points and three made shots from downtown, leading her side to the win. Out of the blocks, the Kestrels looked sharp and clinical, with three early buckets kicking the away side into a 6-0 lead inside a minute and a h

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther Andre Arissol and Jakub Ofman combined for 50 to ease past the London Stars with a 96-59 win on the Kestrels’ return to the Solent Sports Complex on Saturday evening. However, both had a somewhat slow start to the game, with the first bucket coming in an unusual manor as Ashley Briggs nailed a right wing three just 10 seconds into the game, to the delight of his teammates who shot up out of their seats on the bench. Elijah Lotriet was brought in

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock The Kestrels completed a 63-47 over the London All Stars on the South Bank of the country’s capital on Saturday and closed the gap on league leaders Barking Abbey. Led by Faith McDowall's 19 points, the away side were consistent across all four quarters to come out on top. A slow start from the tip however, with the All Stars going ahead early and building on it, with an 8-2 lead halfway through the opening quarter. Fatumah Lwazi opening the sco

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock Solent Kestrels Women avenged defeat earlier in the season against league leaders Barking Abbey, winning 51-48 at the Solent Sports Complex on Saturday. Coming into the game, the away side had a 14-2 record and sat comfortably top of NBL Division Two Pool B going into their final two games, but with this loss the Kestrels were able to put a hold on their title ambitions. The home crowd brought the energy, and so did both teams with a game jam-pa

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther Jakub Ofman led the Solent Kestrels to a 93-45 win on the road against Richmond Knights to maintain pace at the top end of NBL Division 1. A 32-point barrage from the Itchen College product began in the very first minute, a three-point shot providing the away side’s first points of the game and 6'7 wing never seemed to look back. The Kestrels went on an early run in the first quarter, building a strong lead with a number of makes from downtown.

Image Courtesy of Dan Crowther Saturday evening saw a strong team performance from the Solent Kestrels to clinch an 89-71 win over London Lions II, to move them to a 10-2 record in NBL Division One. The game begun with an Ash Briggs close range finish and would be the theme of the match, with the home side giving up 62 points in the paint across all four quarters. Jakub Ofman made his way into the starting lineup with the absence of Greg Durand and made best use of the opport

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