TROJANS TITLE HOPES DISAPPEAR IN PULSATING GAME!

January 16, 2023

IT WAS END TO END THROUGHOUT, BUT WHEN PUSH CAME TO SHOVE, THE 2023 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP LOOKS TO BE HEADING TO ARDEN GRIFFINS AFTER THEY PLUNDERED THE POINTS WITH AN 81-71 VICTORY AT HEREWARD COLLEGE.

HAVING WON THE FIRST ENCOUNTER IN SOLIHULL BY A SINGLE POINT, GRIFFINS MADE SURE THEY CANNOT BE CAUGHT – UNLESS OF COURSE THEY SLIP UP IN A COUPLE OF THEIR REMAINING FIXTURES, A MOST UNLIKELY SITUATION, GIVEN THE FACT THAT THEY NOW STAND CLEAR AT THE TOP OF DIVISION ONE WITH A 100% RECORD.

THE GAME HAD EVERYTHING, RIGHT FROM THE FIRST OFFENSE WHEN THE STYLISH LUKE HATFIELD WAS FOULED AND SANK ALL THREE FREE-SHOTS AFTER BEING CLIPPED IN MID-AIR BY RICH ONIONS, AND HIS SIDE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF SOME SLOPPY SHOOTING BY THE HOME SIDE AS GRIFFINS WENT 19-12 UP AT THE FIRST BUZZER.

THE SECOND QUARTER SAW A RALLY BY TROJANS WHO TRIED DESPEREATELY TO CLAW BACK SOME OF WHAT HAD BECOME A TEN POINT MARGIN, AND THEY DID JUST THAT, TAKING THE LEAD BRIEFLY TOWARDS THE HALF-TIME INTERVAL WHICH CLOSED AT 34-36 AND ALL TO PLAY FOR.

IT WAS TOUGH OUT THERE AS BODIES HIT THE FLOOR WITH REGULARITY, COLD FINGERS IN THE UNHEATED ARENA FAILING TO HOLD ONTO LOOSE PASSES, BUT FIRST BLOOD IN THE PENULTIMATE PERIOD WENT THE WAY OF GRIFFINS, AND THEY TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE TO MOVE ELEVEN UP AS THINGS BEGAN TO LOOK BLEAK FOR THE REDS. BUT, LIKE TRUE TROJANS, THEY MARCHED INTO THEFINAL STAGES OF THE BATTLE IN THE FINAL QUARTER AND SUDDENLY IT WAS BACK TO ONE WITH JUST FIVE MINUTES REMAINING ON THE CLOCK.

FREE-SHOTS WERE RAINING DOWN ON BOTH BASKETS, BUT AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAME OUT AT ONE END, THEY WENT IN AT THE OTHER AND IT WAS GRIFFINS WHO WERE LEFT THE HAPPIER.

THEY SCORED THEIRS, TROJANS MISSED THEIRS AND IT RATHER SUMMED UP THE GAME – QUITE SIMPLY, ALTOHUGH NOT AT THEIR BEST, GRIFFINS DID IT WHEN IT MATTERED.

IT WAS A GREAT NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXHIBITION FROM BOTH SIDES WHO EXCHANGED WARM EMBRACES (IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE IN THE FREEZING SPORTS HALL) AND ACKNOWLEDGED EACH OTHER’S TITANIC PHYSICAL DISPLAY.

SCORERS:

TROJANS – JONES 0, JANES 3, OWEN 5, KOLAWOLE 13, ROBERTS 3, LARNER 15, ROBINSON 2, ONIONS 11, DICKSON 8, GORGOL 8, MURRAY 3.

GRIFFINS – SANGHERA 5, WORKMAN 26, QUINN 6, HATFIELD 22, ROBERTS 9, FORREST 1, WOOD 6, RUDAMINAS 6.