U16 News

After a tough double loss the previous weekend to top spot contenders Torbay and Marjons, the squad was keen to get back on track.

Coach Parkyn commented on the double loss.

“It was a tough weekend with two of the strongest teams in our league mixed in with a long away trip to Plymouth. Both were competitive games however and the performance showed definite cause for optimism for future meetings. Our main weaknesses were identified and improvement in these areas was apparent moving into the second game, further work on this should put us in a good position to contend in the league.”

Another long trip to Plymouth saw a match up against the Raiders – a team the Jets hadn’t met since U14. The game started with an opening 3 for Plymouth – fortunately not a sign of things to come. Jets were soon to retaliate with Laurie Miller, David Woodroffe and Louis Fawl giving the Jets a 7-3 lead. The 1st quarter finished the Jets on the stronger side of a 21-15 score line.

The second quarter saw a much improved defensive effort from the Jets limiting the local team to just 7 points. With Tim Smith making his way onto the score sheet, supplemented by Phil Drewett and Greg Gallagher, the Jets boosted themselves to a 37-22 lead at the half.

A poor start to the third led to 6 unanswered points for the Raiders – anxious to stop the run, Coach Parkyn introduced a press. The Jets ran it well and points were soon on the board. Silly mistakes in the defense soon led to more scoring opportunities and the lead remained at 15 going into the 4th.

The 4th quarter showed the Jets finally playing to the standard they are capable. An intense defensive effort and scoring from the bench closed the game out 70-44. A spread scoring effort put Tim Smith and Greg Gallagher at the top with 12 each with numerous other contributions from the squad.

Coach Parkyn had the following to say:

“Overall we have to be pleased with the win and I am very pleased with the defensive intensity shown by the boys, I feel we were a bit complacent at times and made a few too many mistakes, we will have to ensure we don’t repeat the third quarter against some of the stronger teams in the league as we may not be able to recover.”

It was always going to be a tough fixture for U16’s as they faced off against one of the top teams in the Country, City of Birmingham. Birmingham boasted 4 internationals as they took to the floor against an ‘injury weakened’ Jets side.

Despite the best efforts of team leaders Fawl, Woodroffe and Gallagher the Jets found it increasingly difficult to get the ball to the basket. All the while they were bleeding points defensively and going into the half the scoreboard looked bleak at 53-6.

Statistically the 2nd half was better offensively for Gloster as they scored 15 points, but it often resembled much of the 1st. The Birmingham defence took advantage of Gloster errors and quickly converted them to baskets on the fast break. The contest closed at 21-110.

A valuable lesson for the Jets in the intensity required at the top level of domestic competition. The Jets will revert back to their normal EBL schedule next weekend with another trip to Plymouth to face off against the Raiders.

The U16’s started their league season with a dominant 30-point victory over local rivals Bristol Academy Flyers. The Jets led from start to finish in the home clash giving them an excellent start to their campaign.

Led by Captain Louis Fawl and guard Laurie Miller the Jets jumped to a 24-13 opening quarter. Foul trouble for Fawl and injury worries for Miller allowed Bristol to close the gap in the 2nd, but some excellent play from new signings Phil Drewett and Luke Oakley-Smith kept the home team at comfortable 13 point advantage going into the break.

Coach Parkyn unleashed his strongest 5 in the 3rd quarter, which proved devastating to the Bristol pre half-time resurgence. 5 turnovers forced by the Fawl and Miller combo caused 10 points without reply, whilst keeping the Flyers in their defensive half for over a minute of game time. The traffic stayed mostly one way for the rest of the quarter finishing up 31-8 to the Jets.

With the game out-of-sight Coach Parkyn rested Fawl and Miller. Using a complete a bench rotation the led was cut by 6 before the final whistle ending up 85-55.

Coach Parkyn was pleased with the positive start to the season but had obviously taken some notes during the game. “It’s great to start the season with a confident scoreline. Our press worked well and completely demoralised the Bristol team in the 3rd quarter. Although our performance in the 2nd quarter has much to be desired. We became complacent, something which we will not recover from against other teams in this league.”

The Jets next travel to Plymouth Marjon Cannons for their 2nd league game on Saturday 25th October. The Cannons should present a much more formible challenge, especially after the 3hr bus ride.

The new season is nearly upon us and the U16's are aiming to improve upon their success last year.

Training will return on Friday September 5th at Deer Park School in Cirencester. This will be the venue for training throughout the year.

The U16's pre-season traning weekend is also coming up on the 13th and 14th of September at the same venue, check your mails for more information.