Bognor Pirates cut Bexhill Giants down to size

Bognor shot out of the blocks and raced into an early lead, scoring four baskets in succession with Bexhill having no answer.

The Pirates seemed to wake the giant as Bexhill started to find form and got themselves on the scoreboard.

The quarter finished 16-11 to the Pirates.

The second quarter began with Bexhill scoring five unanswered baskets and taking the lead away from the Pirates.

After a timeout and a change in defence, the Pirates returned to their earlier form by grabbing points and causing problems for the Giants with an effective zone defence. The quarter ended with the Pirates 28-25 ahead.

Bognor started the third quarter well and continued where they’d left off, playing a solid zone which Bexhill struggled to break down.

At the offensive end the Pirates moved the ball well and found gaps in the Giants defence which they turned into points. The Pirates stretched their lead to 48-36.

The final quarter started with Bognor grabbing early baskets but the teams both had success, with Bexhill keeping themselves in it.

Bexhill got a better grip on the game and started to close the gap on the Pirates. With Bexhill applying pressure and Bognor having a lapse in concentration, the gap was closed to two points.

Bognor refocused and toughened up their defence again and moved the ball well to break out, with the Giants having to foul to get the ball back.

The Pirates were sent to the line where they converted their free throws to put the game just out of the reach of Bexhill.

PIRATES: R Lowe 20, J Mclaren 16, G Roythorne 13, M Robbins 11, M Wakeling 3, S Hardyman, J Parker, G Pridie, D Robbins, M Schofield, M Sharpe.