THUNDER SPURN IT AT THE CHARITY LINE

Thunder, the holders, making their fourth straight appearance in the Trophy Final tenaciously matched a much more experienced Arrows team of former internationals and European competition players but ended up going down 83-76.

National Trophy Final at Brighton Centre '”

1st quarter: From 14-10 down, Thunder went 10-0 to lead 20-16. Moore and Gayle two baskets each, plus a Gayle free throw.

But the price for Hildreth guarding Patton, typically with phenomenal energy and footwork, was three fouls, one debateable. Hildreth benched, Patton broke loose on Hildreth's deputy, Brame, to sink a three and pick up a foul from Moore and make both frees for a 25-21 interval lead.

Thunder had achieved their initial objective: to subdue Patton and stop Sheffield rushing into a decisive lead as at Worthing in the league. They were forcing Garnet to take shots and that's not the strongest part of his game. He was missing plenty and at four points down, and having just forced Sheffield into a 10-second back-court violation, things looked good defensively for Thunder.

2nd quarter: From 27-27 and 34-34, even though Cauthorn rested, Sheffield went 10-0 with a three from Payne. Mead had replaced Brame but Patton got to the line for two and made a three-point play, and Danny Richards had a put-back. Richards was widening the Sheffield transition.

Ugbana came on and Thunder actually closed the half 7-3 (to a Patton trey). Mead and Brame both dished easy baskets for the inside men and Ugbana made a free throw: 47-41, a six-point deficit instead of four at the first quarter break but two teams basically still locking horns.

3rd quarter: Thunder's 8-0 start added up to an exciting 15-3 run astride the interval. Butterworth drove and dished to Moore and Knox showed signs of going to work inside.

Suddenly, the Sheffield perimeter ignited. Four straight treys to outside twos from Butterworth and Gayle, and Smith was calling time out at 61-52 Arrows at 3:34 on the clock.

Moore and Knox led the response, Moore drawing two fouls and only a shock Garnet three gave Arrows a 68-57 lead at the end of the quarter '” the first daylight betwen the teams.

But in the quarter, Thunder had twice forced 24-second clock failures from the Sheffield offense. It was to happen twice more in the final quarter and it was Garnet most being caught still holding the ball. More great D by Thunder, undone only by the four threes.

Garnet led Arrows in the stanza with seven points, Cauthorn with six. Hildreth, Brame and Gayle had the lid on Patton.

Final quarter: Cauthorn beat the buzzer with a jumper to create the biggest gap at 70-57. Bates was now in the game, albeit briefly; he, fellow big man Ugbana and almost-as-big Butterworth with a three-point play off the post, hauled it back to 70-65 but defensively the shut-down was at a cost of four team fouls by 6:41.

At 74-65, Ugbana's double miss at the line revealed the mounting tension but Knox inspired Thunder with two frees and a turnaround jumper to pull it to 74-70.

A Gayle jumper cancelled out a Payne drive to the hoop and after Thunder forced the fourth 24-second triumph, Gayle's out-of-touch three-pointer failed when net would have made it a one-point game at 76-75 Arrows.

Instead, in the next play, down the other end, Garnet missed from the left wing, Cauthorn put in the rebound and at 78-74 with a minute left, that won the game.

Gaylon made two frees (78-74) but while Cauthorn, Patton and Richards combined for five of six free shots, Gayle's drive to the hoop through an uninterested defence was all Thunder could manage in damage limitation.

Thunder's two most in-form free-shooters, Butterworth and Knox, received only three free throws and, sure enough, neither missed. Gayle (3 of 9) and Ugbana (2 of 6) were the guilty parties in a team that until this had become one of the deadliest at the line in the last six weeks.

The ever-steady Moore had 7 of 10 but none others reached the charity stripe.

Sheffield's perimeter attack helped themselves to 34 three-point attempts, making 11 of them, for a 33-0 team-to-team tally.

Team stats (Thunder-Sheffield) '” Points off turnovers 15-18; second-chance points 9-9; team rebounds 8-5; points per possession 0.78 - 0.84; points off bench 5-2, dead ball rebounds 9-2.

National Trophy Final at Brighton Centre '”

Quotes:

Gary Chicken Smith: Definitely our defence was good. We knew who we had to stop and we did that. Ryan Patton scored only four points in the second half. That was great.

Free throws (18-31 to Sheffield's 14-20): The biggest factor in us losing. 18 of 31: that was the game right there. Getting to the free line was what we'd intended to do.

Offensive rebounds (9-16): That's not good. It's been one of our problems all year. Offensive rebounds are harder to get. You've got to work hard to get yourself in position to rebound. That's effort.

If you come out of a championship game with as many as Sheffield had (16), you've been making an effort. We didn't have that effort. Unlike Sheffield, it doesn't come naturally to us.

Three-pointers (0-8): We win when we're hot in three-point shooting. They didn't fall today. Maybe if we'd knocked down one or two we'd have got hot and it would have been different. This time last season, though, we'd have been 0-20!

Our bench did really well. I was about to let Okolie, Pat and James finish the game. It was a great team effort.

Garnet Gayle: Last time we met, we realised how well we played and how poorly they did. WEe came into today treating it as just an away game and to play hard, and not treat it as a big stage or a big game.

Chicken and I were both under Jim Brandon at Sheffield and we talk a lot on the phone.

Our offensive rebounding is just part of our game. We try to play smart, take care of the ball and get out and run.

We played with only five players at Coventry last night: Adrian Anderson damaged his mouth in an injury, Jamie Davidson was unwell and Richard Marsh had a back injury. Coventry scored only five points in the first half.

Worthing have spurts where you can see their potential.

Ryan Patton: Thunder denied me the ball so in that situation I don't need to jack up the shots to get my points. I'd rather have the W (the win].

In one-off games, Thunder are always tough. They'd be top of the table if they could do what they do in cup games in the league games as well.

I expect to see them again this season. I think Chicken does a great job with what he's got. They're well-coached.

Todd Cauthorn: Our big guys are able to operate on the perimeter (he, Mike Payne, Jamie Davidson, Danny Richards, Adrian Anderson] and that means more people are there to take the open shot wheh it comes.

Worthing played 10 times better than last time. They were more organised, the team preparation was a lot better, there was more unselfishness, and the bog guys fed each other.

Gaylon Moore: The MVP? I'd probably have given it to Todd. 24 points in a half (by Patton], that's a lot of points. Some don't end with that in a whole game.

We did a good job on him in the second half He stopped being aggressive. I think It'd be a shame if he doesn't get the League MVP.

My stats are pretty good, in scoring, rebounds and assists, but he came in and turned Sheffield around.

I think Garnet Gayle's a good player. He hits big shots. He's a smart player and headstrong.

Teon Knox: I think I could have played better in the first half .

I don't want to go home with just this runners-up trophy.

See Worthing Herald for other quotes by Todd Cauthorn, Gaylon Moore, Teon Knox, Okolie Ugbana and David Butterworth.