Match Report – Hornets1 v Trafford

Holmes Chapel 1 – 72

Trafford – 95

Hornets entered this cup fixture with only 6 players, still suffering from injuries and work commitments. However, starting the game with a small line-up did the home team no harm at all, matching the strong Trafford squad in Q1 at both ends of the court. Playing tight, controlled basketball Hornets were 23-19 up going in to Q2.

With Josh grooms and Kris wood scoring on the inside and Tom Lee finding his touch from the 3 point line Hornets continued to play effectively at the offensive end, but leaked too many easy scores in the defence, allowing Trafford to edge the Half 44-42.

Midway through the 3rd quarter Hornets trailed by only 2 points but mistakes began to creep into their play and it was almost inevitable that fatigue would cause a drop in concentration and intensity. Trafford took full advantage and their 13-0 run broke the game open with a combination of long range shooting and inside domination.

Hornets came back with a strong spirit to contest Q4 and managed o cut the deficit from 18 to 13 points. However the game was effectively over and Trafford ran their bench to close out the win and proceed to the next round of the cup.

• Hornets were left to “concentrate on the league” and to take comfort from a very strong first half of basketball. Unusually 5 players scored in double figures and Josh Grooms enjoyed his best offensive performance, top scoring with 18 points.