Storm maul Lions after long bus trip
Hot start sets up Ayr boys for big road win
Ayr Storm U16 men’s longest trip of the season in Scottish Basketball Championship Division Two paid off with a win.
Nine hours in a mini bus paid off when they beat second top Inverness Lions 98- 54.
An early start ensured the team got to the venue with plenty of time to relax, eat and stretch the bus legs before warm- ups and tip time.
All went to plan and the start five of Paul Gibbons, Matthew Morrison, Mathew Keegan, Harry Kerr and Gabriel Lorimer all scored early baskets to stretch a seven point lead.
A switch to a higher tempo defence led to steals and baskets on the break and Ayr leading 28- 11.
The second period was tighter with both coaches looking to run their squads and mix lines. Lions won 1817 and Ayr led by 16 points at the half.
Strong rebounding from Darren Pirie and Harry Kerr, aided by Isaac Femi, in the third period limited Lions and they managed only nine points to Ayr’s 27.
With the win looking secure, the Storm bench looked more relaxed when they were on court and Brody Ferguson found his shooting range as did Cammy Lang, aided by Isaac Tomba taking over the guard role and showing he is ready for that role.
Dylan Martin and Ben Wheeler also put pressure on coach Danny Gibbons with displays showing they are ready for extended court time as the team won the period 26.16 and could look forward to the long trip home knowing they had secured a great win.
Gibbons said: “I was pleased that four starters scored in double figures, making it harder for Lions to try and close us down. The full squad played well.”
Squad: Gibbons ( 14pts), Lang ( 4), Tomba ( 2), Ferguson ( 7), Wheeler ( 2), Femi ( 4), Kerr ( 2), Lorimer ( 12) , Martin, Pirie, Morrison ( 22), Keegan ( 29).
In midweek, Storm beat Ayrshire Tornadoes 110- 56 in the SLBA Cadet men league.
A couple of squad changes to give players game experience made no difference as they came out flying and left the large crowd in Kyle Academy impressed with their shooting percentages and vision to make the steals.
Improved defence while maintaining a high scoring rate ensured Ayr picked up another win, taking the periods 32- 19, 29- 11, 2412 and 25- 14.
Squad: Gibbons ( 18pts), Tennant, Tomba ( 13), Ferguson ( 8), Wheeler ( 3), Femi ( 10), Kerr ( 4), Lorimer ( 20), Bradley ( 2), Pirie ( 4), Smith ( 2), Keegan ( 26).