Kentish Express Ashford & District
Parnell and Beaumont rise to challenge
Basketball
The North School Lions battled their way to an 81-68 victory in a bruising ABL Southern Conference encounter against Barton Peveril College, Hampshire.
It marked the team’s 13th straight win across all competitions.
From the opening tip, Barton Peveril were unable to contend with the Lions’ powerful inside attack as Conal Parnell and Luis Beaumont gave their team an early 10-2 lead. Peveril cut the lead to four (16-12) as their disruptive ball pressure forced a flurry of turnovers, however the Lions maintained their composure to take a 24-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Barton Peveril were boosted by points from Henry Culpitt as they took their first lead of the game at 34-33.
The Lions hit back through expert defence and shot making from dynamic duo, Roshan Thakali and Diogo Araujo-Simoes, who sparked a 10-2 run that give their team a 43-36 lead at half-time.
The third quarter saw Parnell take over the game; his strength inside leading to 18 points in the quarter. The Lions added to Parnell’s brilliance with their defensive effort, marshalled by Oakley Rigby, as their lead surged to 15 (67-52) with one quarter to play.
The fourth quarter saw Barton Peveril launch a barrage of threepoint attempts as they tried to cut into the deficit but the Lions stood firm, getting crucial defensive contributions from Rigby and Kieran Hodges.
The team’s attack continued to be fuelled by the talents of Thakali,
Parnell and Beaumont, who combined for 13 points as the Lions prevailed with a victory that puts them on the verge of clinching their place in the ABL play-offs. Beaumont said: “This week required us to show how strong we are as a collective, both physically and mentally.
“We used our defensive instincts to get key stops when it counted most and it sparked our transition offense which fuelled us to victory.” Parnell led all scorers with 36 points to go with 26 rebounds, four assists and seven steals, while Beaumont finished with a double-double of 20 points and 22 rebounds.
Lions head coach Andrew Sunderland said: “I was proud of the team’s conduct, composure and execution in a challenging environment.”