Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Improved display ensures positive start in play-offs
Basketball
Canterbury Crusaders got off to a winning start in the East Kent Basketball league play-offs with a muchimproved performance in their 31-point win over Thanet Lions.
Isla Aitken opened the scoring from the foul line but it was to prove the only time that Lions were to be in front.
Crusaders were quick in the transition and broke quickly out of defence. Danielle Muckian, Emma Loane and Effy Panayiotou all created space in the Lions zone to open-up a 10-3 lead.
Jamie Dance nailed a three to bring it back to 10-6 but Crusaders shut out Lions for the last four minutes of the quarter.
Benita Palmer took over the scoring for Crusaders, knocking down consecutive baskets from the wing, to give the home side a 16-6 lead at the break.
Crusaders dominated the second quarter, restricting Lions to just two baskets from open play.
Loane and Panayiotou were relentless in their efforts and kept up the pressure on the Lions defence and combined to score 10 of the Crusaders 15 points in the quarter.
At half-time Crusaders were ahead 31-10.
The thi rd quar ter saw a much-improved offensive performance from Lions with Aitken, Dance, Nicola Court and Liz Hayward all getting points on the board.
However, in an inspired shooting performance Palmer shot their lights out with six baskets from the perimeter.
Everything she put up hit the bottom of the net to accumulate 12 of the Crusaders 17 quarter points.
Panayiotou drained a three as the quarter ended to put Crusaders 48-23 up. In the final quarter, Crusaders played some expansive basketball with Lisa Martin pulling off a nice baseline drive which she reversed in off the backboard.
Ieva Vilne powered to the hoop to bank the ball in and Angel Lo-pon drove to the hoop to become the seventh Crusader to put points on the board.
Lions never gave up and Jamie Dance put in a great performance and a late basket made her the game’s top scorer with 21 points, just eclipsing Crusaders captain Palmer (20).
Muckian brought proceedings to a close with two three-pointers as the game ended 64-33.
Crusaders Coach Graham Jones said: “I was pleased with the improved performance and it was good to see the points spread among the team.
“We’ve not been posting enough points and it was important to get back into the swing ahead of next week’s game against Christ Church.” Crusaders: E Panayiotou (9), A Lo-pon (2), E Loane (16), S Hood, B Palmer (20), D Muckian (13), L Martin (2) I Vilne (2)