Kentish Express Ashford & District
Lions roaring into play-offs
The North School Lions are celebrating after securing top spot in the Under-19 Kent Basketball League Southern Conference.
A 97-39 home win over rivals Folkestone Academy ensures Lions go into the play-offs with a perfect 8-0 record and plenty of confidence with a return game at Folkestone up next.
Head coach Andrew Sunderland said: “Earlier in the season the majority of our scoring was coming from one or two players, so having five players in double figures shows how far we’ve come offensively.
“We’re happy to have secured the top spot in the Conference, but it’s no time for complacency. Folkestone remain a dangerous team and we will be fully focused on preparing for the away match-up.”
North School’s star forward, Kacper Pedich, quickly made his presence felt with six points that vaulted his team into a 20-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions found another gear in the second as athletic wings Iain Bremer and Ollie Heath led their pressing defence to force multiple turnovers from Folkestone. The home team capitalised with multiple scoring runs, highlighted by 11 points from Diogo Simoes, to take a 47-20 lead into half-time.
The third quarter saw both sides rotate their line-ups, but the Lions maintained their dominance with seven different players on the scoresheet.
The final quarter saw the next generation of Lions rise to the occasion as Kai Guthrie recorded a career-high 20 points and Patrick Rocha Rodrigues showed a glimpse of the future with his relentless defence.
Bremer was named the game’s most valuable player after a colossal defensive performance which saw him pull down a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with seven points, five steals and five assists.
There was strong support from Simoes, who scored a game-high 27, while Guthrie (20), Tom Chambers (11), Pedich (12) and Appointed Adigun (10) all also reached double figures.