 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are currently 2 people viewing this website
Cos Saints........ 77 (16, 44, 67)
Sheffied Sabres 53 (10, 25, 38)
The City of Sheffield Saints reached their second playoff final in as many years on Sunday night when they stunned the Sheffield Sabres with a 24 point win at the EIS. Having been soundly beaten by the Sabres in the league only a few weeks ago, it was a much more focused Saints team that jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind Garnet Gayle and Pawel Szafraniec. Ex Sheffield Sharks Richard Windle and Adrian Anderson combined for 8 points for the Sabres but Gayle and Andy Turner kept the Saints ahead and a 3 pointer from Gary Bywater gave them a 16-10 lead after the first period.
The Saints' defence continued to cause problems for the Sabres in the second quarter while 7 points in a row from Pete Olusoga helped the Saints extend their advantage to 26-13. As the Saints were picking holes in the Sabres' defence, Rich Fooks came off the bench to drive home the Saints' lead with 6 points in the quarter. Turner and Rick Marsh were virtually unstoppable in the paint and a pair of foul shots from Chris Law gave the Saints a 44-25 lead at the half.
Neither team could score for the first two minutes of the second half but a Szafraniec score under the basket, followed by another 3 pointer from Gayle and 2 points from Chris Hackett, took the fight out of the Sabres. Anderson kept on working hard for his team but 7 more points from Olusoga and two more 3 pointers from Hackett and Gayle put the Saints 67-38 in front going into the final quarter.
With the Saints in the driving seat, Rich Fooks quite simply owned the 4th quarter. Kris Allot and Eugene Andrew were on the floor for the Saints and Fooks went on a 10 point tear to take his tally to a season high 16 points. With 5 minutes to go and the game effectively over, the Saints ran out the clock for a 77-53 win and a place in the Division 3 playoff final.
Scorers
Saints
Gayle(18), Fooks(16), Olusoga(14), Olusoga(16), Turner(8), Hackett(7), Bywater (4), Marsh(4), Szafraniec(4), Law(2), Allott, Andrew
Sabres
Anderson(13), Windle(11), Chandley(6)
The Saints will play old foes Leeds Carnegie next Saturday after they won their semi-final by just 2 points on Saturday. Leeds just pipped the Saints to the Division 4 league title last season but it was the Saints who reached the playoff final, only to lose by 6 points to Brookes Sport Oxford. The Saints just missed out on the Division 3 league title again this year with Leeds taking the honours, but with the overall league record between the teams tied at 2-2, this is sure to be a hard fought and thrilling final.
CoS Saints... 100 (33, 54, 75)
London Towers 92 (23, 52, 73)
The City of Sheffield Saints booked their place in the Division 3 playoff semi-final with a thrilling 100-92 victory over London towers on Saturday night. Pawel Szafraniec scored the Saints' first 4 points of the game and a Kingsley Ellmer 3 pointer gave the Saints an early 12-7 lead. Steponavicius and Anebo provided the answer for the Towers, but Rick Marsh and Garnet Gayle inspired another Saints' run and a triple from Pete Olusoga gave them a 10 point lead. Although Steponavicius continued to do the damage for the Towers, a pair of Chris Law foul shots put the Saints up 33-23 after the first quarter.
Five quick points for the Towers halved the Saints' lead but some great defence and fantastic ball movement at the other end saw Chris Hackett spark another 10-0 run. Szafraniec worked hard at both ends of the floor, scoring 6 more for his team and 2 more threes from Ellmer helped the Saints out to a 49-40 lead, but a series of fouls sent Towers shooters to the line and they clawed their way back into the game, trailing 54-52 at the half.
Gayle opened the second half with a 3 pointer and with Szafraniec on the bench in foul trouble, Andy Turner stepped up with a nice baseline jump shot from a Hackett assist. The Saints defence stopped the Towers from getting into any sort of rhythm and as Gayle continued to run the show, 2 points from Rich Fooks off the bench put the Saints comfortably ahead. But the Towers wouldn't crumble and back-to-back three pointers from Odeniyi and Drungys meant the Saints went into the final quarter 75-73 in front.
For the first 8 minutes of the final period, the teams traded baskets and with neither team able to make a decisive run, the scores were tied 85-85 with under 2 minutes to play. Gayle found Olusoga for 3 and then faced up his defender to hit a triple of his own on the very next play. The Saints defence held fast and yet another 3 pointer, this time from Hackett, gave the Saints the edge they needed. With Gayle fouling out, Rick Marsh came up with some huge rebounds and the Saints were accurate enough from the free throw line to hold on to a 100-92 win.
Scorers
Saints
Gayle(23), Hackett(19), Ellmer(16), Olusoga(16), Szafraniec(11), Turner(6), Marsh(5), Fooks(2), Law(2)
Towers
Steponavicius(24), Anebo(22), Drungys(17)
The City of Sheffield Saints will battle it out for a place in the playoff final as they line up against the Sheffield Sabres at the EIS this Sunday. Tip off is at 7.30pm.
CoS Saints.... 77 (18, 39, 56)
Leeds Carnegie 76 (27, 37, 57)
City of Sheffield Saints gave their hopes of taking the Division 3 North title a boost on Saturday after becoming the first team ever to defeat Leeds Met Carnegie on their home court. Saints started brightly opening up an 8-2 lead but Leeds gathered momentum and led 27-19 at the first break.
The Saints stepped up their defence in the second quarter and a Garnet Gayle 3 pointer started a 19-4 scoring run. Kinglsey Ellmer and Gary Bywater also connected from beyond the arc and the Saints held a 39-37 advantage at half time.
The third quarter became a 3 point shootout, Ellmer draining three for the Saints and Leeds answering with four of their own to hold a 57-56 lead going into the 4th quarter. Four points from Gayle and a 3 pointer from Chris Hackett to start the final period restored the Saints lead while Ellmer continued to torment the Leeds' defence with his sharp shooting. A game high 34 points for Ellmer cemented Leeds' first ever defeat on their home court and helped the Saints to their 11th straight victory. Final score Saints 77-76 Leeds Carnegie.
The result means that both teams are now tied at the top of the table with identical 14-1 records. Although Leeds hold the head-to-head, with 5 games remaining and some tough opponents for both teams, the title race is still wide open. Saints next game is against cross-town rivals Sheffield Sabres at the EIS on Friday 22nd Feb (7pm tip) and their next home game is at All Saints School against Mansfield Giants on Saturday 1st March (6pm tip)
Scorers
CoS Saints
Ellmer(34), Gayle(11), Szafraniec(10), Hackett(9), Olusoga(6), Bywater(5), Marsh(2)
Leeds Carnegie
Harris(15), Holland(13), Supola(13)
CoS Saints ......69 (18, 34, 51)
Manchester II .64 (16, 30, 47)
Cos Saints 88 (28, 39, 67)
Liverpool ...56 (09, 22, 40)
City of Sheffield Saints recorded two wins in a Northwest double this weekend as they played host to Manchester Magic II on Saturday night before heading to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Saints edged a close 1st quarter on Saturday to lead the Magic 18-16. Pawel Szafraniec scored all 12 of the Saints points in a 12-5 run to open the second, the 'Polish Express' out-rebounding the entire Magic team on several occasions to help his team to a 34-30 half time lead.
Both teams traded baskets in the third quarter, Szafraniec, Garnet Gayle, and Kinglsey Ellmer keeping the Saints in front 51-47 with one quarter remaining. Seven 4th quarter points from Gary Bywater along with some fine play from Szafraniec kept the Saints comfortably ahead in the final minutes, running out 69-64 winners.
In the second of the weekend's games, the Saints travelled to winless Liverpool and a devastating 28-9 first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, Kris Allott underlining Liverpool's misery with a buzzer beating 3 pointer from a different post code to end the quarter. Rich Fooks and Eugene Andrew kept up the scoring for the Saints in the second period and the Saints led 39-22 at the half.
Much of the same followed and although Ng was a bright spark for Liverpool, scoring 12 in the game and creating several opportunities for his team-mates, the Saints were just too strong, and with Law and Ellmer firing from behind the 3 point arc, finished the game with and 88-56 win.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Szafraniec(24), Wllmer(13), Bywater(9), Gayle(9), Hackett(7), Turner(4), Marsh(2), Law(1)
Manchester Magic II
Hanson(13), Sutton(11), Daniels(11)
Scorers
CoS Saints
Turner(17), Ellmer(16), Gayle(15), Fooks(10), Hackett(9), Law(9), Andrew(5), Hope(4), Allott(3)
Liverpool
Ng(12), Purcell(9), Hargreaves(9)
With two wins out of two this weekend, the Saints keep up the pressure on table leaders Leeds Met, the only team to have beaten the Saints in league play so far this season. The Saints have a another double head next weekend, although the opposition will be much tougher as they host Bradford Dragons on Saturday night at All Saints (6pm tip) followed by a trip to Mansfield Giants on Sunday.
CoS Saints ......69 (18, 34, 51)
Manchester II .64 (16, 30, 47)
Cos Saints 88 (28, 39, 67)
Liverpool ...56 (09, 22, 40)
City of Sheffield Saints recorded two wins in a Northwest double this weekend as they played host to Manchester Magic II on Saturday night before heading to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Saints edged a close 1st quarter on Saturday to lead the Magic 18-16. Pawel Szafraniec scored all 12 of the Saints points in a 12-5 run to open the second, the 'Polish Express' out-rebounding the entire Magic team on several occasions to help his team to a 34-30 half time lead.
Both teams traded baskets in the third quarter, Szafraniec, Garnet Gayle, and Kinglsey Ellmer keeping the Saints in front 51-47 with one quarter remaining. Seven 4th quarter points from Gary Bywater along with some fine play from Szafraniec kept the Saints comfortably ahead in the final minutes, running out 69-64 winners.
In the second of the weekend's games, the Saints travelled to winless Liverpool and a devastating 28-9 first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, Kris Allott underlining Liverpool's misery with a buzzer beating 3 pointer from a different post code to end the quarter. Rich Fooks and Eugene Andrew kept up the scoring for the Saints in the second period and the Saints led 39-22 at the half.
Much of the same followed and although Ng was a bright spark for Liverpool, scoring 12 in the game and creating several opportunities for his team-mates, the Saints were just too strong, and with Law and Ellmer firing from behind the 3 point arc, finished the game with and 88-56 win.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Szafraniec(24), Wllmer(13), Bywater(9), Gayle(9), Hackett(7), Turner(4), Marsh(2), Law(1)
Manchester Magic II
Hanson(13), Sutton(11), Daniels(11)
Scorers
CoS Saints
Turner(17), Ellmer(16), Gayle(15), Fooks(10), Hackett(9), Law(9), Andrew(5), Hope(4), Allott(3)
Liverpool
Ng(12), Purcell(9), Hargreaves(9)
With two wins out of two this weekend, the Saints keep up the pressure on table leaders Leeds Met, the only team to have beaten the Saints in league play so far this season. The Saints have a another double head next weekend, although the opposition will be much tougher as they host Bradford Dragons on Saturday night at All Saints (6pm tip) followed by a trip to Mansfield Giants on Sunday.
CoS Saints 78 (19, 32, 45)
Notts Tribe 57 (11, 22, 32)
The City of Sheffield Saints were always in control as they beat the City of Nottingham Tribe on Saturday. The Saints jumped out to an early 8-0 lead behind Kinglsey Ellmer and Andy Turner and, although the Tribe clawed their way back, a 9-2 run put the Saints up 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
A low scoring second period saw both teams' defences step up a notch. Eugene Andrew made an impact from the bench for the Saints, scoring 6 points, while 4 from Pawel Szafraniec at the end of the half gave them a 32-22 half time lead.
The Saints extended their lead to 45-32 at the end of three and as both teams' defences seemed to switch off, a 33-25 final period, including 12 points from Tom Hope, gave the Saints the 78-57 win. The Saints now move to 8-1 and remain in second place in Division 3 North with a series of tough games to come in the next few weeks.
ScorersCoS Saints
Hope(15), Hackett(12), Szafraniec(12), Andrew(9), Ellmer(8), Marsh(7), Turner(5), Law(4), Gayle(2), Olusoga(2)
Nottingham Tribe
Siczek(24), St John(14), Parry(7)
CoS Saints ......... 62 (16, 29, 44)
Durham Wildcats 57 (15, 29, 49)
The City of Sheffield Saints beat the Durham Wildcats on Saturday, keeping up their impressive record in Division 3 North. Neither team looked particularly impressive after the 2 week break but it was the Saints who edged the game 16-15 at the end of the first quarter with Rick Marsh scoring inside early on.
The second quarter was just as close with neither team able to put a run together. With both teams making mistakes throughout and the Saints failing to take advantage of several trips to the foul line the game remained tied 29-29 at half time.
The Saints were in front for most of a scrappy 3rd quarter, but 8 points in the final minute from Wildcats' Graham, put them in front 49-44 going into the final period. Chris 'Tilly' Hackett drained a huge 3 pointer at the start of the 4th quarter to bring the Saints right back into the game and the Wildcats defence couldn't deal with Hackett's inside presence. Another 3 pointer from Ellmer put the Saints back in the lead with 2 minutes remaining and they were able to hold on for the 62-57 win.
ScorersCoS Saints
Hackett(16), Ellmer(13), Marsh(10), Szafraniec(7), Turner(6), Olusoga(5), Law(3), Gayle(2)
Durham Wildcats
Graham(12), Pape(10), P.Elderkin(8)
After the game, Saints guard Kris Allott said: 'This was by no means a classic. We looked tentative at times and just turned the ball over far too much. It wasn't pretty, but we got the win on the road without playing well and that's what'll keep us up near the top of the table at the end of the season'.
The Saints next home game is on Saturday 12th January against Nottingham Tribe. Tip off is 6pm at All Saints School.
CoS Saints 89 (27, 42, 69)
Maroons ... 72 (13, 34, 47)
The City of Sheffield Saints played host to Bradford Maroons in EBL Div3 on Saturday night and it was the home team who came away with the victory in their last game before the Christmas break. Pawel Szafraniec got the Saints off to a quick start and a Pete Olusoga 3 pointer sparked a 16-0 run for the home team. Bradford gave the Saints too much room to operate and back-to-back triples from Chris Law gave them a commanding 27-13 lead after the first quarter.
Eugene Andrew came into the game in the second and had an immediate impact with a drive to the hoop and an easy lay-up. Gayle drained a couple of 3 pointers but too many turnovers from the Saints allowed Bradford to gather some momentum. The Maroons' confidence was growing and as Gregory and Irish combined for 15 Bradford points, hard work from Rich Fooks and good shooting from Kris Allott kept the Saints ahead at the half, leading 42-34.
The Saints were rejuvenated after the break and any thoughts of a Bradford comeback were quickly put to bed. The Saints looked to be somewhere near their best at times and great ball movement combined with effort on defence saw the Saints extend their lead again. Olusoga's 4th three pointer of the game put the Saints up 61-43 and Chris Hackett and Szafraniec worked hard inside to give the Saints a 69-47 lead going into the final period.
The Saints offence stuttered slightly in the fourth, a solitary 3 pointer from Eugene Andrew their only score in the first 6 minutes. They found their rhythm again in the final few moments, Rick Marsh contributing 8 points and Allott dropping another 3 pointer to hand Saints an 89-72 victory.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Olusoga(16), Gayle(14), Szafraniec(14), Law(12), Hackett(10), Marsh(8), Allott(6), Andrew(5), Fooks(4)
Bradford Maroons
Irish(22), R.Malek(17), A.Gregory(14)
Saints go into the Christmas break lying 3rd in EBL Division 3 North and face a tough trip to Durham in the New Year. The Saints next home game is on Saturday 12th January against Nottingham Tribe. Tip off is 6pm at All Saints School.
CoS Saints 66 (19, 38, 46)
Magic II..... 59 (16, 33, 35)
The City of Sheffield Saints picked up their 5th league win of the season in Manchester on Saturday, moving them up to 3rd in EBL Division 3 North. Tilly Hackett scored the first 7 Saints points and with Rick Marsh and Garnet Gayle combining for 8 more, the Saints led 15-12 in the early going. Eugene Andrew added 4 of his own and the Saints headed in to the first break 19-16 ahead.
Pawel Szafraniec got in on the act in the second period with 8 points and the Saints extended their lead to 11. Manchester were spreading the scoring around and two 3 pointers in a row kept them close at 33-29. Scores from Andrew and Gayle kept the Saints ahead thought, leading 38-33 at the half.
Solid defence from Rich Fooks and Kris Allott helped the Saints keep Manchester to only 2 points in the 3rd quarter and the Saints extended their lead to 46-35. Although Manchester closed the gap, the Saints always looked in charge of the game and rounded out a 66-59 win.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Hackett(13),Gayle(12), Marsh(12), Szafraniec(10), Olusoga(8), Andrew(6), Allott(3),Law(2)
Sabres
Sutton(19), Johnson(14), Rochford(8)
CoS Saints 94 (22, 40, 64)
Sabres.......90 (29, 51, 71)
The City of Sheffield Saints overturned a 19 point deficit to beat cross town rivals, Sheffield Sabres last weekend. The game was close in the early stages but a couple of 3 pointers from Sabres' Chandley and Karas opened up a 12-5 lead for their team. Andy Turner was fouled going to the basket and converted the free throw to close the gap to four, but good work inside from Jeffries and 8 straight points from Adrian Anderson gave the Sabres a 29-22 lead after the first period.
The Saints weren't clicking at the offensive and the Sabres took full advantage. Garnet Gayle and Tilly Hackett kept the Saints in it with a combination of inside and outside scoring but they still trailed 51-40 at half time.
A triple from Gayle opened the second half scoring but as the Saints continued to struggle on offence, the Sabres went on a 16-5 run to open up their biggest lead of the fame 67-48. A time out seemed to wake the Saints up and the comeback began. Pawel Szafraniec came alive, scoring 9 in the quarter and as Gayle led by example on the defensive end, the Saints closed the gap to just 7 with 10 minutes to go.
The fourth quarter was tight all the way but it was the Sabres who were beginning to struggle as the Saints' defence began to turn up the pressure. The quarter belonged to Tilly Hackett though who hit a series of huge 3 pointers, turning the game and taking his total to 21. When Anderson fouled out with 2 minutes to go, the Sabres looked to be in trouble and with solid foul shooting, the Saints closed out the game 94-90 winners.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Gayle(26), Hackett(21), Szafraniec(17), Ellmer(10), Law(8), Turner(7), Olusoga(5)
Sabres
Jeffries(21), Anderson(19), Chandley(14)
CoS Saints 76 (11, 33, 56)
Leeds Met 81 (19, 40, 58)
A poor opening 5 minutes cost the Saints as their unbeaten run in EBL Division 3 came to an end with a narrow defeat to Leeds Met Carnegie on Saturday night. Rick Marsh scored early for the Saints but it was all Leeds Met after that and the Saints found themselves trailing 9-2. Garnet Gayle steadied the ship with two inside scores but the home team still trailed 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Gayle added 5 more in the second and Gary Bywater chipped in with 4 more but Leeds' big man Sweeney scored 10 in the quarter with some nice inside play to keep the visitors ahead. After a quite start, Olusoga scored 9 points in the last 3 minutes of the half, including back-to-back triples to keep the Saints in it, trailing 40-33 at half time.
Another Olusoga 3 pointer started the second half and two more threes from Gayle and Kinglsey Ellmer, making his Saints debut, closed the gap to just a single point at 46-45. Ellmer and Gayle continued to work well and with Chris Hackett and Chris Law perfect from the foul line, the Saints took their first lead since the opening basket, but a 3 pointer on the buzzer from Supola took Leeds met into the final quarter leading 58-56.
Sweeney was still scoring at will for Leeds (14 in the 4th quarter) as the Saints struggled to keep Leeds Met off the boards. The Saints just couldn't convert their opportunities yet refused to give up and when Ellmer sank 3 of 4 free throws after a Sweeney picked up a technical foul, the saints trailed by only 3 with 20 seconds left. The Saints had the ball and engineered a shot to tie but when Gayle's 3 point attempt fell short, Leeds scored at the other end to cap their 81-76 point win.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Gayle(23), Olusoga(15), Ellmer(11), Hackett(11), Bywater(4), Law(4), Marsh(4), Szafraniec(2), Turner(2)
Leeds Met
Sweeney(30), Sisou(16), Supola(12)
Saints 53 (11, 19, 36)
Giants 64 (24, 42, 55)
The City of Sheffield Saints were disappointed to lose out in the National Shield competition on Saturday night as they lost to old rivals Mansfield Giants at All Saints School. Without Garnet Gayle and Rick Marsh, the Saints still looked bright in the first 5 minutes of the game, with Andy Turner and Pawel Szafraniec giving them an early 4-0 lead. Too many turnovers lead to Mansfield scoring on the break, going on a 15-0 run to end the first quarter ahead 24-11.
The Saints never recovered and although their offence was working well, they just couldn't seem to finish close to the basket. Pete Olusoga and Tom Hope kept up the scoring in the second but Mansfield's Anthony Hasse was solid from the foul line and kept the Giants in front, 42-19 at half time.
The Saints decided they were actually going to play in the second half and 8 third quarter points from Olusoga along with some good work from Chris Hackett and Chris Law saw the Saints making a game of it. Mansfield, again through Hasse and Guy Renton inside, kept their lead though and the Saints trailed 55-36 going into the final period.
The Saints went on a mini run of their own in the fourth quarter with Hope and Rich Fooks scoring on the break to close the gap to just 12. Try as they might, the Saints just couldn't close the gap any further in the closing minutes and were defeated in what turned out to be a low scoring contest, 64-53.
After the game, Saints guard Chris Law eloquently stated: "The first half killed us"
Scorers
CoS Saints
Olusoga(20), Turner(7), Fooks(6), Hope(6), Law(6), Szafraniec(6), Hackett(2)
Mansfield Giants
Hasse(20), Richards(11), Renton(11)
The City of Sheffield Saints maintained their unbeaten league record with a win over early title contenders Bradford Dragons on Saturday night. The Saints were determined to put last week's loss to Mansfield Luna Stars behind them but a slow start saw them trailing 12-4 after five minutes. However, a triple from Gary Bywater at the end of the period gave the Saints some momentum gong into the second trailing by 5 at 21-16.
The second period was all Sheffield as Garnet Gayle scored 8 points in a row and Rick Marsh chipping in with 6 of his own. Another Bywater triple gave the Saints a 31-26 lead and it was only the shooting of Dragons' guard Kay who hit four 3 pointers in the quarter, that kept Bradford in the game. Another 3 pointer from Gayle gave the Saints a 43-41 half time lead.
The Saints stepped their defence up again in the third, with Pete Olusoga and Marsh combining for 9 points at the other end. Bradford was kept out of the game and Tilly Hackett's 6 points extended the Saints lead to 67-50 going into the final quarter.
Bradford were never going to lay down though and slowly but surely, crept back into the game. Solid free throw shooting from Chris Law (4/4 in the quarter) kept the Dragons at bay but Davis, with some monster rebounding, scored 14 points for the home team to claw the gap back to only 3 points with under a minute to play. However, with only seconds remaining, Gayle found Hackett with a full court pass to give the Saints the 82-77 win.
After the Game, Saints' Tilly Hackett said “It was great to come here and get the win on the Dragons' home court, especially after the tough loss last weekend. We played really well in patches tonight but to give away a 17 point lead shows we still have a lot of work to do”.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Gayle(18), Marsh(15), Olusoga(14), Hackett(10), Law(9), Szafraniec(8), Bywater(6), Turner(2)
Bradford Dragons
Davis(24), Kay(20), R. Pabrieza/Dohar(8)
The City of Sheffield Saints bowed out of the National Cup last Sunday after losing a close fought battle against Mansfield Luna Stars. After beating Liverpool the night before, it was the Saints team that had the brighter start, with Pawel Szafraniec leading the way to a 9-4 lead. However, 9 points in the quarter from Luna Stars' guard Matt Shaw kept the game close with the Saints edging it 20-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second period but Stockwell managed to get 9 of his 23 points in the quarter. Eleven points from Garnet Gayle, including two 3 pointers kept the Saints close, trailing 38-33 at the half.
Gayle continued to work hard for his team in the third, while Rick Marsh and his gret big massive hands proved to be handful for the Luna Stars. Five points from Marsh and 8 more from Szafraniec took the Saints into the fourth quarter trailing by 3 at 55-52.
After a cagey start to the fourth, the Saints went ahead 60-58 but When Andy Turner and Rick Marsh both fouled out with 7 minutes remaining in the game, the game swung in Mansfield's favour. The Saints were still ahead with just over a minute left in the game thanks to 7 more from Gayle but Stockwell hit 3 of 4 from the free throw line to give Mansfield the 71-69 win.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Gayle(27), Szafraniec(18), Hackett(8), Marsh(5), Turner(5), Olusoga(4), Hope(2)
Mansfield Luna Stars
Stockwell(23), Shaw(16), Collins(16)
The City of Sheffield Saints continued a fine start to their league season with a 91-65 win over Liverpool on Saturday night. Five early points from Kris Allot helped the Saints out to a 9-2 lead and although Liverpool fought back, six more points from Pawel Szafraniec kept the Saints ahead 23-21 at the end of the first quarter.
Back to back triples from Pete Olusoga and Adam Kerrigan sparked a 15-1 run in the second period as the Saints swarming defence, lead by Garnet Gayle, kept Liverpool at bay. Rookie Gary Bywater chipped in with 8 points in the quarter to give the Saints a 48-34 half time lead.
Liverpool struggled to find gaps in the Saints defence and as Gayle orchestrated the Saints fast breaks, Olusoga and Rick Marsh combined for 17 points, while two more 3 pointers from Allot kept the Saints 76-51 up at the end of three. The fourth quarter was a scrappy affair but Kerrigan and Szafraniec, along with Eugene Andrew all kept the scoreboard ticking over to maintain the Saints advantage. Final score Saints 91-65 Liverpool.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Olusoga(22), Marsh(11), Allott(11), Szafraniec(10), Bywater(8), Kerrigan(8), Turner(7), Andrew(6), Hackett(4), Gayle(2), Hope(2)
Liverpool
Sosnowski(21), Hargreaves(14), Zarenbski(9)
The City of Sheffield Saints got their new season underway with a 35 point win over Huddersfield Heat in the National Cup on Saturday night. Chris Law opened the scoring for the Saints but the game was close early on and Carl Seamarks put the visitors ahead 12-7 after five minutes. However, all five of the Saints starters made scoring contributions and the first quarter ended with the home team trailing 19-22.
Enter Garnet Gayle. A solitary 3 pointer from Jason Swaine was all Huddersfield could muster for the first 4 minutes of the quarter and the Saints dominated the boards at both ends of the floor, going on an 8-0 run. Swaine and Seamarks kept the Heat in the game but 10 unanswered points from Gayle and Tilly Hackett put the Saints up 37-32 going into half time.
Summer signings Rick Marsh and Pawel Szafraniec worked hard on the inside and as the Saints defence stepped up, scores from Pete Olusoga and Law kept the Saints ahead 63-51 heading into the final quarter.
One of the standout performances of the night came from another new signing, Tom Hope. With 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on his debut, Hope worked tirelessly in the second half and, as the Heat ran out of ideas, the Saints went on an incredible 28-4 run, finishing the game 96-61 winners.
After the game, player coach Pete Olusoga said “Everyone worked hard tonight and it was a solid team performance to kick off our season. Everyone who came off the bench made a positive contribution and it was good to see all 12 players on the scoresheet. We've still got a lot to work on but this was a great start for us”.
The Saints now play Luna Mansfield Stars in the 2nd round of the National cup on 21st October but have to face the Heat again in 2 weeks for their first league game of the season. The Saints next home game is against Liverpool on Saturday 20th October at All Saints School. Tip off is 6pm.
Scorers
CoS Saints
Hackett(17), Gayle(16), Szafraniec(13), Olusoga(11), Hope(9), Law(7), Kerrigan(6), Turner(4), Fooks(4), Marsh(4), Allott(3), Andrew(2)
Huddersfield Heat
Swaine(20), Seamarks(17), Woodward(6),Perez y Medina(6)