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KESTRELS PICK UP TWO WINS FROM TWO IN THE LEAGUE & CUP


Image Courtesy | Mitchell Shirley

Team Solent Kestrels opened both their league and national cup campaigns with wins this weekend at the Solent Sports Complex. The victories came in differing fashions as Saturday saw a stern test from Endeavour Ipswich in a game that went deep into the fourth quarter to be decided, with TSK coming out 94-82 winners. Sunday’s National Cup encounter with Plymouth Raiders saw a much smoother path to victory as Kestrels moved through the gears to take a 100-49 win and advance to the third round.


Saturday’s charge was lead by star man Isa Brandon’s 29 points and 11 rebounds whilst Greg Durand and Andre Arissol added 17 and 15 points respectively. Sunday showed the squad’s depth as 6 players reached double figures with Matt Hughes putting up 18 points with Andre Arissol and Malcolm Sung chipping in 17 a piece and Jaidan Dawes having his best game as a Kestrels so far with 12 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.


It was a fast start for the Kestrels on Saturday as the starting group set about building an 11-4 advantage but Ipswich tied things up shortly after at 13 each. The sides traded baskets for the rest of the first quarter as Matt Hughes and Wayne Kitenge came off the bench to keep the scoreboard ticking for the hosts, however it was Ipswich who led by 1 after the first. Kestrels regained the lead with a 7-1 run to open the second quarter but Ipswich hung around within touching distance for long spells. They eventually swung the lead back in their favour after Alejandro Vega made a triple to put them up 39-41 and forced a coach Guymon timeout. Kestrels used a 7-0 run to close the half, capped off by an acrobatic left handed lay up from Andre Arissol to give TSK a 49-44 advantage at the half.


Image Courtesy | Kai Johnson

A 6-0 run to open the second half, looked to have given Kestrels the double figure separation they had been seeking in the first half and when the lead eventually got out to 13 the home side looked to be in control at 61-48. Ipswich rallied and closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to leave them trailing by 7 heading into the final ten minutes. After a slow start to the fourth from both teams, Isa Brandon’s and 1 kicked put TSK back up double digits and his lay up with 6 minutes to play gave his side a 14 point lead. It was an exchange of scores for long spells of the fourth and that suited Kestrels better than Ipswich as the lead stayed out in double figures, with TSK securing their first league victory of the season 94-82.


Kestrels raced out to a 13-2 lead against Plymouth Raiders on Sunday behind some Andre Arissol sharpshooting. Raiders got going also to bring themselves back within 6 points however TSK shifted through the gears to extend the arrears to 15 by the end of the first, 29-14. An 8-0 run to start the second quarter ballooned the TSK lead to 23, as Jake Kinder and Malcolm Sung came off the bench to connect from beyond the arc. They would also go back to back to back on three’s once again to extend the lead to 46-20. Kestrels continued to pour on the offensive production as the half drew to a close, capped off by another triple, this time from Greg Durand, 60-22 TSK.


It was a back and forth start to the second half with both teams in free scoring mood, however when Kestrels pushed the deficit out to 40, there were no signs of a Raiders come back. The Kestrels benched continued to do the damage as Matt Hughes, Malcolm Sung and Jaidan Dawes got in on the scoring act, TSK 85-39 to the good after three periods. The game slowed dramatically in the fourth quarter as the scoring dried up for both squads, perhaps the sign of a back to back for the Kestrels or a reflection of the 45 point margin. A 10-1 run to close the game eventually pushed the gap to 51, TSK advancing to the next round with a 100-49 victory.


TSK Head Coach Matt Guymon gave his thoughts “It was a positive weekend picking up two wins, acorss the two games we were able to get a variety of contributions from a number of different players, showing our squad depth. Ipswich were a well organised and tough opponent for us, so it was pleasing for us to overcome some first half adversity and get off the mark in the league. We now need to prepare ourselves for a month’s worth of fixtures on the road, which will be a tough test for our group.”


Kestrels now turn their attention to a difficult road stretch for the rest of October that will see them head to Richmond Knights next weekend before heading back to the capital on 19th October to face Westminster Warriors, in NBL Division South action.





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