Team Solent Kestrels wrapped up league play for 2024 with a resounding 106-67 victory over Barnet Bulldogs on Saturday evening at the Solent Sports Complex. The win leaves TSK with a 9-1 record heading into the break as the race for top spot hots up in NBL Division 2 South.
Kestrels were led by Isa Brandon’s 19 point haul on a near perfect shooting night for him whilst Ash Briggs added 17 and Matt Hughes chipped in 13 points off the bench. The hosts shot a blistering 65% from the field including 71% from 2 point land, whilst the team produced 28 assists on 44 made field goals.
The home side wasted no time in establishing a healthy lead early on in this one, as they raced out to a 15-4 lead inside the first five minutes, forcing a Bulldogs timeout. A 9-0 run out of the timeout for Kestrels saw them continue to pour on the offensive firepower as Wayne Kitenge scored back to back baskets in the paint. TSK 25-9 after one.
Barnet temporarily cut the gap to just 14 points after Joe Lloyd opened the second quarter with a triple for the Kestrels, however that was short lived as Ash Briggs scored 8 straight points to move his side well into the driving seat at 40-18. Isa Brandon and Greg Durand followed suit as they kick started a 17-1 run to close the half for the Kestrels, giving them a 61-25 half time lead.
The sides traded scores to open the second half but it wasn’t long before Kestrels strung another scoring run together, this time in the fashion of 11-0 through Ash Briggs and Isa Brandon once again. Coach Guymon introduced his bench and saw no drop off as both Malcolm Sung and Wayne Kitenge continued to tick the score board as the third quarter drew to a close. 87-47 TSK with ten minutes to play.
With the Kestrels lead almost insurmountable as this point the fourth quarter was largely a formality, however with a flurry of turnovers Coach Guymon called his first timeout of the half to remind his side of the task at hand. Kestrels restored their 40 point advantage out of the timeout as Jaidan Dawes and Andre Arissol found scores. The Kestrels bench once again provided the scoring punch to close the game and TSK ran out 106-67 victors.
Kestrels will shift their attention to this weekend now, where they’ll travel to Reading Rockets in the National Cup quarter final on Saturday afternoon, 4pm. The originally scheduled away game at Ipswich has now been postponed to accommodate the cup fixture and will be played in the new year (15th March 2024).
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