Teesside Tear Sheffield Apart In Scoring Rout At Eston

Teesside Lions 104-38 Sheffield Elite II

Teesside Lions entertained their basketball fans on Halloween with a frighteningly good performance as they gave Sheffield a nightmare of a 66pt beating in the National League Division Three.

The game faced a lengthy delay as the match referees were late to arrive, due to a car accident. When tip finally arrived Lions dominated proceedings from the tip and were 14-3 up in just three minutes. 7pts from Matt Hughes including an And 1 play along with 5pts from Gregor Gray gave Sheffield problems to consider. This run was broken by two 3’s as Declan Kom and Dan Wright brought the visitors to winin 5pts at the mid-point of the first quarter, 14-9.

Unfortunately Teesside had too many options as Alex Parr connected well with Theo Turner while Jack Wilson and Ross Wilson also shone as they combined for 8pts to take Lions to 29-11 to finish the first period.

The second period was more daunting for Sheffield as only two players managed to score, and only Declan Kom in open play as he added 7pts to his tally but in many ways, was ploughing a lone furrow.

In stark contrast Lions continued to pound the visitors with 10pts from 7-footer Theo Turner, for which the Sheffield players had no answer to contain.

Gray hit a big 3 and young Dan Millican hot a long 2-pointer to finish first half in a commanding lead of 48-19.

Declan Kom continued to impress in tough conditions as he hit another 3-pointer in the second minute of the third quarter, but Teesside were in a rampant mood as they peppered the Sheffield basket for 35pts. Jack Wilson was a class above as he used his skill and impeccable footwork to toy with defenders. In the third minute he drew a foul on a 3-point shot and went to the line to convert all three attempts. In the fifth minute a smooth finish for the And-1 was made by Turner while Gray and Hughes continued to pop up with nice plays as Lions were not only scoring well but more importantly playing very well.

The talent within the Teesside squad is an embarrassment of riches and this game was an indication of how well the team are beginning to play together.

The final quarter was again one that the visitors will be keen to forget as Teesside dazzled the fans with a number of dunks via Chris Jackman and Matt Hughes. Jackman hit 10pts in the second half including a 3-pointer to emphasise the depth of talent in the squad. In the third minute Tom Wylie connected back to back 3’s and Kwame Sellick-Cole finished a neat pull up jumper to cross the 100pt mark.

Coach Marc Steutel was pleased with the performance and the ability to share time with most players averaging 20 minutes and producing very efficient performances, as four scored 20+.

“Today showed a glimpse of our potential. I was happy with the way we played, both individually and collectively. Our defence was solid and ball movement on offence was free flowing which made it very difficult for the opposition to defend.

“I feel it was important for us to make our mark, yet this is just the start and we must continue with this level of performance as their will be tougher games down the stretch, including next week’s trip to Sheffield Elite’s first team.” Added the Lions and Great Britain Head Coach.

Chris Jackman was awarded the MVP following a fine performance, his best of the season with 12pts and an impressive 17 rebounds. The Turner led the way on 23pts with a solid 85% shooting from the field. Three other Lions hit double figure points while an indicating factor of the good team play was the 26 assists accounting for more than half of the team’s total points. Jack Wilson, Tom Wylie & Alex Parr provided 6, 6 & 5 assists respectively.

Top Scorers

Lions: Turner 23, Gray 17, Hughes 16, Wilson R 13, Jackman 12

Elite: Kom 20

This Saturday Teesside will travel to Sheffield to play the Elite first team for the second time in two weeks. This game at their place in front of a partisan crowd will present a much tougher test for Lions and Coach Steutel has called upon his team to show their true value and desire this week at training.

Lions next home game is on Sunday 21st November when they entertain Calderdale Explorers to Eston Arena. Tickets available now at www.TeessideLions.com

Teesside Lions v Calderdale Explorers

Sunday 21st November 2.30pm Tip

– Doors open 1.30pm with music, snacks and entertainment.
– Spectators must be seated 30mins prior to tip

Tickets Prices

– Adult £6.50
– U18 & OAP £4.50
– Family £16 (2 adults & 2 u18)

Tickets must be purchased in advance to allow the club to cater for the attendance in accordance with venue & government covid guidelines.