Men’s Norwood Flames vs Eastern Mavericks
The 1-3 Norwood Flames, who have started the season much slower than anticipated, are looking to right the ship in this matchup against the 3-1 Eastern Mavericks, coming off 2 straight wins they are blistering hot at the moment and will take a concerted effort from the Flames to snuff out.
The first quarter started competitively, with both teams firing from tip-off. The Mavericks came out on top early but were starting to cool off, holding only a 2-point lead after Riley Harrap hit his second triple, forcing a timeout from the Mavericks. This timeout reignited their offensive momentum. The Flames were unable to match the shooting of the Mavericks to end the quarter, as it closed 18-32.
The second period again opened with both teams scoring early, but an intensity jump from the Norwood defence led to a quick 6-0 run. This run put the Mavericks on the back foot, a tough layup from Daniel Webber brought the game to single digits. The Mavericks finally responded, going on their own run and forcing tough offensive possessions for the Flames. This increase in pressure was not enough to truly slow down the Flames as they cut their deficit to only 7 points, going into halftime down 39-46.
The second half opened with an electric alley-oop connection between Blake Morrow and a finish by Cooper Osborne. This alley-oop brought focus into the Mavericks’ interior defence, making them over-rotate and allowing open 3-point looks which the Flames capitalised on. Before another alley-oop this time Jack Stanwix feeding Daniel Webber, making it a 1-point ball game. The Mavericks’ response to a now-close game was a 20-5 run, blowing the lead back out and ending the quarter 56-72.
A 10-5 start to the quarter, led by some hot 3-point shooting, forced the Mavericks to take an early timeout as their lead had been reduced to 11. This timeout far from saved the Mavericks’ lead as the Flames’ offensive barrage continued, a layup from Issac Miller-Jose brought it to a 2-point affair. From this point the defense from both teams stepped up massively, neither side wanting to allow the other an easy look. The Mavericks played outstanding defence for the last 3 minutes of the game, only allowing 2 points in this time, meanwhile, the Flames didn’t allow the Mavericks to score a single field goal, but 3 trips to the charity stripe gave them a 5 point lead before a buzzer-beating layup to end the game 79-82.
