Weekly Wrap - 2025-02-05

WEEK 17!

Saturday 1st February

York Eagles 2 v Calderdale Explorers

U14 JrNBL North Conference 1

Result: 36-106 (LOSS)

Player of the Game:

Nate Wilkinson – 8pts/4rebs

Notable Performances:

George FitzThomas – 13pts/6rebs

Coach James Searson commented on the U14 Boys 2 performance:

“A bad game for us. The basics went out of the window. Everyone got the ball, head down and dribbled into trouble. The turnover skilled us today. There was little communication, no movement on offence and too much standing around on defence. We are much better than this… so a big few sessions in training now. Nate was our MVP, fought well on both ends. Onwards and upwards!”

York Eagles 2 v Sheffield Elite Academy II

U16 JrNBL North Conference 2

Result: 55-62 (LOSS)

Player of the Game:

Alex Duke – 10pts/14rebs/5blks

Notable perfomance:

Ollie Llewellyn – 24pts/5rebs/2stls (x4 3PM)

Lucas Hazell – 14pts/9rebs

Coach Dave Smith commented on the U16 Boys 2 Performance:

“We continue to improve… today was a great lesson on how defensive pressure helps a team. Elite were very good and several York players did not cope so well with this constant pressure. We need at training to defend better and this will help us when we play teams who defend this way. The ability to beat a defender man to man is fundamental to being an effective team. Very good first quarter, weak 2nd and 2nd half was very back and forth. MVP was Alex Duke who continues to show what damage a ‘big’ can do on both ends of the court. Mentions go to Ollie (good shooting) and Lucas for being aggressive inside on the drive.”

York Eagles v Leeds LDM

U12 Boys Yorkshire Regional

Result: 52-24 (WIN)

Player of the Game:

Judah Wilson – 14pts/9rebs/3stls

Notable Performances:

Will Hall – 7pts/7rebs

Arthur Bewlay – 9rebs

Isen Ndulue – 8pts/9rebs

Coach Adam Wilson commented on the U12 Boys performance:

“We learned from our last few games and this time we hit the ground running. Loading up with sugar and a more intense warm up may have played a part, but there was definitely an encouraging shift in mindset. Intensity from the first whistle is what we wanted and the boys delivered. We were much improved with our shooting efficiency with our 5 top scorers making 70% from the field. We also rebounded better, focusing on boxing out our man before going for the ball. Arthur, Isen and Hudah led the way with 9 rebounds each. Notable mention goes to Arthur Bewlay, who made a massive impact when he stepped on the court. He remained controlled and used his power and energy to shut Leeds down from scoring and forcing turnovers. Judah was our MVP leading the team with 14pts and 3 steals.”

Sunday 2nd February

U11s @ CVL Tournament

Results:

V City of Leeds (4-6) LOSS

V City of Leeds Girls (2-22) LOSS

V Sheffield Sharks (1-20) LOSS

Player of the Day: Buzz Frusher

Coach Hussain Kahil commented on the U11 Boys Performance:

“Although the team were a bit overwhelmed for being involved for the first time in such an event and new environments, they really got the hang of it and played together as a team throughout. And most of them were really enjoying their time and the experience and are excited for next one!”

York Eagles 3 v Derbyshire Arrows

U16 JrNBL North Conference 2

Result: 29-69 (LOSS)

Player of the Game:

Will Poole – 8pts/13rebs

Coach Gary Poole commented on the U16 Boys 3 performance:

“We knew it would be a tough game against the league leaders but started off rather well out of the gate. Having said this we were never in the lead at any point. We kept our game flowing, trading baskets with Arrows, concentrated on the basic elements that Mike and myself have been pushing. We struggled with some details on offence especially when they switched into a Zone Defence. Unfortunately, bit by bit the game drifted away from us – having 25 turnovers didn’t help. Although the lads gave 100% effort as always and supported each other on/off the court. Notable performances from Milo, Iker, Trevor and Lewis.”

York Eagles @ Spen Valley Vipers

U14 JrNBL North Conference 1

Result: 32-82 (WIN)

Player of the Game:

Isaac Morris – 16pts/9rebs/3blks

Notable Performances:

Tobias Davies – 13pts/9rebs

Oscar Longbottom – 11pts/7rebs

Jake Richardson – 10pts/7rebs

Cameron Stewart – 8pts/7asts/3stls

Taylor Jackson – 3pts/6stls/4rebs

Coach Tyler Paton-Pottage commented on the U14 Boys 1 Performance:

“Overall, a solid performance, everyone scored and we played our best stuff in the final quarter. 2nd and 3rd were less to be desired as when we switch to a half court defence our intsneity drops massively in comparison to a full court press. Some poor defensive errors like ball watching on shots led to Vipers getting some easy baskets. But some great steals (25 of them) but we did have 20 turnovers as we tried to force transition to often rather than see the floor and no need to rush. A lot of notable performers (Tobias, Oscar, Jake and Cameron) all did well, but Taylor was the standout as he played his overall best game so far this season and Isaac taking MVP with some aggressive play inside. A few weeks break now before our BIG match with Dragons!”

York Eagles v Bradford Dragons

U18 JrNBL North Conference 1

Result: 94-67 (WIN)

Player of the Game: Ias Morys – 31pts/9rebs/6stls

Notable Performances:

Travis Greening – 23pts/3asts/3rebs/3stls

Jack Moore – 10pts/4rebs

Aleks Meszek – 9pts/7rebs

Eddy Wragg – 9pts/6rebs/3blks

Coach Paul Pickering commented on the U18 Men’s performance:

"Complacency turned into Character!  Starting with the bad...we were 17 points down to a team we beat comfortably 2 times this season already but to give Dragons credit they are a much-improved team with some excellent discipline and shooting ability.  We had to have a complete change of mindset in the 2nd quarter and Ias led the way along with Travis, Sam, Jack and Aleks regaining control and playing Eagles basketball.  Tough reality check on mindset and preparation for the team but we got the job done remaining unbeaten and on top of the league!"

York Eagles U13 Girls @ CVL Tournament

Results:

V Sheffield Hatters (29-78) LOSS

V Leeds LDM (34-43) LOSS

Coach Ghada Khattab commented on the U13 Girls Performances:

“A tough first game versus the Hatters who are very well drilled with some NL experience. We had some good moments on offence when we circulated the ball well, but what disadvantaged us were the many intercepted passes which led to fast breaks we simply could not stop. Some fitness work is in order as well as help defence.”

MVPs:

Natalia Fernandez Zimniak – 4pts/4rebs/2stls/1blk

Emie Atkinson-Smith – 2rebs/2stls/2asts

“A seesaw of a performance which saw us start off slowly, equalise by halftime after a great comeback, then fall behind again when our little legs got tired. There were brilliant moments which truly showed our potential, but not enough consistency to avoid turnovers or stop LDM from scoring. Great experience all round though and thank you to Coach Charlotte (LDM) for hosting!”

MVPs:

Florence Walker – 12pts/3rebs/2stls

Sophia Peacock – 8pts/4rebs/2stls