Rebels Tame The Dragons
Essex Rebels Division 1 men had a long road trip to Bradford Dragons in their 4th regular season game of the season. Essex knew they were in for a tough battle as Bradford have a group of seasoned vets and a quality point guard in Justin Williams.
Despite the travel, the first quarter saw the Rebels start well on the offensive end hitting some shots from the outside. Bradford started to step up their defensive intensity and the quarter become a nip and tuck showing.
Both teams weren’t willing to give up their lead, but Rebels pushed forward and stuck to their game plan.
The Rebels bench were huge contributors in the first half which led to them going up by 7 at half time 48 – 41.
Rebels knew the dragons would not give up and this showed early on in the 3rd quarter. Essex weren’t able to convert on the offensive end and some favourable calls for the home side allowed them to pitch away with points at the foul line.
Rebels remained resilient and rallied to together to finish the quarter strong and keep their lead by 7.
In the final stanza, Bradford came out firing. Coach Norfolk took an early timeout to settle any nervous and the Rebels kept pushing forward on the offensive end. Timely shots from the outside by Essex kept Bradford at bay.
A tight final 2 minutes saw Essex keep their composure and saw out the win at the Free Throw line. Rebels came away with the win 107 – 100.
Kyron Martin was huge for the Rebels off the bench, contributing 24 points and shooting 6/10 from range. Luke Busumbru, Zain Poorman, Victor Olarerin and Ebuka Ekwegh all pitch in with double digit scoring.
Head Coach Ross Norfolk was pleased with the team performance,
“Bradford is one of the toughest places to go in the league. We executed our game plan and we played with great confidence on offense. Really happy with how the whole team stayed locked in during adversity”.
The Rebels take on Thames Valley Cavaliers this Saturday in the Special Diwali Themed night at the Essex Sport Arena.
