Essex Stunned By Derby
Essex Rebels Division 1 men took on the Derby Trailblazers in their second match-up of the season. The rebels lost out on the road earlier in the season and were looking to maintain their recent solid performances.
Essex were without starting guard Jake Eynon and forward Dylan Johns who both picked up knocks during their midweek BUCS game.
The game started with a good pace from both sides and some strong defensive plays. Derby were able to create a 6-0 run late in the quarter which gave them the lead. Essex needed to focus their energy on not turning the ball over and scoring the easy ones to stop the transition play of the Trailblazers.
A flurry of scores late in the 2nd quarter allowed Derby to eek a further lead into double digits.
The Rebels needed to regroup and come out fast in the second half. However, Derby stepped up their defensive intensity and Essex were able to convert. Again this led to easy scores in transition for Derby and the score line got away from the home side.
A strong finish to the game was a positive for the Rebels. Better execution in the half-court allowed them to build their own run. The damage was done in the 3rd quarter and it was too much to ask for a late comeback.
The game finished 57 – 93 to Derby.
An exciting contribution from Essex Undergraduate Tyreese Hudson was a major positive for the Rebels. Tyreese finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. A stat line to be proud of.
Head Coach Ross Norfolk took the positives from the game, “It’s always going to be tough to compete with some of the best teams if we start flat in the second half. The better teams in our league will capitalise on this and then we will be ever chasing the game. It was good to see our younger guys play well and finish the game off strong.”
Next week the Rebels are back on the road taking on the Nottingham Hoods. The next home game is our Valentine’s day special where Essex hosts Worthing Thunder. Tickets can be found on Eventbrite.
