Rebels fight back not enough against Durham
The Essex Rebels fell short this past weekend, facing a tough Durham Palatinates side. The Rebels, who haven’t been at full strength since before the Christmas break were down two starters on Saturday, playing with a limited squad for the third consecutive game in the 79-71 loss.
For the first 35 minutes of the game, the Rebels couldn’t find their footing and were sloppy with the ball, committing 28 turnovers that led to 24 points for Durham. Down 20 headed into the fourth quarter, the Rebels turned to desperation defense as they trapped, pressed, and gambled to get the ball back into their hands to close the gap. Despite their efforts, and getting the score to within 8 points, the Rebels ran out of time and the away team hit the road with a win.
Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the performance, “We are down a couple of key players at the moment and I know we have a few others who aren’t feeling 100%, but that’s no excuse for our lack of taking care of the ball. Twenty-eight turnovers is not going to win you games or even put you in position to win games. I’m not sure what was going on the first thirty minutes of the game, but we played closer to our style that last ten minutes and scored thirty points and held them to eighteen. It is a running theme with us right now that we just don’t look like we want to play our style of basketball at the start and we don’t turn it on until our backs are against the wall. Getting Carla and Dre back will be a big help, but until then we need to find five players who are going to work together and do what they are supposed to do to help the team.”
Top Performers Rebels:
Lu Costa – 25 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists
Megan Haines – 15 points
Claire Paxton – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Top Performers Palatinates:
Elle Hendershot – 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 assists
Jessica Wayne – 19 points, 4 steals, 11 rebounds
Abby Lowe – 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
The Rebels return to action next week as they take on the Newcastle Eagles at home. Come down to the Essex Sport Arena on Saturday to support the team – tickets available online.
