Rebels fight hard in Newcastle

Essex Rebels had the long trip north to Newcastle in their Division 1 match up. 

The last time the teams met Newcastle pulled away in a high scoring contest. 

Considering the long 6 hour minibus trip, Essex started the better team, locking in defensively and executing on the offensive end. 

Newcastle are a high efficient team offensively and in particular from 3 point range. They started to find their flow in the 2nd quarter and stretched out a lead by 11 at half time. 

Rebels continued to stick with the game plan and thought hard in the 3rd. However the scoring runs were high and trading baskets was the theme. 

Going into the 4th Essex were down by 10. They had been in these scenarios before and were looking to chip away. Essex got the game down to 5 points, however a couple of missed lay ups and then transition scores by Newcastle allowed them to keep the Rebels at bay. 

The final scoreline resulted in a nine point loss, 105 – 96. Essex were led by guard Jake Enyon with 22 points whilst big man Lee Hodges pitched in with 18 points and 10 rebound.

“It was a great game for us. Timely scores by them allowed them to keep our scoring runs to a minimum. We showed we can execute offensively, just needed to lock defensively during crucial moments.” Said Head Coach Ross Norfolk.

Essex now look to next Sunday where they take on Hemel Storm.