Rebels Rise Above the Rockets
Essex Rebels Division 1 men were back on the road with an away game to the inform City of Birmingham Rockets. The Rockets have a similar record to the Rebels with only losing once this season, meaning an exciting match up was in order.
It was all fireworks for the Rebels in the first quarter and it seemed the road trip didn’t faze them. The combination of knocking down shots from the outside, getting in the paint and being disruptive on the defensive end was too much for the rockets. Essex took a demanding lead 29 – 8.
The second quarter saw Essex continue with the dominance. Locking into the game plan off guarding Birmingham on the perimeter was evident and it allowed the Rebels to play free flowing offence on the fast break. Rebels held the Rockets to 9 points in the second and the scoreline was 53 – 17 at half time.
After halftime, Birmingham rallied together and started faster than the Rebels. Coach Norfolk relayed the message of staying consistent and keep to the game plan for 40 minutes. Essex began to find their offensive flow again and pitched in with some solid shooting from the outside. Ebuka Ekwegh for the Rebels was the hot hand and the unit done a good job of finding the hot hand.
Going into the final stanza, the Rockets continued to fire back but the damage was done in the first half and the Rebels were able to see out a huge win on the road. The final score line was 94 – 60.
Ebuka Ekwegh for the Rebels had himself a day with a huge showing of 35 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
Coach Ross Norfolk, was pleased with the groups performance, “We came out with intent on the defensive end and executed the scout well. This energised our offence and gave us confidence to shoot from the outside. Ebuka was huge for us and showed his ability to score inside and out. The team continue to show their commitment to getting better every week!”
The Rebels take on Nottingham hoods away on Saturday and then a quick turn around on Sunday see’s them take on Ipswich in the National Cup Competition.
