Bulls stun Cavs for 1-0 finals lead - Aug 19, 2010 (by Justin Marville)
EPIC RIVALRIES didn't end with the Lakers-Cavs series.
Station Hill's dominance just might have.
This wasn't the classic thriller of the men's final, but the women's equivalent is proving all the more dramatic after Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls stunned basketball's reigning nine-time league champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers 57-48 in Tuesday's Game 1 at the Wildey Gym [read more]
EPIC RIVALRIES didn't end with the Lakers-Cavs series. Station Hill's dominance just might have. This wasn't the classic thriller of the men's final, but the women's equivalent is proving all the more dramatic after Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls stunned basketball's reigning nine-time league champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers 57-48 in Tuesday's Game 1 at the Wildey Gym. After two highly-publicised failures on the big stage, the underdog Bulls are now just one win away from finally dethroning the Cavs, who lost a series-opener for just the first time since 2002. It was also only their second ever finals defeat in that span, following the loss to Tigers eight years ago and a Game 2 defeat to the same Bulls last season. Unlike that series-leveller though, this contest was over six minutes into the second half when the Bulls scored 21 straight points in one surreal start to the third quarter. This was after the Cavs led by as many as eight (21-13) in the second quarter before holding what appeared to be a then comfortable 25-19 half-time cushion. But that advantage disappeared as fast as the champs' swagger after Station Hill went scoreless over the next 6:21 minutes against a stifling interior defence that gave up nothing in the paint. Hardly an entry pass got into Wanda Agard-Belgrave and Astrid Alleyne, and on the errant occasion the twin towers saw the ball in the post, they were also greeted with a tent of two to three defenders. Even the overseas-based Jamila Studer, nee Griffith, couldn't get going while facing a disciplined Clapham unit intent on taking away her favoured mid-range jumper and keeping her off the offensive glass. And just as they did eight years prior, Toni Atherley and Jennifer Joseph-Hackett proved the proverbial thorns in the Cavs side at the other end, as the former Tigers accounted for the first six points of the 21-0 run and 13 overall in the third. It began with a pair of Hackett turnarounds, followed by Atherley's free-throw line jumper, before Antonia Baptiste truly keyed the run with five straight points to give Bulls their first lead since the first quarter. The result of the surge was a resounding 40-25 Clapham lead, which was rudely interrupted when Studer went on her own personal 7-0 spree towards the end of the period. But the Bulls weren't done just yet, more specifically Joseph-Hackett, who also opened the fourth with a pair of jump shots as part of an ensuing 8-1 run that put Clapham up by 15 (52-37). Outside of the shocking result, Station Hill got a further scare when Studer was forced to leave the game briefly with 4:02 after hitting the back of her head. However, the professional forward returned just minutes later to give the final score-line some respectability. Atherley and Joseph-Hackett finished with 19 and 18 points respectively, while Baptiste chipped in with 11 to make up for the sub-par games of starters Shakira Shorey and Sade Clarke.
Studer led all scorers with 20, and Alleyne and Agard-Belgrave had 12 points apiece for the Cavs, who will look to square the series tonight at the same venue.
THERE WASN'T A WAR of words this time.
Neither was there a battle on the court.
Women's basketball most ardent rivalry felt like anything but in Saturday's lop-sided finals rematch, as Jamila Studer (nee Griffith) had a game-high 27 points to lead nine-time league champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers to a 69-46 rout of a short-handed Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls at the YMCA [read more]
THERE WASN'T A WAR of words this time.
Neither was there a battle on the court.
Women's basketball most ardent rivalry felt like anything but in Saturday's lop-sided finals rematch, as Jamila Studer (nee Griffith) had a game-high 27 points to lead nine-time league champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers to a 69-46 rout of a short-handed Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls at the YMCA.
Her name might not be the same, but Clapham's results against the prolific forward proved no different after Studer more than made up for her absence in May's heated first-round loss.
But unlike that two-point decision, this contest was over long before the opening tip when the previously unbeaten Bulls only managed to dress five players, none of which included national players Shakira Shorey, Toni Atherley and Laurel Browne.
It led to the Cavs dominating the offensive glass, as Studer and twin towers Wanda Agard-Belgrave and Astrid Alleyne combined for 21 second quarter points and all of the champs 20-3 run that blew open the game at the end of that period.
Before that surge, Clapham twice survived menacing spurts from Station Hill, overcoming the initial absence of their senior players and Jennifer Joseph-Hackett's early foul trouble.
The first came after they only fared two points within the first six minutes, with Joseph-Hackett hitting a series of free-throw line jumpers to delay the Cavs inevitable flurry.
And that game-changing moment seemingly came when Station Hill eventually closed the first on an 8-1 run, only for the Bulls to score six unanswered of their own to open the ensuing period as part of a 10-3 rally that reduced the deficit to one (20-19).
It was all Clapham could muster though once Studer replied with the first of two successive mid-range jumpers, which were soon followed by similar jumpers from Alleyne and Agard-Belgrave before the trio dominated the paint.
The result was a massive 40-22 half-time advantage that grew to as much as 25 points after Ruth Gill was forced to the bench while picking up her fourth foul just 1:45 into the third quarter.
Clapham's woes then increased two-fold when point guard Sade Clarke went to the bench for a quick breather, resulting in several unforced turnovers for the lady Bulls in the absence of another ball-handler.
Alleyne finished with 17 points and Agard-Belgrave added a further 15 for the Cavs, who took over the league's top spot with the victory, while Joseph-Hackett top-scored for Clapham with 12.
Bulls edge rival Cavs in heated affair - May 12, 2010 (by Justin Marville)
THE WAR OF WORDS is on.
Not as if the lady Cavs and Bulls needed yet another reason not to like each other.
Womens basketball most heated rivalry took another dramatic twist on Sunday, as Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls survived a scary five-minute drought and a rare scoreless game from Shakira Shorey before edging the champion Mpact Station Hill Cavs 59-57 at the YMCA [read more]
THE WAR OF WORDS is on.
Not as if the lady Cavs and Bulls needed yet another reason not to like each other.
Womens basketball most heated rivalry took another dramatic twist on Sunday, as Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls survived a scary five-minute drought and a rare scoreless game from Shakira Shorey before edging the champion Mpact Station Hill Cavs 59-57 at the YMCA.
The most anticipated regular season game in recent memory did everything to live up its huge billing, with the tense, last-second finish surrounding a playoff-like intensity that featured its fair share of verbal and physical exchanges.
First came Ria Phillips inadvertent elbow to the throat of Bulls forward Jennifer Joseph-Hackett in the second quarter, before Phillips herself was run over on the ensuing possession.
Then tempers flared between Cavs guard Denesha Elcock and Ruth Gill, which led to the latter shoving her opposite number on the heels of a hard foul in the subsequent third.
Even seasoned veteran Wanda Agard-Belgrave took her chance after the contest to remind Shorey of her scoring futility.
And this was just a first-round game. What next could they do for an encore?
But despite the attempts to downplay the significance of Sundays showdown, neither team treated the matchup of the leagues unbeaten as a mere regular season contest.
And certainly not Clapham, who had demons to exorcise after losing the last two league finals to the nine-time champs.
However, those Station Hill woes nearly came to bear again as the Bulls squandered all but one of a 12-point third quarter lead in a near fatal late game collapse.
This came after Clapham survived an earlier Cavs rally that reduced a 32-22 half-time advantage to just a four-point cushion (39-35), as Atherley had six quick points and paired with reserve Letecia Greene to bump the lead up to 47-35 late in the third.
Despite twin towers Agard-Belgrave and Astrid Alleyne finding no room to operate, Station Hill managed to get within four (50-46) early in the ensuing fourth before Atherley responded by scoring eight straight to restore the double-digit advantage (58-46).
But Bulls failed to score again for the following five minutes, refusing to post Shorey while committing several turnovers, taking ill-advised jumpers and even missing easy lay-up attempts.
It resulted in the champs adding 11 points without reply, with Agard-Belgrave dominating the paint and proceedings to the tune of ten fourth quarter points to pull Station Hill within one (58-57) with 38 seconds to play.
That cushion eventually proved to be enough though, as Phillips missed a wide open jumper on the Cavs final possession, forcing the champs to foul before Greene provided the final margin at the line ahead of the horn.
Atherley led all scorers with 24 points and Sade Clarke added 13 for Clapham while Agard-Belgrave top-scored for the Cavs with 22.
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