Basketball: Cup winners fall at the first hurdle of the season

Nov 28 2008 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

LAST season’s winners of basketball’s Tayside and Fife Cup, Perth Phoenix Senior Men, fell at the first hurdle of this year’s competition – narrowly beaten by Perth Phoenix Junior Men at Perth Academy.

Coach Kesson set out a clear game plan which his team executed brilliantly.

The game was close throughout, with no more than six points separating the teams in the first three periods.

The Junior Men gained a historic 78–73 win.

Perth Phoenix Cadet Men 89

Grampian Flyers 76

PERTH Phoenix Cadet Men continued their winning start to their second division campaign last Saturday, but in reality they made hard work of overcoming a committed Flyers team.

Phoenix completely dominated the opening exchanges, and reached the end of the first period with a huge 19 point advantage, 33–14.

The third period was more even, but Perth entered the final period with a 15-point cushion and they controlled the game to win 89–76, their highest score of the season.

Perth Phoenix Cadette Women 29

St Mirren 101

PERTH Phoenix Cadette Women came up against a strong, well coached, St Mirren in Saturday’s home fixture.

Whilst the 29–101 reverse was a heavy defeat, the Phoenix players will no doubt learn lessons from their opponents’ effective execution of offensive plays and defensive intensity.

For Phoenix, Katy Brown hit nine points and Corrie Tadden-Paterson scored a season-high eight points.

Tonight, Perth Phoenix Senior Men play a second round Scottish Cup tie against top national league side City of Edinburgh Kings at Perth Academy, starting at 8.15pm.

Then tomorrow, the Junior Men and Cadet Men have away fixtures against Boroughmuir Blaze (2.30pm tip off) and City of Edinburgh Kings (5.15pm tip-off) respectively.