Jan 05: Title showdown ends in defeat at Solent

On Saturday, Westside travelled to Southampton for a top of the table clash with Solent Stars in EBL Division 3. The winner of the clash would be in a prime position to win the division and it was Westside who started brightly to grab a four point lead but the home team, bouyed by a crowd of 400 people, came back with a run of their own to lead 17 - 12. Westside hit back to reduce the deficit after a timeout but once again the home team, and ran off 7 straight points to end the quarter leading 24 - 14.

At the start of the second, Solent started off how they ended the first quarter with 6 straight points, prompting another timeout by Coach Lamptey. Westside came back briefly to reduce the lead to ten but foul trouble started to plaugue the team and they were forced to play zone. Solent then began to make perimeter jumpshots as the lead went up to 22 points by the end of the first half.

After halftime, Westside kicked into gear as they started to chip away at the lead as they continued to attack the basket for layups. For once, the officials seemed to be kind to the away team as the blew for a series of violations that gave them several three throws. With 8 minutes remaining in the third, the lead was down to 11 points and the momentum was starting to shift but just after sinking a shot and stealing the ball, Westside guard Daniel Worku was injured by a reckless challenge by a Solent player and the momentum was halted as this seemed to shake Westside as they allowed Solent to score 5 straight points to halt their charge. In the fourth, Westside continued to press to get back into the game but the referees continued to blow dubious calls which restricted the effectiveness of the team. In the fourth quarter, no more than 4 players fouled out and coupled with Workus injury this left Westside with 3 players remaining on the court by the end of the game. The final score was 95 - 69. Coach Frank Lamptey commented " In the most imprtant game of the season, we didn't come out with the intensity that we usually display but the officiating was atrocious today. In a game like this, both teams playing hard, let the players decide the game but for three of the fourth quarters, they were extremely one sided in their calls. It was ridiculous that we ended up with three players at the end of the game".

The result leaves Westside in second place with six games remaining in the regular season. On Saturday, they entertain South Nottingham at Kensington Leisure Centre at 4pm.

<Back