On Wednesday the Cambridge Basketball Blues faced Coventry in a game that was likely to decide who would come second and who would come third in the BUCS Midlands 1A league.  Having lost 94-85 when the teams met in November, Cambridge were keen to assert their dominance at home.

Coventry, however, had other ideas, and took an early lead, their number 9 showing his athleticism with a dunk on the fast break.  Cambridge missed easy layups while Coventry attacked the basket with ease, with standout Stephen Danso driving and scoring despite being fouled.  Having fallen behind 13-5 in the early minutes, Cambridge called a time-out to stop the bleeding.

The response was instant, with Captain Chris Haar scoring on the fast break, Club President Tobias Uth putting in a lovely hook shot and Haar hitting again with a three-pointer to bring Cambridge within one.  This rattled the Coventry side, who resorted to physicality, giving Cambridge free throws as their Captain exhorted “don’t push them in the back”.    American Job Gobino hit a three to pull Cambridge level at 19-19, however four missed free throws let Coventry off the hook while Cambridge conceded layups at the other end, and at the end of the first quarter Cambridge trailed 19-24.

Cambridge came out of the gate at speed in the second quarter, scoring a three pointer straight from the off.  Coventry responded, and the sides exchanged baskets in some end-to-end basketball.  Cambridge began to find their offensive rebounding form, capitalizing on second chance opportunities, while the Coventry number 5 began hitting three-pointers at will.  Lewis Cannon replied with a three-ball of his own, and good defensive hustle gave Cambridge easy fast break baskets, pulling back to within one.  However Coventry’s Danso hit a three-pointer to make the score 46-50 at half-time.

In the second half Danso continued to pull strings, as he carried his team against a strong Cambridge performance.  Having relied at times on long jumpshots in the first half, the Blues began to get to the basket more and their zone defence was effective against Coventry’s isolation moves.  This start soon dried up, as both teams struggled to score, but Cambridge’s Uth broke the deadlock, scoring three times in a beautiful display of low-post and mid-range finesse.  Not to be outdone, Danso pulled out a behind-the-back dribble on the fast break, before passing to number 9 for another dunk.  This was followed by another back-and-forth, as neither team was able to put in defensive stops.   With time winding down, Danso channeled his internal Kobe Bryant to try and beat the buzzer, with his miss put back to make the score 63-69 with one quarter to play.

With a six point deficit, Cambridge needed a comeback in the final quarter, and Captain Haar led the way, scoring after the break.  Scott joined in with a three to bring the Blues within five, and a couple of Coventry turnovers left the score at 72-73.  A Coventry airball and a strong drive by Cambridge’s Kaladerhan Agbontaen then gave Cambridge their first lead of the game with six minutes to play.  Coventry called a time-out to try and regroup, and responded to re-take the lead, only for Haar to reply with a beautiful drive.  Once again the two teams traded baskets, with neither team finding the edge, however a showboating Coventry dunk attempt bounced out to give Cambridge an opening.  Cambridge duly took a three-point lead, and after a couple of free throws the score was 83-81.

With the game in the balance, Agbontaen continued to dominate on the block, and Cannon’s three-pointer gave Cambridge a five point cushion.  Coventry began to show their frustration, attempting long threes and airballing jumpshots, while Cambridge stuck to the hustling defence and quick ball movement that had won them the lead.  With one minute to go, Scott scored the dagger on a strong drive through the Coventry defence, and a Haar steal gave Cannon an easy layup to finish the job.  Coventry were forced to foul to get the ball back, but were unable to make much of possession, scoring a single free throw.  After a couple of time-outs, Danso appropriately dribbled out the clock to leave the final score 94-84.

Cambridge will be very pleased with this victory, not only because it likely gives them second place in the league but also because of the manner in which the game was won, coming back in the fourth quarter.  Coming up against one of the better players in the league, the Blues put on a strong team performance that will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season and for Varsity on the 26th of February.