Rebels fall short to Riders 

Essex Rebels division 1 men were in action this weekend and were looking to bounce back after a tough defeat last weekend to the London lions.

Saturday saw the Rebels host Loughborough Riders. A tentative start by the Rebels allowed Loughborough to gain the advantage early. Essex couldn’t find a flow on the offensive end.

Coach Norfolk regrouped the team and adjusted some offensive tactics. The 2nd quarter was a different story. Essex was firing on all cylinders, playing in transition and executing in the half-court. Essex notched 32 points in the quarter and went into halftime up 3, 40 – 37.

After half-time Essex wasn’t able to capitalise on the momentum generated and started in a shooting slump. The riders picked up their offensive rhythm and began to score from the perimeter. 

Going late into the fourth, the rebels were down 5 with 2 minutes to go. Both teams couldn’t buy a bucket until Essex converted an easy 2 points. Now down 3 with 30 seconds to play, Essex needed to get a steal or foul early. The riders managed to get to the foul line and convert. Essex drew up some plays to chop away at the lead but couldn’t score from the outside. The game finished 69-75 to the riders.

Essex were led by Owen Chose with 16 points and 5 rebounds whilst Jake Eynon pitched in 13 points.

Coach Ross Norfolk was pleased with the improved performance., “We showed an improved performance this Saturday. Just need to keep working on being consistent. We are an up-and-down team. We showed we can score and play defence with the 32-point second quarter!”

The Rebels travel to Reading Rockets next Sunday in their last road trip of the season.