Rebels Take Down Warriors
Essex Rebels Division 1 men had another road journey on Saturday, taking on the Westminster Warriors. The Warriors picked up a huge win last week against Newcastle University and were on a roll to start 2023. Likewise for Essex, they were looking to continue a good start to the year after an away win at Manchester last Saturday.
The Rebels started the quicker of the two teams, playing fast in transition and getting some stops on the defensive end. Westminster started to find some offensive flow, but American Guard Owen Chose started to heat up for Essex. The Rebels began to find the hot hand and execute in the half court. Owen stunned the warriors with his high percentage shooting and finished the 1st quarter with 17 points.
Flowing into the second, the rebels continued to execute their actions in the half court and exploit the advantages. Lee Hodges and Dylan Johns inside presence with Owen’s and Captains Rory Winters outside shooting was a tough guard. Essex went into half time up 11, 49 – 38.
The Rebels knew that going into the third, Westminster would come out with pace. Essex needed to stayed focused and continue to execute the game plan. Lee Hodges entered the game early and the Rebels started to feed the inside looks. Lee had back to back baskets that meant Westminster had to switch up their defence. With this allowed Owen chose to get going again. Chose scored on 4 possessions on the bounce and chipped in 12 points in the quarter.
The final stanza saw Essex have a comfortable lead. This comfort brought some complacency and Westminster started to get going. The Rebels were able to contain the scoring from Westminster quickly and regain control of the game by going back to their original game plan.
The game finished with Essex winning by 12, 88 – 76. Another great road win for the Rebels.
Essex were lead by Owen Chose who notched a career high of 40 points! An outstanding shooting performance was on display. Captain Rory pitched in with 15 points off the bench.
Head coach Ross Norfolk was pleased with the performance, “Another fantastic road win to start the year. The group executed the game plan and managed the ups and downs. Was great to see the shooting display from Owen and was really happy with the way we kept finding the hot hand.”
Essex next game is away to Thames Valley Cavaliers, with the first home game of 2023 against Derby Trailblazers on the 28th January.
