Under-14s

BEAMINSTER 43

WEYMOUTH 44

A LAST-MINUTE basket sealed victory for Weymouth in a thrilling encounter.

The visitors had won the previous meeting between the two teams and expectation was high that they could give a repeat However, on the day, a depleted squad arrived with their taller, older players unable to make the game and with the home team fielding a full bench, their work was cut out for them from the start.

Both teams attacked from the outset and pushed the fast break.

Exceptional defensive performances by James Porter and Silas Herron ensured that Weymouth were in the lead for the majority of the first half.

Beaminster countered by playing a taller five, giving them the height advantage making it more difficult defensively, but Louis Hocking stepped up, using his height to grab rebounds at both ends of the court.

However, in the third quarter, the smaller Weymouth team could not keep up with the intensity of the game as tiredness set in, and the opposition went on an unanswered eight-point run to take the lead by five points.

After the time-out, focusing on rebounding and the fast break, Weymouth clawed their way back into the game,with stand-out performances by Alfie Heatherington and Casey Pilkington who increased the tempo of the game, driving at the defence and shooting well respectively.

Other names worthy of mention include Alfie Hocking and Aiden Goring, both getting multiple steals and baskets, and Brodie South, the youngest player on the team who managed to get some court time.

With the clock counting down in the fourth and up by one point, the pressure was on to perform well and although Weymouth put in a solid performance, defensive mistakes led to a Beaminster basket with 30 seconds left on the clock.

In a nail-biting finish, Weymouth managed to get a last-minute defensive steal, and Dan Murphy, who had been a offensive threat all game, went for the fast break lay-up to win the game.

Overall, it was valuable game-time experience for both teams, who have only just begun playing competitive games and there was marked improvement in the young Weymouth side.