Sirius Academy North (SAN) vs St Mary’s 

[09 Feb 2023]

Sirius Academy North (SAN) vs St Mary’s

By Jack Watson  

St Mary’s and SAN’s KS4 have not played a game before this one, therefore they are both fighting for their first points to kick off the season. On the other hand, SAN’s KS3 have played in two fixtures before this, against Kelvin Hall and Cottingham High School, where they were defeated by both. But, St Mary’s KS3 have not played yet, therefore it is SAN who has had some experience, already, heading into the game.

KS4’s Match 

In the first quarter, it was St Mary’s who started off as the better team and two free throws allowed them to take an early lead. SAN responded well, though, by being tighter at the back and not allowing St Mary’s to have a decent shot at the basket. SAN seemed to be able to win the ball back too easily and a couple three pointers from SAN’s Robert McManus quickly stole St Mary’s lead. He seems to be the most energetic player on the court as he is always running up and down the court and helping in both offence and defence. St Mary’s luck was not on their side in this quarter as every shot they had bounced off the rim of the basket. After an edgy start from SAN, they were able to come out on top leading 8-4.

In the second quarter, SAN started off the same as they ended in the first and Robert increased their advantage. But SAN started to drop off a little and they allowed a shot from St Mary’s to get them back into the game. After this, it was all St Mary’s. For some reason SAN seemed to drop off and their defence was quite weak. They allowed St Mary’s to have players open, which was not the case in the first quarter. Towards the end of the ten minutes, SAN did not use their players and they tried to go for too many three pointers even though they had the lead. In the end, a lack of communication and a bit of sloppiness allowed St Mary’s to take the lead and it ended 11-10 to the visitors.

In the third quarter, both teams started off well and you could tell that they were all desperate for that three pointer as they shot as soon as they got to the three-point line. SAN were the ones to get themselves on the scoresheet first; however, St Mary’s responded magnificently. After the visitors got a few points, they went on a brace, and it was very difficult for SAN to get anywhere near their own basket. SAN had a great chance at the end, and it was Triumph who got them back into it seconds before the whistle blew. The third quarter ended 17-14 to St Mary’s.

In the last quarter, it was very good from SAN and they were able to get three baskets in quick succession. One was an excellent three pointer from Rob. His substitution had a huge impact on the game and for me he was the man of the match. SAN have turned things around and their organisation and defence was much stronger than what it had previously been. St Mary’s tried to respond, and the court turned into a battlefield; however, they failed to have a shot at the basket and SAN earned some free throws in the last minutes of the game. They scored two of these shots and there was no way back for St Mary’s as the clock had seconds left. Therefore, an energetic, fighting and determined team allowed SAN to come out of the game victorious winning 23-17.

 

KS3’s Match

In the first quarter, it was St Mary’s who started off brilliantly. They scored three baskets in quick succession and SAN were not able to settle properly. St Mary’s organisation was on point and every pass was perfect. They knew where each other were and due to this, they were able to score one more basket. I do not know why but SAN seemed to just want to sit back and allow their opposition to come at them. Due to this, St Mary’s were able to come out of the first quarter leading 8-0.

In the second quarter, SAN started off attacking; however, they did not seem to want to shoot at the basket as whenever a player received the ball, they hesitated and just got rid of it. This led to them, eventually, getting dispossessed. Also when they do get up, there is nobody there to help out. When the player with the ball runs up, every player needs to get up as well. A basket from the visitors in the second minute allowed them to increase their advantage. SAN’s defence is too weak, and they are leaving too many players open. SAN brought Rob on, and he made an instant impact by getting an assist. However, this was not enough as St Mary’s responded with a three pointer and a couple of free throws. The second quarter ended with St Mary’s still in the lead by 18 baskets to 4.

In the third quarter, SAN started off well by scoring a basket. This did not prevent St Mary’s from dropping off and it did not drown out their morale because as soon as they won that ball back, they were as quick as lightning, and it was hard for SAN to keep up with them. In the 6th minute, St Mary’s were awarded two free throws, however, fortunately for SAN they missed them both. And they took advantage of this miss by scoring from a sideline pass. The home side did get a couple of baskets in this quarter; however, St Mary’s just kept on coming at them. It was like they planned an advantage that they had to keep and tried their best to keep it. The third quarter ended 25-8, but there were a couple of improvements made by SAN.

In the final quarter, SAN were in a difficult position; they could not afford to let St Mary’s score any more baskets. Just like the previous quarters, it was St Mary’s who started off the strongest and they scored in the first two minutes. However, SAN were not done yet as they scored a few baskets of their own, reducing the deficit slightly. In this quarter, they were much better in offence and in defence. Why could they not perform like this from the start?  It was great to see SAN come back into it, but it was too late and the visitors ran away with it. In the end, it was St Mary’s who were victorious winning 27-12.

So both schools won and there were some amazing performances from every player. I would like to thank the staff for all their help and to Mr Hayes for refereeing both matches. And, also, to Mr McCracken for doing an excellent job on the touchline as head coach.