Southend Basketball Tournement
On Wednesday 6th November, the West Leigh Basketball team travelled to Thorpe Hall School to compete in their round of the Southend Basketball Tournament. The team was made up of six boys and four girls and they played two games against Bournes Green and Hamstel. Each game was twenty minutes with each half lasting ten minutes. In the first game, West Leigh played Bournes Green. The game was very competitive with lots of shots rebounding off the hoop and backboard for both teams. In the first half, the team managed to defend the ball and stopped Bournes Green from scoring on a number of occasions. In the last few minutes, Bournes Green managed to score, ending the first half West Leigh 0-2 Bournes Green. The second half started just as competitively, with both teams winning possession of the ball, making progress up the court to have a shot at the basket but struggling to get the ball on target. After about five minutes, West Leigh managed to work their way through the defenders and scored to equalise the score. They continued to play with great composure and lots of energy right to the end when Bournes Green managed to score in the last minute of the game. The klaxon sounded, signalling the end of the game, with the result ending West Leigh 2-4 Bournes Green. In the second game, West Leigh played Hamstel. This match was once again very competitive. The team played with strong determination from the start and managed to score twice in the first two minutes. This boosted the team’s confidence and they managed to score a third. Hamstel showed determination as well, managing to score in the closing stages of the first half with the score at half time West Leigh 6-2 Hamstel. In the second half, the team continued to show improvement and determination to maintain the lead, getting a number of shots at the basket and keeping possession of the ball in the oppositions half. They were unable to get the ball on target and past Hamstel though who defended fantastically. Hamstel managed to find space on the court and score twice in the later part of the second half to equalise the score. With one-minute left, the team worked tirelessly to try and get the winning basket and with the time counting down, the klaxon about to sound, West Leigh took their last shot which unfortunately was not on target. The game finished West Leigh 6-6 Hamstel. The team did an incredible job throughout the tournament with every team member showing great improvement in their basketball skills as well as demonstrating superb resilience, determination, sportsmanship and respect. The whole team were a credit to the school and should feel very proud of their performance.
