After a run of successive wins against 3 U16 opponents, Mystics U14 I returned to complete their U14 Premier League action with a scintillating team display away to Newcastle Eagles yesterday 9/3/25. The victory gives the team a 100% 12-0 winning record to go alongside the 15 wins and 1 loss so far in the U16 Northern Conference.
We started the month with a home game against York Vikings (Eagles) U16s. Fortunately, they didn’t play in horned helmets and Harold Blue Tooth, Sweyn Forkbeard and King Canute weren’t on the coaching staff! York play to their strengths and are as well drilled as my molars. Their physicality and 3 point shooting on sight caused us problems initially. We trailed 14-18 after 10 minutes as Emmanuela carried most of the burden for our offensive production.
We needed to up our defensive intensity and move the basketball more efficiently if we were to get our noses in front. We did and we did. Chichi came to the fore on offense and our team defence became more stifling than a major heat wave. We won the quarter 23-8!
The third and fourth stanzas were more even as we benefitted from increased production from Darcie and lost little ground despite equitable sharing of court time. The 10 point 67-57 win was as deserved as it was hard-fought.
The following day, we hosted Leeds U16 Black who weren’t devious enough to turn up in white kit to confuse us. They did, however, confuse us enough to take the first quarter 11-16. I considered using a loud alarm clock to wake our players up but opted for a plea for greater focus. As they so often do, these talented young athletes responded in positive fashion. We won the second period 22-9 and the third 27-8, leading to a 75-50 victory with Emmanuela, Chichi, Zoe, Morgan, Alycia, Adele and Olivia all productive in the points column.
The weekend after, we entertained Sheffield Hatters U16. That’s not to say we threw a party for them, it’s merely a way of saying we were at home. A tough physical encounter, worthy of any of the battles in the War of the Roses, ensued. Our young team rose to the occasion early on to lead 14-7. The second quarter was as even as any number that’s not odd at 10-10. To the girls’ credit, we really upped our game after the break to pull away to win 57-39 with Adele leading all scorers and highly creditable defensive displays all round, notably from Elsa and Emmanuela but also from our younger, smaller team members, Maisie I, Olivia, Gabby and Zoe, all of whom refused to be intimidated.
Our hectic schedule continued on 9/3/25 with a jaunt up to the frozen north to play Newcastle eagles U14s. Our unfortunate bad run with injuries worsened early on when an opponent unintentionally mistook Darcie’s shin for a punch bag! This followed on from a nasty finger injury for Olivia the day before. In keeping with this team’s truly amazing team spirit, Olivia was far more concerned she’d let her team down than she was with the pain or the fact that she wouldn’t be able to play the piano for a while!
Darcie’s mishap presented Maisie W with the opportunity for extended minutes and she certainly rose to the occasion, particularly on the defensive end. Despite the 3 hour minibus journey, we began as brightly as our red kit to dominate the opening period 18-7 with 5 different scorers. Our defensive display in the second quarter was as near to perfection as is possible at this level. Newcastle gave it all they had but could only muster 2 points, both from free throws in the final seconds of the quarter. By contrast, inspired by a stunning offensive display from Adele, closely followed by Emmanuela and Chichi, we extended the lead to 28 at 37-9 by half-time.
Not to be out done, Elsa showed encouraging signs of getting back to her best after injury, Darcie refused to let a string of bumps and bruises deter her, Zoe provided admirable cover for Elsa as she eased her way back, Morgan showed us she has back up guard skills against the press, Jahnia came off the bench to show progress in her defence off the ball and Aila revelled in any physical tussle. All in all, this added up to another thoroughly impressive team display from a thoroughly impressive group of players.
Many thanks to James and Annmarie for all they do for us and to Kofi who was willing to give up his Sunday to drive the minibus even though his daughter Christiana is injured. Thank you, too, to our parents for your help and support.
Best wishes,
Jim