Basketball: Troon Tornaodes lose to Storm

Nov 27 2009 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

TROON Tornadoes senior men’s bad run continued when they lost to Glasgow Storm.

They were without three of their biggest players (Ross Campbell, Scott Frew and Stefan Loyen) and defensive guard Kareem Nassar. To compound matters, Andy Pearson and Ifadade Thomas, normally two starting five players, had problems with transport and missed the start.

Despite this, Tornadoes made a good beginning and after five minutes the game was tied. But as Jamie Frew had to go to the bench with three fouls, Tornadoes couldn’t compete with Storm’s inside game. By the end of the first quarter, Tornadoes trailed 29-19.

Thomas and Pearson came into the game in the second quarter but both found it difficult to get into the flow and by half-time, Storm’s lead had increased to 54-34.

Tornadoes won the third quarter 21-15 and although they managed to reduce the deficit to nine points near the end, they could not get closer.

Tornadoes can take some comfort as Ally Hornell had his best game and Dan Donnelly showed he can hold his own with any team in this league.

This weekend, Tornadoes face Glasgow Storm, a Strathclyde League Division One side, in the Scottish Cup but if they do not have a full complement or the players available do not return to form they may face an early exit.

Team: Ifadade Thomas (17 pts), Jordan McIlwraith, Ally Hornell (14 pts), Fraser Smith, Gregor Anderson, Euan Campbell (capt), Andy Pearson, Jamie Frew (14 pts), Daniel Donnelly (17 pts).

Tornadoes junior men continued their recent good form with an excellent win over a Perth team who had beaten them on the opening day.

This game was the yard stick confirming the improvement the players have made as they went about their task with some great team basketball.

Sam Jack and Jordan McIlwraith were in fine shooting form sharing 21 points in the first quarter as Tornadoes took a28-16 lead.

In the second quarter, Tornadoescontinued to dominate, with Robb Loughlan coming off the bench to good effect and adding his shooting prowess, along with some excellent defence by Harvey Baker-Flanagan, who was nullifying the threat of Perth’s top scorer. This enabled Tornadoes to take a 45-26 half-time lead.

In the second half, Troon lost their concentration and allowed Perth to gain a foothold but some good shooting from Tornadoes steadied the ship and held a 57-43 lead.

After weathering this storm, Tornados never looked back. Jack was important down the stretch as he hit some big shots and made some steals which led to breakaway baskets as Tornadoes won 85-66.

Top scorers, Sam Jack 27 points, Jordan McIlwraith (18) and Robb Loughlan (17).

In the Cadet Men National League, Tornadoes beat Perth Phoenix 73-69.

Tornadoes led 29-20 after the second quarter. Daniel Forbes and Chris Miller played particularly good defence on the Phoenix’s J. Nicholson and limited him to six points.

Tornadoes began to slow down at the end of the third quarter and when Chris Savage and Joshua McGillivray both picked up their fifth foul, Troon lacked height and experience on defence and as a result, began letting Nicholson dominate the game. Troon won the third quarter 25-11.

Phoenix dominated the fourth quarter and made the final minutes nerve wracking. However, Tornadoes held on to the lead following a late time-out.