Basketball: Troon Tornadoes make poor start

Jan 15 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

TROON Tornadoes made a disappointing start to 2010 with both the juniors and cadets losing to Falkirk Fury at Marr College.

After a three-week rest during the festive period, both Tornadoes teams appeared to have lost some sharpness and turnovers proved to a major problem for the teams.

Facing an unbeaten Fury who have dominated every other team in the league, Tornadoes juniors matched up well until they began to make unforced errors and turned the ball over, allowing Fury easy baskets. At the end of the first quarter, Fury led 27-10.

In the second quarter, Tornadoes slowed down the Falkirk scoring rate but turnovers were still hurting and only Jordan McIlwraith and Robb Loughlin posed much of an offensive threat. Fury extended the lead to 44-22 at the break.

The interval allowed the Tornadoes coach to focus the players on turnovers but this had little effect with the ball being given cheaply in the third quarter.

At offensive end, Tornadoes struggled and managed only seven points in the period which ended with Fury ahead 73-29.

In the final period, the players battled to the end and they only lost this quarter by one point with Fury winning 86-41.

Tornadoes turned the ball over 30 times in the game and poor outside shooting (making two from 18 three point attempts) were the main factors in making the game so one sided.

Team: Ross Morrison, Scott Armstrong, Chris Savage, Josh McGilvary, Chris Millar, Harry Kerr, Rob Loughlan, Alastair Anthony, Jordan McIlwraith (22 pts), Connor McQuade, Havie Baker-Flanagan (15 pts), Martin Graham.

Tornadoes cadets had already beaten Fury in Falkirk but it appeared as if they were still on holiday mode.

Early on, Tornadoes continually turned the ball over to their opponents and failed to get back on defence while at the offensive end they struggled to break down the Fury zone defense.

Fury led 17-12 at the end of the quarter but Tornadoes were not able to compose themselves during the second period and as centres Chris Savage and Joshua McGilvery spent most of the period having to sit on the bench due to foul trouble, Fury stretched their lead to 27-38 by half time.

Tornadoes began more intensity at the start of the third period and Chris Miller and Chris Savage proved effective at the offensive end. However, too many lapses in concentration and unforced errors allowed Fury to score too easily and the visitors took a 53-39 lead.

Tornadoes started the fourth period well, benefiting from a full court zone press which forced Fury to turn the ball over and allowed the Troon side to score fast break baskets with ease.

Tornadoes cut the Fury lead to five before the away side had to call time out. Three Tornadoes players picked up their fifth foul shortly after this (Chris Savage, Joshua McGilvery and Mark Gebbie) and they were unable to reduce the Fury lead any further, losing the match 58-67.

Team: Alan Gebbie (2 pts), Mark Gebbie (2 pts), Josh Hunter (8 pts), Hamish Forsythe, Craig Moffat, Jack McMullan, Gordon Hill, Chris Miller (24 pts), Daniel Forbes (10 pts), Ian Burns, Chris Savage (captain, 9 pts), Joshua McGilvery (3 pts).

Tornadoes men return to action on Friday as they travel to Musselburgh to meet East Lothian Peregrine who will be out to avenge an early season loss.

The juniors travel to Arbroath on Saturday and face a Musketeer team which has still to record a win this season in the national league.