Twos beat Blues but fail to take Varsity
Varsity Basketball
Oxford Twos 76 - 79 Cambridge 2nds
THE OXFORD Twos Basketball team enjoyed a mixed week, following up a BUSA league victory over the Cambridge Blues with defeat in the Varsity event. The Twos have been playing quick, intense and teamorientated basketball, buoyed by the additions of Philip Henry and Benjamin Hall to the team. As a result, the BUSA game got off to a fast start. JD Ridgeway capitalised on fast breaks from defence, pushing the ball forward and creating good scoring chances.
Tom Parker repeatedly drove past his man to score between two defenders on the baseline, and the Twos were able to build a comfortable early lead, entering half time ahead by 14 points. After tough words at halftime, Cambridge stepped up the intensity of the game to pull the score back to within two points in the third quarter. The game was on a knifeedge when crucially for Oxford, Ryan Jordanhazy hit a fade-away jumper as he was fouled, earning two points and the ball from the free-throw line.
The additional points gave the Twos the cushion they needed. Smothering defence from Jordanhazy and Henry, and effective rebound scoring from Hall and Jamie Inglis, halted Cambridge in their tracks, and sealed an astounding 86-68 victory. After a gruelling season, playing several divisions above the next-highestranked seconds team, the Twos had made history. This victory behind them, the team was confident going into their Varsity match against the seconds team on Sunday the 13th.
However, the Oxford side was heavily depleted. Both Jordanhazy and captain Oliver Morrison were unavailable – and this proved costly. Cambridge marked Parker out of the game, and disrupted flowing Oxford basketball. Despite an inspired display of shooting and passing from Ridgeway, the team led by just a few points throughout the game. It came down to the wire, and Cambridge were able both to seize and hold on to the lead towards the end, taking the Twos Varsity match by three points: 79-76.
A disastrous day for Oxford Basketball Club was completed in the later game of the day, as the Blues side sank to a 50-59 defeat.
17th Feb 2005