Quietly confident, the game was billed as the ascent for Titans to the top of the division and a statement of the clubs intentions for the season, instead the game ended up being a humbling experience and a learning curve which left a sour taste in the mouth.
The first half was an offensive showcase where Titans exploded for 29 points with the inside players having a big impact with an array of post moves and perimeter shooting.
The concern raised by coach Thomas was the lack of defence from Titans in allowing Derbyshire to score over 40 points by half time and whether we could continue to simply outscore the opponent.
The 3rd quarter saw Arrows improve their defensive efforts limiting Titans to14 points whilst scoring 28 points to take the lead that the y would not relinquish
Top Scorers
Jake Murphy – 21 Points
Ray Akpofure – 20 Points
Jack Green – 17 Points
Greenwich Titans 92 – 100 Derbyshire Arrows
Next Up Greenhouse Pioneers away as we face a familiar foe.
“Defensive frailties cost us big in this fixture, if we want to challenge in this league we need to hold ourselves to account and not take teams for granted”. Coach Ashley
Greenwich Titans U14s v Barking RDF Lions
This win was less about the team and more about Jakub Rak as he broke the junior point’s record by dropping 47 points in this fixture, a
combination of layups, defensive stops and shooting led the team to victory, he was simply unstoppable.
Greenwich Titans 71 – 63 Barking RDF Lions
Greenwich Titans U16s v Frenford Falcons
The U16’s played some jaw dropping shots in this fixture. Samuel Oluto drawing gasps of admiration from Frenford supporters with his dunk over two defenders.
A shocking lapse in concentration occurred when Titans player Jeremiah came off the bench in the 4th quarter to put the ball into his own net to Frenford’s delight, much to the amusement of the supporters and home team. It will be a long time before he lives this one down.
Nervousness seemed to get the better of our players at the free throw line – we became overly concerned with the supporters effort to put us off our shot rather than focusing on making the free throw.
Some credit must go to Frenford Warriors for fighting back in the second and third quarters. Their effort did not faze Titans who took the fight back to them and won the game 73-60.
Greenwich Titans U14s v Barking and Dagenham Thunder
The under 14s played extremely well in this fixture and were unfortunate to lose this one by 2 points. Titans travelled with 5 players to play Barking and Dagenham Thunder on the Sunday morning and were subjected to noisy chants and loud banging from the home teams supporters.
Having to stay out of foul trouble and play a relaxed defence, titans were always at a disadvantage. The referees allowing the home team to play zone defence which is not allowed at the under 18 age group didn’t help matters either.
Titans were always chasing the game but got into contention when they listened to their coach and pressed the home team, forcing turnovers and executing on the offensive end
Greenwich Titans 61 – 63 Barking and Dagenham Thunder
Greenwich Titans U18 vs London Feltham Warriors
This was a top vs. bottom of the table match up and coming in Greenwich were confident of their ability. However Feltham had other plans, and although they started the quarter poorly they soon upped their efforts and entered the 2nd quarter only down 6. They carried their confidence through to the end of the first half and kept the game close.
Greenwich turned the ball over and played lacklustre defence on the other end which allowed Feltham to keep the game close. Despite efforts from Ayinla and Babalola, Greenwich just couldn’t seem to pull away, with lapses on the defensive end and aggressive drives to the basket from Imhontuohon, Feltham remained close going in to the final quarter.
With success on the line Greenwich managed to ignite several scoring runs, this was sure to stifle Feltham but despite that they kept on pushing. In the end it was a 39 point quarter that decided the victor and Greenwich managed to hold on to their undefeated record with a 95-68 win over the Feltham Warriors.
Greenwich Titans v Worthing Thunder (Men’s Cup)
The third round of the Men’s National Cup saw undefeated Division 1 side Worthing Thunder visit Greenwich Titans; the away team packed out Greenwich University with supporters which created a fantastic atmosphere.
The speed of the game was impressive, Jake Murphy and Ray Akpofure were absolutely dominant in this fixture going for a combined 45 points and consistently attacking the boards. For 2 quarters Titans held Worthing Thunder finishing down by only 2 points.
The 3rd quarter was all about Zaire as he unloaded a barrage of contested 3 point shots that opened up an unassailable lead.
Top Scorers
Jake Murphy – 26 Points
Ray Akpofure – 19 Points
Nick Fearon – 15 Points
The cup run is now over and the focus will now switch to the league as the team look to learn from the mistakes of this weekend.