High energy almost brings unlikely result

Preston 2 59 v Mavs 70

Armed with the knowledge that this Mavs team had dispatched the first team with relative ease in recent weeks, we knew we'd have to play well to compete. We did indeed play very well for the majority of the game. Right from the start we managed to largely shut down their threat from outside while finding our own shots in areas we wanted them. Unfortunately, our scoring started slowly, with a lot of good chances not falling and some clear nervousness under the basket was costing us the momentum we should have been building. An excellent push in the second quarter brought us in line with Mavs and from there we sparred with them for the remainder of the game. Paulino during this period was excellent, accelerating his scoring around a very committed group during this part of the game, including the game's MVP, Ali, who was huge on the boards and defensive aggression throughout.

We took a small lead in the 3rd and continued to slow them down and we were really starting to feel an opportunity to close the game. Sadly, some inopportune turnovers and foul trouble allowed Mavs separation from which we couldn't recover. The attitude was fantastic throughout and energy superb, but in the end it felt like a missed opportunity. Too many easy points were left out there and more composure around the basket would have led to a real statement win. Lots to build on though and we definitely feel like we are continuing to move in the right direction.

Points: Paulino 14, Nathaniel 9, Ewan 8
MVP: Alistair 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals