Preston 1: 51 v Preston 2: 78

There are always nerves that come with an inter club match between two club squads in the same division. Last year we had two electric fixtures against the U20s who almost drew blood both times and this time it was our opportunity to play the underdog. We knew the Firsts were struggling for cohesion and form at a time we had been beginning to find some, so we were by no means overawed. However, we knew the quality they possessed in their squad and we knew we could receive a real lesson if they clicked.

The energy we brought to start the game though was incredible and we didn't allow them to find any control on the game. Our scoring in transition was relentless and we burst out of the blocks with a 25 point first quarter, taking a 16-point lead on the back of a dominant 14-point 1st quarter from Pauli. From that point the game was more even, as players like Harry and Terrence began to find their range while we continued to outwork them, continuing to find easy buckets to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

We took an 18 point lead into the 4th, and our fitness and desire to land a morale boosting win kept us going to the end, opening up a further 9-point gain in the final quarter. This was the epitome of a full squad performance with every member impacting on the scoreboard and some truly outstanding performances to mention. Pauli, as ever, was outstanding, adding to his brutal start to top score with 21. Leo was scoring and rebounding with ease until he was forced off with an ankle injury and Ali contributed a superb 8 points in only 11 minutes and Tom Livesey hauling down 7 boards in the same playing time. The MVP tonight, though, has to go to Lincoln whose character and efficiency was top class with 14 points off of only 6 field goal attempts, plus 6 assists with zero turnovers.

We will certainly not have it our way like this in the return fixture, but now we have to show that we can lift ourselves up to performances like this against the rest of the league!

Points: Paulino 21, Lincoln 14, Ewan and Leo 10
Rebounds: Pauli and Nate 9, Leo 8, Tom Livesey 7
Assists: Lincoln and Diddy 6, Leo, Ewan, Chewy and Pauli 4

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