The Eagles are learning something new this season and that is how to play and win against teams that, on paper, look like an easy win. The important point here is that the Eagles are learning fast how to do this and this game was no exception.

Sam Cheshire put the game in the bag for the Eagles in the 1st quarter. His dominant offence virtually sealed the win before Luton got going but one must scratch the surface a bit deeper to see how this was done. Fast and decisive offence often comes from tough defence and that is definitely one of the Eagles’ key attributes. With Dillon playing great defence at the top, it opens up the fast break for the Eagles, and Sam’s speed and strength takes full advantage of this. It is also the team’s quick passing and movement that allows this to happen. An outstanding defensive performance won this game for the Eagles. Also, it was great to see Henry starting the game and performing well at both ends of the court.

The first quarter was won 30-15 which enabled the bench players to play extended minutes. Another great strength of this team is depth on our bench. Joe Wright came out on fire and Harry was in scoring rhythm. The second quarter was an another dominant Eagles performance.

It was not all plain sailing as too often the Eagles would steal the ball then immediately turn it over. Our free throw shooting percentage was better but still needs improvement as does our 3 pt shooting percentage.

With Ruben dominating the boards at both ends, the game was never in doubt, and it was just a case of ‘will the Eagles score 100 points’? The Eagles won the 3rd quarter 29-7 setting up a relaxed 4th which turned into a bit of damp squib as, despite a nice 3 pointer from Joe C and a close miss at the buzzer, the Eagles only scored 99! Only is not a disappointment as Luton II are really quite a good team.

Sterner tests lie ahead for the Eagles with a tough MK Trojans game next Saturday. Next Sunday the younger players will get the chance to perform against Rockets 2. Another dominant Eagles performance and important win. Coach MVP Sam Cheshire who scored an amazing 42 points. Well done Sam. Top of the league after 8 games.

Meanwhile in Coventry the U12 Development team were in action. Here’s how Coach Andy summed up the day:
“On Sunday, the U12 Development team played in their second tournament, this time against Coventry Tornadoes and Northampton Thunder.
In the first game against Northampton, the Eagles started slowly and allowed Northampton to take a comfortable lead. Whilst we got in to good scoring positions, the ball just would not drop in, but the energy and commitment levels never sagged. The game finished 35-10 to Northampton.
The second game against Coventry was much closer and this time the shots did drop, however, defensively we were not as solid as we should have been, and this allowed Coventry to outscore us, taking the win 31-20.
Whilst we lost both games, the improvement in the team was there for all to see. We still need to work on getting the ball forward quickly to players in space, and keeping our shape on offence, but this team is a work in progress.
Notable mentions to Matty and Sam F for bringing the ball up, and to Sam L for his cuts to basket. However, the outstanding player for the Eagles on the day was once again Alexander, who had to play against much taller players but was not frightened to contest them. He had a high number of rebounds, steals and scored - one shot was a near 3 pointer.
The next tournament is in January so there is plenty of time to work on this team.”

The U14s were up against the, so far, unbeaten Bracknell Cobras. Here’s how Coach Phil saw the game: “The U14s travelled to Bracknell to play the unbeaten Cobras. Bracknell showed why they are one of the best teams in the league with an excellent 1st quarter performance, which their coach said afterwards was one of their best of the season. The excellent defence we faced caused us to take a lot of outside shots and we found it difficult to get to the basket. The team worked very hard to get into the game and improved as it progressed. Harry worked very hard to contain their tall and talented centre while a scoring run from French encouraged us as half time approached with Bracknell ahead 53-24.

At half time the team were told that this is the type of game we can learn most from and the challenge was to improve our motion on offence and to not give them any easy baskets. All players contributed and Samuel had his best game of the season scoring 10 points as we played more aggressively around the basket. The 4th quarter was encouraging as we stopped Bracknell scoring for the last 5 minutes. The match ended with one of the highlights of the game, Kaden pressured the ball handler, stole the ball and sprinted to the basket scoring a lay up. Final score was 84-62 to Bracknell.

There was a lot for us to take encouragement from, but the challenge is for us to improve further as the season progresses and be even more competitive in these tough games.”

And finally, our men took to our home court on Sunday evening for a games against the Triple Double. Still looking for their first win, Coach John sees improvements with each game. “Eagles Men welcomed Triple Double to Abingdon and Witney College for our first home game of the season. Brutal start against a very big Triple Double side. Down 27-15 at the end of the first quarter but Eagles chipped their way back into the game and winning the final quarter 20-14. Great team display finally going down 74-65 but team are improving week by week and working really hard on both ends of the floor.”

Photo: Abingdon Eagles Men - our first home game!