Bede’s Ballers – What a season!
Mr S. Morgan – Head of PE
Every time you walk onto the playground at breaktime and lunchtime, you cannot fail to spot students involved in basketball games, such has been the popularity of the sport in the last couple of years. Numbers at Basketball Club continue to grow, although we do really need some current U3 to join next year. Results have also been exceptional with St Bede’s teams recording 12 wins from 15 matches over the season, and I am grateful for all the efforts of the students and to Mr Rees, who has also been coaching the teams this year alongside Mr Mitchell and me.
The U16 Boys’ team almost ended the year unbeaten, winning 4 out of 5 matches and finishing Runners-Up in the Manchester Schools’ Division 3. The Divisional title came down to a closely contested match against Our Lady’s RC School, which could have gone either way. St Bede’s were playing catch-up for most of the game but drew level in the last quarter. Despite missing some crucial opportunities to score, the teams were level with a minute to go, but we just could not complete the comeback, eventually succumbing to a 52-57 defeat. The U5 players in the U16 team are part of the reason why basketball has taken off so much at St Bede’s, and my thanks go to Eli B, Orin J, Alex O, Leo P, Joel H and Nathan A for all their commitment in the last two years to bring representative Basketball back to the College. I would also like to wish Orin and Joel the very best of luck as they pursue Basketball Scholarships in their next phase of education.
U5 in the U16 team
The U14 team battled well this year but came up against some more experienced and definitely taller players from St. Matthew’s and Trinity School. This team is mostly comprised of L4, so it was a bit of a shock when Mr Wright led the St Matthew’s team to the sports hall from the College Reception, and the St Bede’s team saw that all the opposition were several inches taller than Mr Wright! However, the team shows development thanks to two new students at St Bede’s this year, Karl and Dalyan. These two have made a significant impact on the team, and the two losses may have been different if they had both been able to play those matches. Overall, the team finished 3rd in Division 2 of the Manchester Schools’ with a record of played 5, won 3, and lost 2.
Now onto the L4/U13 Team. This group of players has had a brilliant year representing the College. The numbers at Basketball practice have been strong all year and continue to grow. Incredibly, more than 75% of boys in the year group have attended practice at some point this year, with over half of those going on to represent the College. In matches, the team started with a nervy 1 point win over Wright Robinson (38-37) but took the confidence gained from that win into every subsequent match. This led to them finishing the year unbeaten and at the top of the Manchester Schools’ Division 2. The comfortable win at CHS South was probably the highlight, as their basketball pedigree is strong!
Once the Manchester League had finished, the team’s attention turned to the Junior NBA. This is a National competition, whereby schools represent one of the 30 NBA franchise teams in regional competitions before progressing to the National finals. Entering this for the first time, St Bede’s drew the Orlando Magic as their team and faced Didsbury, St Peter’s and Reddish Vale in two afternoon-long tournaments. This competition was definitely tougher than they were used to, and in the first competition, they made it difficult straight away against St. Peter’s by scoring in their own basket straight from tip-off! The team recovered, and baskets from Matthew and Zach helped them to a narrow victory. Last year’s overall winners, Didsbury, were just too solid and we couldn’t get near them. Reddish then capitalised on our tired bodies to gain a narrow victory.
Needing similar results to progress to the North West Quarter Finals, the team was ready for the second afternoon competition. This time against St Peter’s it was even closer, and although we were never behind in the match, with three minutes left, we were tied at 13-13. No team could convert their chances until Mukupa stole the ball and passed it to Josep for a fast break. With 43 seconds left to play, Josep confidently shot a ‘nothing but net’ long-range two-pointer to break St Peter’s spirit and win the game. Legendary status confirmed! Riding high, the team put in a much better performance against Didsbury, with Victor proving excellent in both defence and offence. They still won, but they were rattled when we were only two scores behind with three minutes to play. The final game against Reddish was much more comfortable and in our favour, which meant that St Bede’s had progressed in 2nd place.
In the JrNBA quarter finals, Parrs Wood gave us a walkover, as we had already beaten them in the School’s league. Therefore, the team will next play in the semi-finals on Wednesday 10th June, for a place in the Regional finals. I expect it to be close as we are once again up against St Peter’s.
All together now… 1, 2, 3 BEDE’S!