Brixton Topcats 68, London Greenhouse Pioneers 79
Brixton Topcats mens team lost 79-68 against London Greenhouse Pioneers at the Rec on Sunday in a game that showed plenty of passion as the home team bridged the point gap in the final quarter.
The crowds are growing at what the Topcats are now officially calling the ‘Brixton Ruffhouse.’ It helped that this was a Super Sunday down at the Rec, with four local b-ball teams playing on the main court throughout the entire day.
With the Lady Topcats losing out to Barking Abbey in the WBL tip off earlier, the mens team took to the Ruffhouse court against a Pioneers teams that had a considerable height advantage.
Sharp passes from the visitors early in the game helped to set up the shots. Passing was tight for the Pioneers in the final third of the court. Topcats meanwhile were turning the ball over far too frequently and giving away possession.
It was a slightly sloppy start for the Topcats. Rebounds weren’t collected in attack. Meanwhile the Pioneers had all the star tricks under the hoop to make sure that the slip ups by the home team were penalised. The away team took a 13-8 lead into the second quarter.
Topcats found a little more confidence in the second. They tried to walk the ball all the way to the hoop, rather than make the passes to set up the shots.
Time outs were called sensibly by Coach Salisbury, picking the right moments to add some more passion to the Topcats when it was most needed. A serenading Jimmy Rodgers from the front row of the home support also helped.
A big three pointer on the buzzer for the Pioneers hurt the home team though. They were still chasing the ball game 38-23 at the HT buzzer.
The Topcats re-emerged from the Ruffhouse locker room / broom cupboard at the start of the third looking like they had the legs to chase the game. Sadly it was the Pioneers that carried on where they left off.
The away team lead wasn’t so much down to perfection finishing from the Pioneers; they were simply very, very strong in defence and blocked any balls that were put up by the home team.
A late comeback in the third by the Topcats set up a 10 point ball game. The Ruffhouse crowd also stepped up the pressure when the buzzer went with the Topcats trailing 54-44.
The away team received what is known in the game of basketball as an absolute bollocking during the short break - right in front of the baying Ruffhouse crowd as well.
The pressure was on for the Pioneers, and the Topcats sensed what had seemed like an unlikely home court win.
A massive 3 pointer was met with great applause from the Ruffhouse benches. The Pioneers responded instantly with another equally impressive 3 point shot.
This set the scene for the final few minutes of the match. Both teams were like boxers at the peak of their profession, trading 3 pointers and matching like for like. The Topcats however could never quite bridge the gap.
The lead was reduced to just five points for the Pioneers with 34 seconds remaining on the clock. The away team then played a highly technical game, drawing out the fouls as the clock counted down.
The Topcats simply ran out of time, leaving the Ruffhouse court with a brave 79-68 home defeat to the Pioneers. There was plenty of spirit, but not quite enough points.
The next Ruffhouse home game is on 15 November for the Lady Topcats. They will be tipping off against Leicester Riders in the WBBL at 2pm.
The mens team take to the Rec course again on 22 November in a Ruffhouse showdown against Nottingham Hoods, with a 4pm tip off.
Inside the @brixtontopcats #Brixton #ruffhouse pic.twitter.com/gXiPLb6vLK
— BrixtonRec (@BrixtonRec) November 8, 2015
All happening at the #ruffhouse with @brixtontopcats. Back in the game trailing only by 5 points in 4th Q #Brixton pic.twitter.com/Z60AqoWyqt
— BrixtonRec (@BrixtonRec) November 8, 2015