Brixton Topcats 59, Solent Kestrels 68

Brixton Topcats men’s team recovered from a disastrous first quarter against Solent Kestrels at Brixton Rec on Sunday to finish the game unfortunate not to come away with an unlikely home win.

A decent Rec Ruffhouse crowd turned out for the tip off. It was good to see two female refs taking control of the game.

The Kestrels dominated the opening exchanges, making the most of their height and strength advantage. It was a worrying sight to see no points on the Rec scoreboard for the Topcats, with 21 clocked up for the Kestrels.

The away team were all too aware of how easy it was for them in the first quarter. Showboating and trick shots were introduced. Free shots were sunk with ease, as the Topcats continued to fail to find the hoop.

Finally a home team move paid off, leaving the Topcats leaving the Rec court at the end of the first trailing with a very dispiriting 23-2 scoreline.

The Topcats woke up after the restart. There was plenty of passion on the court with individual players taking responsibility with some very vocal and physical performances.

The Topcats didn’t quite rack up the points on the board, but at least they put a stop to the Kestrels with some strong defence work.

The response from the away bench was an attempt at reffing the game from the touchline. The two female officials were having none of this, and continued to manage the players and officials with authority.

The Topcats trailed 33-21 at half time.

Plenty of hustling took place for the Topcats in the third. The lead was somehow cut down to just 10 points, with all to play for in the remainder of the game.

But then just when the Topcats thought that the Brixton home court advantage was starting to pay off, Kestrels pulled away again and put a 21 point lead back on the scoreboard.

A reverse of the first quarter was needed in the final stretch if the Topcats were to have any chance of winning the ball game. An unlikely charge led to the lead being cut down to 11.

The Brixton bench became very lively with all players and coaches adding some tremendous support. A big three pointer cut the lead down to 8 points.

With one minute remaining on the clock, it soon became a 4 point ball game. The Topcats were forced to foul in order to sacrifice the free shots and regain possession. But the home team simply ran out of time.

This was an incredibly brave comeback from the Brixton Topcats. It was painful to see a 21-0 scoreboard in the first quarter. A final showing of 68-59 to the Solent Kestrels is credit to the team spirit of the Topcats.