Loughborough improve to 2-0 in L Lynch Trophy

Loughborough Riders claimed a narrow victory over Leicester Warriors winning by 83-80.

Riders took advantage of the Warrior’s lack of size, going to work inside early and often resulting in 60 points in the paint on the game. The Riders fell behind in the second quarter before a scoring burst before the half gave them a narrow lead at the break.

Warriors rallied in the fourth to cut the game close but Loughborough kept their resolve late to improve to 2-0 in the competition, and 2-1 on the season in the NBL.

Kyle Jimenez played the full game, proving to be influential at both ends of the court and got a triple double (13 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) to show for it. Harrison Gamble led the scoring for the Riders with a solid 24 points and 11 rebounds to seal the win.

“Warriors are always a tough game. They are disruptive and relentless and do good job making things scrappy and never go away forcing us to really earn that win and grind it out,” said Loughborough Head Coach Mark Jarram.

“It’s still very early for us and so much to work on. It’s good to have games with so many teachable moments.

We have to be mature and learn and progress from here. We move on with our sole focus on being better than our last game.”

Loughborough Riders will look to continue to build on this performance when they travel to face Barking Abbey on Saturday 14th November in NBL Division One League action.

Charnwood College Fall Short in L Lynch Trophy Opener

Charnwood College Riders fell short in a hard-fought battle against Loughborough Riders in the L Lynch Trophy.

Both sides were slow to open the game, with Loughborough being the first to strike and open a small lead behind the inside play of Loughborough newcomer CJ Hayden, to lead 17-13 at the first break. 

Charnwood’s Greg Wild exploded in the game, leading the way for Charnwood on route to 28 points on 7-11 shooting to help Charnwood out to a lead until mid-way through the final quarter. 

Jonas Dieterich (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Harrison Gamble (27 points, 11 rebounds) led the way scoring wise for the Loughborough Riders and it was a fourth quarter explosion on the offensive end that saw the home team extend the lead and grab victory. 

“This was a good good starting point for this group of players, however there’s much more for us to work on. I thought our lack of experience showed down the stretch and a couple of mental lapses saw the game get away from us in the fourth ,” commented Coach Maynard. 

Credit to Loughborough for making big-time plays. For our first game, I am happy with how we competed, especially due to circumstance we have been in over the past month.”

Solid performances from Victor Ndoukou (15 points, 7 rebounds), Giovanni Emejuru (14 points, 13 rebounds) and Kanu Gudza (11 points, 7 assists) to keep the game competitive in the season opener.

BOXSCORE

Charnwood now look to Wednesday where they will face the Derby Trailblazers Academy in the EABL.

Loughborough Open L Lynch Trophy with Victory over Charnwood.

Loughborough Riders took victory over the Charnwood College Riders in the L Lunch Trophy to being the season after delays caused by COVID protocols in the opening two weeks.

Both sides were slow to open the game, with Loughborough being the first to strike and open a small lead behind the inside play of newcomer CJ Hayden, to lead 17-13 at the first break.

Charnwood’s Greg Wild exploded in the game, leading the way for Charnwood on route to 28 points on 7-11 shooting to help Charnwood out to a lead until mid-way through the final quarter.

Jonas Dieterich (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Harrison Gamble (27 points, 11 rebounds) led the way scoring wise for the Loughborough Riders and it was a fourth quarter explosion on the offensive end that saw the home team extend the lead and grab victory.

“No doubt great to be back playing and we want to make the most of it whilst we can,” commented Coach Jarram.

“But definitely showing the anticipated challenges of a new group and our first game in long time. We have many things to work on and look forward to building and figuring it all out.”

Kyle Jimenez produced a staple all round game with 13 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds to open the year whilst Justin Hedley finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in his Loughborough debut following his transfer from Germany.

BOXSCORE

Loughborough now look to Tuesday where they will face off against the Nottingham Hoods in their second game of the L Lynch Trophy, back home at Loughborough University and live on Basketball England’s Youtube page.

Basketball returns with the National Lynch Trophy

The 2020/21 basketball season will tip-off on October 10 with a new piece of silverware on offer for teams in NBL Division One following the creation of the Lynch Trophy.

The competition sees all 14 of the Basketball England NBL Division One clubs, with invited academy sides Myerscough and Charnwood, competing in four regional groups of four.

The group stages will be played over three weekends, the 10/11, 17/18 and 24/25 October, and will be used as trial events for the coming season. The games will provide controlled windows for clubs, officials, coaches and players to understand the ‘new normal’ and how games will need to be conducted before NBL Division One commences on October 31/November 1.

Playing each other once, the top two sides in each group will progress to the quarter-finals. All games in the group stage will be played in four central bubbles and will be livestreamed.

Gail Richards, Basketball England’s Senior Delivery Manager said: “We are really pleased to support and work together with NBL1 clubs to form this pre-season event.

“We are coming through a difficult time for the sport and we are confident the event will help us understand some of the challenges faced by players, clubs and officials heading into the new season, while giving the teams the opportunity for some competitive action.”

Rob Lynch, Director L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, said: “We’re really looking forward to working with the NBL clubs as the National Lynch Trophy 2020/21 commences and we help restart professional basketball in England.

 “It’s great to be involved in a national competition with clubs stretching from Newcastle, to the south coast where we expect Worthing and Solent to challenge, and with Hemel Storm and Oaklands Wolves on our doorstep. We know there will be some entertaining games. The Lynch Trophy 2020/21 is an exciting new tournament and we’re excited to play a part.”

Hemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike Penning, who is also the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for basketball, and represents the constituency where Lynch are based: “I am delighted to see the return of another national competition for the NBL1 teams and also the support of a commercial partner in Lynch. This new competition speaks to the APPG vision of a stronger and more commercially viable framework for semi-professional basketball in this country.”

Follow the Lynch Trophy on Twitter @LynchTrophy and Instagram @LLynchTrophy

About L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage

With an expansive fleet of modern plant and equipment, Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage provides operated, self-drive and contract hire plant to a variety of sectors within the construction arena. Contracts within the civil engineering, rail engineering, public utilities, ground works, highways maintenance, demolition and winter maintenance sectors all offer Lynch the opportunity to build a wide portfolio of skills within a variety of areas.