Hornets under-14 v Hornets under-16 - Pre season

Loss: 72-43 (45 if you count Jay's buzzer beater)

With barely two weeks under our belt, this preseason test highlighted the promise of our team.

Playing against a much more experienced opponent that had at least seven members from last year's under-14 division one team, the green machine repeatedly penetrated and gave the under-16s some real scares.

By contrast the under-16s relied heavily on their three point shooters who were devastatingly accurate from beyond the arc. Take them out of the equation and this game could have gone either way.

One of the areas of particular note was the way the scoring was spread around the team. Almost everyone contributed to the final total.

Our tall timbers also showed their defensive worth with five blocks. Even when they weren't knocking balls out of the air, they were changing shots. That is why the under-16s preferred to rain threes rather than penetrate.

It will be interesting to see how the boys go as they learn to trust each other more and, even more importantly, trust the offensive structure. When we worked patiently within the structure we got some great open looks or were able to work our very effective power game down low.

When we moved out of the structure, we started to turn over the ball with dangerous passes across the key. Of our 37 turnovers against the under-16s, who played an in-your-face high pressure defensive game, the great majority were from long passes across the key that weren't part of our offence or because of over-dribbling.

There is no doubt that once the boys start to read the multiple options and play the structure to its completion, rather than rely heavily on the first cutter option, this team will be a handful and have an extraordinarily good field goal percentage.

After the game there was a real feeling of confidence among the parents and all of them seemed to be eager for our boys to take on the under-16s again.

There is also a sneaking suspicion that if we take away the under-16s outside shots and get our offence running smoothly then our boys could give the under-16s a nasty sting.