Hills Hornets v a never say die Hornsby Spiders

Hornsby Spiders came to this match prepared for our full court press and with a plan to play tight defence at the top of the key to take out Hills passing lanes.

Despite committing to the plan with great intensity, the Spiders couldn't match Hills size advantage and crisp execution at both ends of the court finished it early.

Within the first few minutes we had taken an 8-0 lead catching Hornsby out with fast transition play or when we set up our half court sets, coming off screens at speed and making fast cuts to the basket.

It gave us plenty of open looks and the whole team shot over 50 per cent from the field.

We also dominated the boards allowing Hornsby only two offensive rebounds through the entire game.

Unlike some of our previous games, we kept our foot on the accelerator throughout this game, scoring 30 points in the final quarter to Hornsby’s four. It was the kind of full-game intensity we needed because in four weeks the Hornets will travel to Melbourne to take on the best teams in Australia as part of the National Classic held on Queens Birthday long weekend.

Our next game is against North Sydney, the number three ranked team in the Sydney Junior Championships. In the pre-season Coastal Classic at Gosford, North Sydney constantly challenged our defence, scoring 41 points.

This game at Norths stadium should give us an indication of how the team has developed through the first half of the season.