To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday evening. The Rebels Division One men had their home season opener of the regular season, with Newcastle making the long journey all the way down to Our House.
It’s a long old stretch of a season, all the way to the playoffs in April of next year.
And so it begins.
The Rebels were short benched. Three players weren’t dressed, making decisions a little tricky for interim Head Coach Jordan Ashley.
Oh yeah, let’s talk about that interim Head Coach. The longer the season goes on, the more difficult it must be to recruit a full time Head Coach.
The longer the season goes on and the longer interim Head Coach Jordan Ashley continues to deliver, the more comfortable he looks in the role. Saturday evening at Our House was no exception.
Sitting behind us by many of the men’s Div 3 team. I like their enthusiasm; I like their freshness. I kind of like the collision of different aftershave smells that were lingering around us all evening.
The Rebels got off to an explosive start. It’s clear that their tactic under Coach Ashley is to play an incredibly fast paced game. The ball was moved around the court at tremendous speed.
Newcastle were just about able to match the tempo. Rebs had the slight advantage, taking a 23-21 lead into the first buzzer.
Dominant for the Rebels was Tre Baumgardner III. He needs to be with a name like that and he managed to live up to his reputation. He completely controlled the game, starting and finishing off moves, showing great awareness around the court.
The second quarter got a little crazy. Newcastle managed to pull ahead. It’s around this time in a game that the Rebs usually collapse. They somehow got their act together and managed to take the lead once again.
At one stage the home team had a 15-point lead towards the end of the second quarter. Tyrese Hudson rose to the occasion, coming off the bench putting in a fantastic performance.
Half time came. Let’s Go Crazy by Prince and The Revolution sounded bloody amazing being played out in full over the arena PA. I made a mental note to try and watch Purple Rain uninterrupted sometime next week.
The third period could have been a little cagey for the Rebels but it wasn’t. Some superb defending meant they didn’t buckle. They knew that a victory was within their sight as long as they kept the same team mentality together.
Come the final buzzer they had stretched away with a 94-79 home win. The celebrations were superb.
It was clear that all the players have the complete respect and trust in the young rookie coach. Ashley Jordan was singled out as the players pushed him forward to take all the acclaim.
Also a massive SHOUT OUT to Tyrese Hudson. He absolutely stepped up in this game, showing great vision and also finishing. He’s becoming something of a Rebels club legend.
