BASKETBALL: CONGLETON HIGH SCHOOL v HELSBY HIGH SCHOOL- 23rd October

Basketball: Congleton High School 47-93 Helsby High School

Congleton High School’s basketball team produced a valiant effort but fell to a 47-93 defeat to one of the best teams in the country in their first game in the England Basketball Dynamik National Schools Competition.

It was always going to be a tough test for CHS with Helsby reaching the semi-final’s of the national competition last year, losing to the eventual winners. The Helsby side also featured players who play for England and at a national league standard.

Helsby took the lead after just five seconds after successfully dispatching their two free-throws following a foul by CHS in the key and from this moment the away side were in total control. After twelve unanswered Helsby points, baskets from Matthew Finley and Jay McAleer put Congleton on the scoreboard. Helsby extended their lead to 22-4 at one stage but a basket and a free-throw from McAleer and a basket from Isaac Owen saw CHS’ deficit shorten to 24-9 after the first-quarter.

CHS managed to add just eight points to their total in the second quarter, compared to Helsby’s 33 points. Alfie Stone and Jay McAleer each scored a basket in the first half of the second quarter, but luck was against Congleton. Matthew Finley’s two free-throws hit the rim before CHS’ captain’s lay-up circled the rim and bounced down into the arms of Helsby’s defence. Jay McAleer then saw his lay-up go across the back of the hoop, after he did brilliantly to weave around the Helsby defence inside the key. However, CHS’ perseverance paid off as McAleer scored two baskets in the concluding minutes of the second quarter to make the score 17-57 at half-time.

Although Congleton had a mountain to climb, in true CHS spirit they were not going to give up without a fight and in the first minute of the third quarter Matt Jones shortened the deficit rounding off a great move by CHS. Jones scored three, Finley two and Alfie Stone, Harry Holland, Lewis Bent and Jay McAleer all scored baskets for CHS in what was a tight and end-to-end penultimate quarter. Helsby narrowly won the quarter 22-18, which gave last year’s semi-finalists a 79-35 lead heading into the final quarter.

Helsby added just four points to their total in the final quarter, whereas CHS added twelve to win the second-half by 34 points to 22. Matt Jones scored a basket in the early stages of the quarter before CHS enjoyed their best spell of the match, scoring five unanswered baskets. Alfie Stone scored three and Jay McAleer scored two to see CHS shorten the final deficit to 47-93.

Congleton High School principal and basketball coach Mr Hermitt said:

“I am very, very proud of the attitude of our players, they conducted themselves well, they worked hard, they didn’t stop running and despite coming up against a quality team they were able to maintain in the second-half a virtually even game.”

Written by Adam Bailey