Under 16 Boys reach National Final for a second year running!

After travelling to Nottingham on Friday 11th May, we arrived at the Wildcats Arena to compete in our second National Final 4 in 2 years. We met our quarter Final opponents from last year, Holy Trinity School, in this years semi final and started extremely well. We went 12 - 6 up after the first quarter and extended this lead by 2 at half time. A strong third quarter, where our defence was a lot more positive and aggressive, saw us win it 19 - 12, giving us a 46 - 31 lead going into the last quarter. We played smart in the last quarter, conserving energy for the final and held our opponenets at arms length, winning 52 - 40. Kieron top scored with 21 points, Jamie hit 14 points and Aidan 9. Jack, Ben and particularly Josh played some great defence and everyone contributed well to the win.
Our early tip off (9.30am) in the semi meant we could watch a fast and competitive second semi final between Greig Academy and Danum College, which Greig eventually won 75 - 59 after a really tight first three quarters.
Our final was a real clash of styles with Greig Academy, Hackney playing a fast break and aggressive man to man defensive system. We played a more controlled team based offence and help defence, where we would back up the man marking the player with the ball. We started well and were only 3 down after the first quarter and although we stayed in touch and were only 4 down at half time, we had missed a number of inside shots which could have given us a lead. The Greig number 9 hit 29 points and hit 3 important 3 pointers which pulled them 8 points clear at the end of the third. Kieran had an outstanding game, scoring an impressive 44 points also hitting three 3 point shots and would have been MVP in the final if we had managed to overturn this 8 point deficit. We worked extremely hard in the fourth and won it by 2 points. Thi however meant a 6 point loss, no disgrace against a very strong Academy team. It was a great performance and the result only hinged on very small margins and on another day we may well have come out on top.
The Under 16 boys squad have been tremendous over their whole time at Beaumont, winning a District Championships,  two County Cups, runners up in one, a National Championships and Runners up in this years Nationals, They also remained unbeaten for almost two seasons, winning 29 straight games.
The boys were obviously disappointed to lose in the final but when they look back at their record over the last couple of years they should be extremely proud of what they have achieved. Well done to all of the boys who played this year, you have been a credit to Beaumont.   

Beaumont Under 16 Boys National Runners Up 2012
Squad (from left to right)
Luke Hazlehurst; Ben Hackwood; Kieron Gastaldi Davis (c); Max Robson;
Jamie Moroney; Jack Nevin; Aidan Gastaldi Davis; Josh Smithers

Boys reach final 4 in a thriller!

The Under 16 boys reached the National final 4 after a tense but exciting away fixture against Weavers School. A first half that saw us play a little passively on defence, meant we were 8 points down. A much more focussed third quarter saw us take a 6 point lead. The fourth quarter was nip and tuck and finished 65 - 65 which meant 5 minutes of overtime. We went into the last minute 71 - 69 up but then conceded a three pointer and were one point down with 4.5 seconds remaining! Kieran then picked up the ball from an inbound and drove the ball to the basket, scoring a pressure lay up to leave Weavers one point down with half a second remaining. A desperate three point attempt was missed and the squad booked themselves another journey to Nottingham Wildcats arena for the National Finals. Once again, the squad showed that even when not at their best they find a way to win, a trait of a very good team. Well done to them all, they are now only two wins away from back to back National titles!   

Under 16 boys cruise into the last 8

A comfortable 91 - 64 win against Queensbury saw the Under 16 boys move into the last 8 of the Nationals. An excellent first half saw the team play some strong help defence and score heavily to take control 57 - 27 by half time. The second half was more scrappy, but the team keep Queensbury at arms length and scoring some nice baskets on the break.
The next round is Wednesday 25th against Weavers School, Wellingborough. We will be leaving at 12.15pm and tipping off at 2.30pm. If we win, we will be in the final 4 on the 12th May at Nottingham Widcats arena, the venue for our Nationals win last year.
Another strong performance with Kieran top scoring again with 33 points.
Many thanks to the staff and parents who came to support the team and also a big thank you to Dan Angus, Will Moroney and Jacob Bockenhauer who were table officials for the game.

Aidan selected for England!

Congratulations to Aidan Gastaldi Davies was notified over Easter that he has now been selected for the final England basketball team.
Aidan has attended 4 camps/trials since November and has been selected for the final squad of 12 from an initial squad of around 35. The team will be competing at U15s level in an International Tournament in Copenhagen in June from 21st to 24th June .
This is an outstanding achievement, and the culmination of a great deal of hard work and dedication over a number of years. Everyone at Beaumont wishes Aidan evey success in Copenhagen and I am sure it will be a great experience for him. It is fantastic for Beaumont to have someone competing at this level and should be an inspiration for other basketball players lower down the school.
Well done Aidan and good luck! 

Under 16 Boys reach Nationals last 16!

A very close and tense game saw Beaumont beat Copleston High School, Ipswich 80 - 79 to reach the last 16 of the England Basketball Schools National Conference competition.
A disappointing first half defensive display saw us 42 - 37 down at half time. We changed our defensive set up at half time which saw Kieran then Aidan mark their key player with a three man zone set up behind them and the fifth player defending the three point line. This rstricted their key shooter to 22 points in the second half (35 in the first!) and meant that we could pressure the ball and fast break more effectively. Kieran scored 35 points and once again led the team extremely well.
The next round is this Thursday, 3.30pm tip off at Francis Bacon School. The squad will need to meet at the changing rooms at 2.40pm, we should be finished by 5.30/6.00pm.
Please come and support the squad and hopefully we will be in the last 8 by the end of the week!
Once again, well done to the whole squad. 

Under 16 game tomorrow

Boys playing tomorrow, please remember you will be in lesson 1. If you still have your kit from the county final please make sure you bring it with you as I only have 6 shirts and 4 pairs of shorts from the senior kit! If someone can text Josh and direct him to the blog, or let him know tomorrows details that would be great.   

Under 16 Boys National League

Congratulations to the squad for reaching the Regional Round of the Nationals. Our next game is TUESDAY 17TH APRIL away against Copleston High School, Ipswich. We are tipping off at 2.00pm so will be leaving after period 1.
Can you please indicate on the poll opposite that you have read the details of the fixture and are available to play.
We will meet at the minbus at the end of period 1.Bring some money for lunch/a packed as we will be stopping on the way, and some food/drink for the journey back.
We will hope to be back at Beaumont for around 6.30pm but this is dependent on traffic.
If we win, our next fixture will be a home game in the next round on Thursday 19th April.
Once you have read the post and indicated you can play, can you please contact any squad member who has not done so and ask them to get other squad members to refer to the blog.
If for any reason you cannot play, please leave a message at Beaumont on Monday 16th April. If you would like to practice on Monday 16th the gym will be available from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.
Enjoy the rest of the break and stay fit!