Myerscough looks to stay on the heels of conference rivals Charnwood College when James Watt College visits on Wednesday in the Elite Academy Basketball League.
Last time out
Myerscough (6-1) ran out 102-51 winners over SGS College and swept the season series, outscoring its opponent 102-135 in the process. Mate Okros had a season-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Sco never trailed, and received contributions from 11 different players.
AJ Edu finished with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but was largely ineffective and was held scoreless in the opening quarter. He would get 13 points before halftime, though they came with the game having been already decided.
James Watt (3-5) beat SGS College 94-63 to claim its third win of the season.
Last meeting
Callan Low earned EABL Player of the Week honours for a 25-point and 12 rebound performance on Nov. 8 in a 77-62 win at James Watt College.
Edoardo Del Cadia turned in 15 points and Konrad Kantorski added 14 whilst Okros added a double-double (10 points & 10 rebounds). Myerscough, however, shot just 37 percent, but scored at the right time, including a trio of three-straight 3-pointers from Kantorski in the third quarter.
Daniel Penkov had 29 points in the loss and hit 5-of-12 3-point attempts. George Iliev was held to 11.
What to watch
Defensive intensity
A copy and paste effect week-in and week-out; Myerscough has made it a habit for playing good defence holding opponents to 65.3 points per game. Myerscough forced SGS College into 28 turnovers for 25 points — both tied for season-highs — and that recipe has helped break open close games.
In all seven games this season, Myerscough has come against the premier point scorers in the league, including Michael Anumba, Edu, Sesan Russell and Penov, and has found ways to be disruptive averaging 12.9 steals and forcing 21.9 turnovers per game.
“James Watt have one of the best scorers in the league in Daniel [Penkov] and he is someone we have to be prepared for,” said Myerscough coach Neal Hopkins. “Defence is certainly key to tomorrow’s game and we are on a good roll at the moment and hopefully the guys can keep that going.”
Reigniting Del Cadia
Since his EABL Player of the Week performance against Charnwood, Del Cadia has scored just 19 points across two games. He’s continued to be a force on the glass averaging 11.7 rebounds for the season.
Who to watch
Myerscough: Edoardo Del Cadia
Del Cadia is coming off a 23-point and nine-rebound performance in National Basketball League 3, which could help provide the necessary spark in the EABL. The forward is still the team’s leading scorer at 18.4 points per game.
“I always try and do what the coaches and team needs to give us the best chance to win games,” said Del Cadia. “I’ve had to be patient the last few games as it has not been my moment, but I know I can help in different ways.”
James Watt: Daniel Penkov
Penkov exploded for 35 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in James Watt’s last game. Needless to say, he can put up numbers quickly and has carried his team this season.
Line-up notes
Martell Elly and Jame Gray both made their returns to the EABL team for the first time since Oct. 18 when Myerscough played SGS College at home. Gray scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three rebounds in the win over SGS College last Wednesday.
Game Notes
Tipoff between Myerscough College and James Watt College at the High Performance Centre is set for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, directly followed by the WEABL.