DS1 lose from Challenge Sports/Binnenland

Last Tuesday night, STOL-Grasshoppers were visited by Challenge Sports/Binnenland. Grasshoppers were able to keep up for 3 quarters, but the question was, could they keep up for the entire match? The omens looked good. Saturday evening, they played a good game against Den Helder, while Binnenland (with a new coach) had a difficult time winning from Lekdetec recently. Binnenland has a lot of length, a lot of talented players (Adams, Kallenberg, Rovers, and the van den Adel sisters), one of the most underrated foreign players, Laura Hochstetler, and one of the Netherlands best internationals, Leonie Kooij. Our team knew they were in for a tough match.

The match started at 21:00, and the supporters who were on time saw Grasshoppers take a 4-0 lead via Heather Stec and Rianne Philippo. The visitors’ answer is clear. They easily take over, and we are quickly lagging behind. It’s clear that the rebounding and out-boxing by Grasshoppers leaves a lot to be desired. The ladies are too hesitant under the board, or they’re impressed by Leonie Kooij’s power which allows her to easily take her own offensive rebounds. With the score at 6-14 after 8 minutes, Grasshoppers are able to recuperate a bit to close the quarter at 13-16. Anouk Breel shot in a 3-pointer just in time, and Ingrid van der Plas finished the scoring.

The second quarter starts better for Grasshoppers and they score 8 points in a row, including a far buzzer beater from Karin Kuijt which brings Grasshoppers in the lead (21-19). This is the signal for Binnenland to bring Kooij back on the court. Until halftime, Grasshoppers had no answer for the aggression under the boards. The opponent takes a lead of 21-29 before Heather is able to do something about it. At that time, Heather is one of the few still left standing, and ensures that the match is not finished by halftime. Grasshoppers is clearly not in good form and finish the first half at 28-40. They’re too sloppy with their passes, and too passive in their rebounding.

The halftime rest had obviously done Grasshoppers some good. Binnenland gives Kooij, who is not entirely fit, some rest. Grasshoppers take advantage of the situation and quickly catch up via scores by Heather and Rianne. Missy Mitidiero finishes the job with a far away shot. Willemijn Kallenberg quickly answers, and until the 3rd period ends it’s Binnenland’s game. The period ends at 46-53, so Grasshoppers are 5 points closer. Everything is still possible in the fourth quarter, but things have to change. Grasshoppers are playing too apathetically to make it difficult for Binnenland, and their lay-ups are rolling out of the basket.

At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Grasshoppers fight their way back twice, but after that Binnenland takes charge again. They take a definite lead by scoring 15 points in 5 minutes. By the time Kooij gets her 5th foul, the confidence by Grasshoppers is gone. With 3 minutes to play, the score stands at 62-81. A 10-0 run from Grasshoppers raises a glimmer of hope, but when Hochstetler scores via free throws in the last minute, all hope is gone. The match ends at 76-92.

Grasshoppers were not able to come up with the top form they needed for this match. Binnenland was sharper, kept it simple, and shot a high percentage. Too bad, better luck next time. Next week the ladies can try again, when Binnenland visits again for the cup competition.

So, come next Tuesday at 21:00 and support our team for the win.

Scores: Heather Stec(21 points, 11rebounds), Rianne Philippo(16 points), Karin Kuijt(11 points), Missy Mitidiero(10 points).