Mature DS1 wins from competition leader

Last Saturday, the surpising leader of the competition, Batouwe Ledetec.nl visited Cleijn Duin. At least as surprising is the presence of ex-Grasshoppers player, Tanja Bröring, in the team from Bemmel. The point guard of the Netherlands Team has played in Bemmel for the last month, and has in that time made an impression in the Dutch competition with intimidating statistics.

STOL-Grasshoppers must still play without the injured Corine Manuputty, who has to watch her teammates perform from the bench. She does that with the new arrival American Kelli Valentine, who will be playing for STOL-Grasshoppers as soon as her paperwork is in order.

Cleijn Duin is full to capacity when the jump ball is won by the visitors. The first offensive play by Batouwe delivers them 2 free-throws, but no points. Rianne Philippo sets the first score on the board with her speciality – a 3-pointer. The answer follows quickly and, via Fieke Ligthart and Tanja Bröring, Batouwe takes the lead. Scores by Ingrid van der Plas, 4 points in a row by Eline Kraaijenoord, and a strong drive by Karin Kuijt bring STOL-Grasshoppers a small lead at the end of the period (13-12).

The visiting team begins strong in the second period, but a 3-pointer by Sonja Kuijt brings back the balance. In the fourth minute something happens that could be the breaking point of the match. Bröring misses 2 free-throws and then makes her 3rd foul, which sends her temporarily to the bench. Batouwe is confused and STOL-Grasshoppers take the initiative. Rianne and Eline widen the lead, and Karin and Julia widen it even further. A 3-pointer by Anouk Biesters in the last seconds manages to bring Batouwe a bit closer at halftime: 32-23. Batouwe have then missed 12 of their 16 free throws. Both teams will have to watch out for fouls in the second half.

Bröring starts strong in the third quarter. Together with Ligthart and Anouk Biesters, she’s a threat to STOL-Grasshoppers who have trouble getting back in the match. Only Ingrid van der Plas is able to find the net. After 6 minutes the score is tied at 36-36. Until then, STOL-Grasshoppers have only scored 4 points. Rianne Philippo takes the initiative by scoring 4 points and taking an important offensive rebound. Lekdetec.nl takes a time to regain their rythm, but there are no further scores in this quarter. Unfortunately, Rianne gets her 4th foul, which sends her to the bench.

STOL-Grasshoppers start the fourth quarter with a small lead: 40-36. They seem to be scoring easier, but almost every score is answered by the visiting team which keeps the difference between 4 and 6 points. The hometeam defend intensely and take most of the rebounds. Both teams are choosing for the shot, but the shots are not falling. After a 3-pointer by Ingrid, it takes almost 3 minutes before Sona Kuijt finds the net with another 3-pointer. Three minutes before the end of the match, Batouwe takes a time-out, but then it’s Philippo who brings STOL-Grasshoppers to safety with a bomb. On the other side Anouk Biesters doesn’t give up, but Ingrid and Sonja manage to hold on to the lead. The last attempt is for Tanja Bröring, but it’s not enough. STOL-Grasshoppers win, in a mature manner, from the competition leader by 56-52 and they are now equal in game points. Even more important than the score, the play the team demonstrated will surely please coach Bo Melis. A strong collective with a strong defense made the win a fact. STOL-Grasshoppers was top in rebounding, which is a great improvement, but also staying calm when the plays weren’t going well was a sign of maturity. Actually, STOL-Grasshoppers had control of the entire match, even with the small difference on the scoreboard, and the foul problems that many of the players had. Great game ladies.

Individual stats: Ingrid van de Plas,15 points and 10 rebounds; Rianne Philippo, 15 points and 6 rebounds; Sonja Kuijt, 9 points and 6 rebounds; Karin Kuijt, 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists; Eline Kraayenoord, 7 points and 9 rebounds; Julia Dijkman, 2 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blockshots

Team stats: FT 43% (12-28); 2pt 23% (3-13); 3PT 22% (6-27); OR 17, DR 31, TR 48; 16 ST, 18 TO, 19 AS; 6 B