STOL-Grasshoppers is competition leader

STOL-Grasshoppers have been successful in taking the lead in the 1st Division. They won in Barendrecht last Saturday by 66-71 against 1st place Binnenland.

STOL-Grasshoppers defended strongly early in the match, and then switched to sharp offensive plays, which meant they ended the first period at 11-24.

The home team fought back hard and managed to slow down the team from Katwijk. Only American Kelli Valentine and a good-playing Ingrid van der Plas managed to score in the 2nd period for STOL-Grasshoppers, so their lead at halftime had shrunken to 25-32.

In the second half, the team from Barendrecht put on even more pressure, but STOL-Grasshoppers managed to keep a small lead: 44-50 at the start of the last period. Then the scoring stayed very close. Although they were under a lot of pressure from the home team, all 5 of the Katwijk players on the court managed to score in the last minutes. With 5 succesful free-throws, STOL-Grasshoppers were able to take the win.

Coach Bo Melis: “It was a difficult match, certainly not attractive. That we were still able to win the match and take over 1st place in the competition certainly proves that our individual players, and our team as a whole, have grown.”

Topscorers: Van der Plas: 17 points (11 rebounds), Karin Kuijt 14 points, Kelli Valentine 12 points, Corine Manuputty 11 points.