Match Preview

Saturday 22nd December 2007

PAWS London Capital vs. Poujoulat Guildford Heat 7.30pm

PAWS London Capital will look for their second BBL Trophy victory of the campaign when they host Poujoulat Heat Guildford on Saturday evening. Capital tipped off the competition three weeks ago when they traveled to EBL champions Worthing Thunder and won 95-82.

It will be the second meeting of the season between the sides, with Heat having won a tight game 96-91 at the end of October. The game was tied at 79 with 5.26 left in the game following a 15-3 Capital burst. The Heat responded instantly, and five points from Michael Martin helped the home side enjoy a 7-0 tear to lead 86-79 with 3.59 left. Capital got to within three points at 91-88 with 1.21 remaining, but could get no closer as the Heat saw out the game from the free-throw line. Daniel Gilbert led all scorers in the game netting 26 points for the Heat, while Sam Bradley led the Capital scorers with 24 points.

Having seen his side fall to their fourth straight loss with a 92-81 home defeat against Jelson Homes Leicester Riders, London coach Steve Bucknall has challenged his team to step up against league champions Heat: “We need to have more pride in how we play. We were poor against Riders, we didn’t play as a team and we suffered because of it. We’re in a tough patch, we don’t seem to be able to grind out any wins. Christmas is around the corner, and I’m not sure what my players are thinking about. It’s my job to find out the problem and get us back on track. We are a new franchise, and every game is a new challenge. We have to be up for it, there’s nowhere to hide when you’re out on the floor. “Heat are the league champions and we have to respect that or they’ll make us pay. They are flying the flag for British basketball in Europe, and there’s no point singling out one threat, because anyone on their roster is capable of stepping up to beat us.”

Having been due to play at Spanish giants DKV Joventut Badalona on Tuesday evening, the trip to the Capital City Academy will see the Heat go from one extreme to the other as they face the BBL newboys. Despite that, Guildford coach Paul James is not taking the London side lightly: “It’s all experience and it’s part of the learning curve. I like to think of it as character building, and because it’s the trophy we want to get off to a winning start.”

James plays down the suggestion that it’s the kind of game that his side should easily win: “It depends which team shows up. At the moment some of the young guys are a bit down. We’re feeling a bit sorry for ourselves, and we’re in a bit of slump. I need to snap them out of that, and we need to get a win. London’s Sam Bradley is a talented and cool player, and he played exceptionally well against us. He’d only just come into the country, and we know we’ll need to take care of him.”


Article by Dave Ryan.

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