Hosts complete green-wash as inter-insular basketball returns
Four wins that were four years in the making.
Guernsey were a dominant force in front of the raucous ‘Green Army’ on Saturday at Beau Sejour as the visiting Jersey teams were overcome by a relentless Sarnian wave as the hosts made up for the lost time caused by the pandemic in terrific style.
After the under-17s had started the day with a 68-48 victory, the under-21s were pushed the hardest by the reds before finishing strongly to make it two wins from two thanks to a 77-66 scoreline.
When the seniors took centre stage, the Guernsey women came flying out of the blocks and were within an inch or two of racking up three figures in a 97-31 success before the men put the icing on the cake with a 80-41 win.
‘It was a really good team performance, the coach rotated the bench and we’ve got such a strong squad, the depth really showed with those coming off the bench and everyone contributed,’ said Guernsey men’s captain Aaron Walden.
‘The coach was always going to put 12 players on the court in the first quarter, everyone get a feel of the ball and then find the fives from there. Everyone played really well, good intensity and we just didn’t give them any second-chance opportunities.
‘We’ve been training a lot recently and this is just the start for us. We’ve got our sights on performing well in the Island Games.’
The Guernsey women’s coach Pat Ogier also alluded to the fact that his side will be buoyed by their performance as they look ahead to this summer’s Games on home soil.
‘Overall I think we were really good today. I don’t think that’s the strongest Jersey team we’ve seen, but the work ethic, the concentration – when you do have so many opportunities you sometimes lose focus a bit, but I thought they were really focused throughout,’ he said.
‘A bit of a mad panic towards the end there, they wanted to get to 100. It’s a bit concerning – if we weren’t up by 67 at that point and it was a one-point game, I’d question their composure – but all-in-all I think it was a really strong performance.
‘They wanted to go out and make a statement and take some confidence into the Island Games.’
