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Junior Men National League Div 2 Schedule 2009-10
Click the logo to the left to see this seasons fixtures for the Reign Junior Men in the Scottish National League.
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Reign take down Glasgow City to stay undefeated!
Match Report Juniors Vs Glasgow City
Dunfermline Reign Juniors who are still currently undefeated in the scottish national league division 2 went into the weekends game against glasgow city filled with confidence despite having a reduced squad due to injuries to key players Ali Horne,Callum O`Donnell and Craig Skicko.
Knowing a win would ensure the team remained in contention for the league title . Coach Wood remained confident even with a reduced squad the team had a great chance to continue this run of form.
Reign Started off very strong grabbing every rebound on the defence and on the offensive end, hugely inspired from big men Callum McKinlay and Dougie Taylor. The team took there inspiration from the good defence to ignite some excellent offence. By the end of the 1st quarter Reign Led 18-10. At the beginnings of the 2nd quarter reign continued there dominance on the defensive end holding Glasgow to only 8 points, and pulling the lead of the game out to 17 points at the half.
The team knew that there was players that had to step up and fill the gaps due to the injuries and Daniel Bogan(14points) and Ross Mclean(8points) both done that respectively and made a good impact to the game, but the 3rd quarter didn't go all reigns way with a lack in concentration the 17point lead slipped to only 3 at one point and allowed Glasgow to score 20 points this quarter, Much to the delight of Coach Wood the guys were able to keep there heads and settle down to ensure the lead was not lost. So going into the last quarter the lead was at 11 points which was huge relief after the sluggish start at the beginning of the 3rd.
Going into the last quarter Reign put on a gritty performance led by Star Man Mathew Millar. Who put on a great performance by Scoring 11 of his 21 points in the last period supported by big man Callum McKinlay who ended the game with 15points. Both Helped to contain the young glasgow squad and end the game with a comfortable 73-49 Victory to maintain thare unbeaten run in the league so far.
Saturday the 28th is going to be a big weekend as Reign are Away to Highland who are regarded as one of the tougher teams in the league.
Good luck Guys
Stuart Anderson
(U18 Assistant Coach)
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Dunfermline Reign Vs West Lothian Wolves
Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline
Sat 31st Oct '09
Honestly? Saturday's game was the best game I've ever played in my life. Some things are difficult, even impossible to write about, and what I felt on Saturday could be considerably close to those borders. The two league leaders, Wolves and Reign, both undefeated and both psyched to start the biggest game of there season so far at Queen Anne high school. A game which would see Dunfermline Reign's biggest home crowd of the season the game had the spectators gripping not only the edge of their seats but also their nerves, their faith in the young Dunfermline team who had done nothing to gravely disappoint as of yet.
It started like every other game does, Captain Callum O'Donnell and Ali Ivan Horne proving that early aggression can't be bought. But, like the first game of the season, it was a little too much for Ivan, who's constant effort and intensity just seemed too much for his legs. After scoring taking them into a 6 - 2 lead against the wolves, Callum O'Donnell came off with an apparently injured knee, and then literally thirty seconds later, Ivan fell to a recurring ankle problem which seemed to have plagued him for weeks, and once again, Reign's game plan fell on its face, with two regular starters becoming injured to silly falls or fast breaks.
Reign were to suffer this in the beginning, they went a 4 - 17 streak to the Wolves, who seemed to take advantage of the sudden loss of Dunfermline's momentum. At 19 - 10 down, Coach Wood decided that enough was enough, and he changed his line up to reintroduce the Captain and Dougie Taylor, both who were to play a major part in the final outcome of the game.
As the half approached, Reign had made a strong come back, and was drawing with the Lothian side 32-32. Calum McKinlay had had a big game, putting up 6 points so far and some quick runs, in and off the bench from Reign, managed to keep the West Lothian team guessing. Big gaps in the usual powerful scoring of the Dunfermline team were apparent, as the season's two leading scorers were both injured, one out and one at 50% fitness. However, the team's renowned intense defence was leading to the guards, Matt Miller, Aidan Coils and Ritchie Hunter, getting some good steals and converting in transition. A circus shot from Jordan Lamb was converted also, allowing the Reign team to appreciate that they had brought some luck with them to their home court.
But the game raged on, and Reign seemed to always be in foul trouble, and several trips to the line for the Wolves were seriously paying off. Aidan Coils was fouled out late in the fourth quarter, allowing Keith Ward and Ross Maclean to come in for Reign and each do their share of the intense shift that goes in to the Fifer's defences. However the wolves packed firepower, and good shooters made light work of Reign's foul troubles and converting scores and charity shots for three-point-plays. Reign managed to battle it out to the end, and they found themselves level at 48 each with 40 seconds left in the game. A stand off had occurred and both teams were finding it increasingly difficult to score. The defences had closed up tight around the cuts and the drives, sucking up the rebounds that were left from missed shots from 2 point range. Tension built in the hall and more and more people piled in to see the commotion of the game and how it would finish up. Douglas Taylor seemed unbeatable in the low post, holding off the giant 6ft 8" centre from the Wolves, limiting his scoring and allowing his team mates to worry about their own opposite numbers and stopping the wolves from putting in the points in the late seconds of their second last offence. Reign brought the ball up for what seemed like a final time in the game, Captain Callum O'Donnell and point guard Matthew Miller taking control of the situation, and setting a cross pick to get a good offensive advantage. Callum caught the ball just outside the three point line, beating his man and taking a strong dribble toward the elbow, before pulling up in front of the help defence and sinking a 2 point jump shot to put Reign in the lead with little more than 20 seconds left on the clock. A turnover from Wolves was scrapped over, and Reign called a time out as they made to play an inbound pass from the sideline with 11.7 seconds to go. The Dunfermline fans were going crazy, urging the home team on, and praying for them to hold the lead. However Captain Callum O'Donnell's incredible lack in concentration cost the team a turnover and the wolves were fouled and sent to the line to tie the game, ferrying it into overtime.
Overtime was a wake up call for Reign and its supporters. The hall was jam packed full of people all screaming for Reign to make their mark on the league, and climb to the top of the table at last, pushing back the Wolves. The team could feel this too, and no changes from Coach Wood sent Reign into an absolute battle to win the game they had fought so hard for. The Wolves seemed overwhelmed, and Reign pushed their defence early, Callum O'Donnell scoring with a left handed drive to take the lead, 52-50. Two solid rebounds in a row for Dougie Taylor proved to the excited fans that he was ready to make his own mark on the 6ft 8" Centre , who had to leave the game momentarily due to a cut eyebrow. The Wolves tried hard to kill off any momentum Reign had generated, but a beautiful, fluid offence left the Reign Captain open on the three point line, converting to send the fans into overdrive. Defensive pressure never let up, and Reign managed to hold the Wolves off to take the game 60 - 52 in the reverberating hall. And Dunfermline Reign lives to fight another day, undefeated.
Scorers,
C O'Donnell - 24, R Hunter - 14, C McKinley - 10, J Lamb - 6, D Taylor - 4, K Ward - 2
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Reign travel to Grampian and fly back with victory!
National League Division 2
Dunfermline Reign 71 – 36 Grampian Flyers
Two of the league’s better and more organised sides met on Saturday, with both teams seeming ready and raring to play. It promised to be an exciting game as ever as the teams had often clashed and it would be fair to say the record was considerably even.
The first quarter saw Reign’s starters struggle in the opening minutes. 6 – 0 down with little under 2 and a half minutes played, it seemed like it would have been a tough day for Dunfermline’s juniors. However, not for the first time this season, Dunfermline seemed to fight with a strong and sustained comeback, lead by Craig Skicko’s long two. Assists and defensive stops from the team produced good, solid looks on the offensive end for Dunfermline, and soon they lead 8 – 6 with 3 minutes to go on the clock. Yet they were not to be held, and they pushed onwards to put more baskets onto the score board, to lead the game at the break: 17 – 6.
Grampian’s changes at the quarter break did little if nothing to halt the Fifer’s and 3 quick defensive steals early in the 2nd quarter gave them a 23 – 6 lead with less than a minute gone. Grampian seemed to fall to pieces, and their impatience on offence and defence was easily punished as Reign hit them repeatedly in transition to take the quarter 35 – 13.
20 minutes of basketball played, and Grampian had lost all energy in their fast paced game. Any baskets they were scoring were through transition and defensive slips from Reign’s position. The third quarter seemed similar to the previous two, and Reign extended their lead through 3 point field goals early on from Ritchie Hunter and Ali Horne. They closed this quarter out to what was the killer of the game and they finished at 55 – 20 up.
The fourth quarter was slow and saw a big rotation for Dunfermline. Lots of players getting time on and off the floor, allowing the players who seen less of the court than others getting lots of time to play. However not to be outclassed, Dunfermline matched the Highlanders in scoring and eventually slotted the quarter away to smooth the game shut at a round 71 – 36.
Reign Scorers: C. O’Donnell (30), A. Horne (22), C. McKinlay (8), R. Hunter (5), A. Coils (4), C. Skicko (2),
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Reign defeat Boroughmuir to remain undefeated in Div 2!
National League Division 2
Dunfermline Reign 73 – Boroughmuir Blaze 62
To the sounds of “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble”, Dunfermline Reign looked to top some more of their campaign in this home double header against Blaze. Slightly disappointed with their bare double digit victory against the Sharks not more than two weeks ago, Reign seemed keen to prove their championship worthiness on this day.
An early start seemed to settle the tempo for the rest game. Reign went a 10 – 2 streak early on, even with Captain, Callum O’Donnell blowing off a lay up shot just 4 points into the game. Reign seemed set on pushing the game easily in their hands. However, several substitutions and 4 turnovers sent them into disarray and Blaze ran riot for the last 3 and a half minutes of the quater, with Reign scraping the lead at the end of the quarter: 16 – 13.
The next quarter saw Reign slip a little more into the lead. Some stern words from Coach Wood saw a much improving Calum McKinlay step up his game up and put 6 points up on the board. Boroughmuir seemed to tire a little as Reign’s fast paced game took it’s toll and they managed to stretch their lead by 6 points, pushing them to 36 – 27 up.
The third quarter was a real battle. Blaze seemed unwillingly to let the Dunfermline team cruise to their victory, and they pressed well and made sure that Dunfermline struggled to even get the ball across the half. However, faith in the team’s forward – Ali Horne was not lost. Two threes in a row seemed to break Blaze’s rhythm, and Reign was able to close the quarter with a shortening 6 point lead.
The final quarter’s intensity trumped that of the rest of the game. The game’s tempo was upped by Reign’s almost desperation to win the game. Their clutch players making good, solid defensive stops and converting efficiently on the offensive end of the floor. The team managed to stay compact and their lead grew slightly to allow them to close the game at 72 – 64.
Reign Scorers: A. Horne (26), C. O’Donnell (16), C. McKinlay (12), C. Skicko (7), K. Ward (4), J. Lamb (3), M. Miller (2), A. Coils (2)
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Reign rally past the Sharks up in Dundee!
U18 National League Div 2
Dundee Sharks 58 - 41 Dunfermline Reign
Dunfermline Reign Junior Men were looking to continue there fine run in form last Sunday (3rd Oct) against Dundee Sharks. After a very convincing win in week one against Glasgow City the team were in high spirits to add another victory to there tally.
Both Dundee Sharks and Reign were missing key players in the game which was to show in the game. The game started slowly for the Reign, with the home team coming out on top 12-6 in the opening quarter. This led to Coach Darryl Wood changing things up and trying to get his side back into the game.
Rookie player Dougie Taylor led the fight back with some commanding rebounds on the offensive and defensive ends leading to some easy baskets. This enabled the Reign to make the game close as by the end of the 1st half the deficit was cut to 4 points, 26-22.
The second half gave knew hope and the feeling of a new game to Reign as they turned the tide of the game with young Keith Ward making some magic happen and getting the other team in foul trouble. The quarter ended up with Reign 34-33 up going into the final period.
Coach Wood started to run his bench effectively and in the later stages and this pressure told on the home Sharks team with them tiring out and there was a lot more fast action basketball and movement. 6' 6" Centre Callum McKinley found himself hitting some last quarter form scoring 10 of his 14 points in the last 10 minutes. Through tough defence and hard work the Reign secured another win in the National League Division 2, taking them to a 2-0 record.
Reign Scorers: D Taylor 18, C McKinley 14, K Ward 14, D Boogan 6, A Coils 4, A Dougan 2.
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Reign win season opener destroying Glasgow City!
U18 National League Div 2
Saturday 19th Sept '09
Glasgow City 39 - 85 Dunfermline Reign
Not for the first time this season, and I’m quite sure not for the last, Dunfermline Reign’s Junior Men were short of some key players in their Saturday season-opener against City. Ali Horne, aka Ivan, took an early tumble a little under a minute and a half into the game, rolling his ankle and being trundled off to hospital with little more than a 3 point lead to his name, which came from his turn around jump shot in Reign’s initial offence. Not to mention a shortage of “Big” Calum McKinlay, the 6ft 7” centre that had seemed so key for the Junior Men in their preseason battle with the Dundee Sharks, and Craig Skicko, a valued member of the team and another veteran from last year’s National League side.
The game started relatively slowly, both teams seemingly wary of the other, and Ivan’s early exit meant that doubts could be shared by the Fifers who all seemed troubled by their two-time MVP’s injury, and his inability to return to the floor. City seemed to understand this, and planned to play to it, but Reign had other ideas.
A relatively slow paced first quarter finished 20 – 20, with Reign seeming to start to come together a little more towards the end of it and Coach Darryl Wood offering sound and confident advice that in the next quarter, if Reign could increase the tempo and intensity of the defence, they would manage to pull away.
The second quarter was a completely different game. The game seemed re-energized, and with 4 minutes to go, saw Reign on an 18 – 0 run, with City blown away. At 38-20 down, the City coaches called a Time Out and Reign could reflect on what could have been described as the perfect way to play the Glasgow team for the past 6 minutes. The open post look had seemed to close up on City. Great defensive steals from Ritchie Hunter and Dougie Taylor settled Reign down as they began to work their quick, fast-paced transition game to wind down the quarter to a 49-26 close up. It seemed the game was already over for Glasgow, who from a tied game, found themselves 23 points down and unable to score in an airtight Reign defence.
The half saw several changes made to the Reign line; perhaps a slightly inspired Aaron Dougan could not but help-in and score his first, well-earned block of the season (a monster). It also saw Keith Ward battle his way hard into the paint several times, only to draw the last minute defenders and slip the ball away to Ross Maclean, Darren Clark or Jordan Lamb for simple but sublime finishes. An 18-6 finish to this quarter for Reign suggested that the game was all but lost, and would only require the two Reign guards, Aidan and Matthew Miller to close the 4th quarter out for them.
Simple and concise coaching from Coach Wood allowed Reign to rotate largely throughout the 4th quarter, a good 5 on 5 off approach saw Reign start to extend once more, and they were able to close the game out with an 18-7 win in the 4th, letting the score rest at a round 85-39 in Reign’s favour. A good way to begin their DIV2 championship hopes.
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Reign lose tough test to St Mirren!
Dunfermline Reign 42 - 120 St Mirren
Junior Men Scottish Cup Quarter Final
Duloch LC, Dunfermline
Dunfermline Reign Junior Men were back in action at the weekend (24th Jan) at Duloch Leisure Centre where they would meet a very talented St Mirren team in the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup.
Up for grabs was a place in the semi finals of the tournament but with St Mirren being one of the favourites to get to the finals this was sure to be a huge test for the team. There were 6 players available for the game which added extra pressure to the guys to step up for the missing gaps in the team.
Once the game got under way it was clear to see how much of a talented team Reign were up against as within the first four minutes St Mirren were off to an early 12-2 Lead. Despite being overwhelmed by the offensive and defensive abilities, Alistair Horne, stepped up to make a few good shots with Callum O’Donnell getting to the basket for some really tough contested lay ups.
All four quarters were dominated by the opposing team and the last quarter in which St Mirren won 38-6 sealed a comforting victory for the visitors and a gut wrenching defeat for the Reign juniors. The final score ended 120-42 to the away team.
Reign Scorers: Horne(16),O’Donnell(11),Graham(8),Hunter(4),Skicko(2)
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Junior Men claim first win of season with 73-53 victory over Flyers!
National League Div 2
Saturday 17th Jan '09
Dunfermline Reign 73 - 53 Grampian Flyers
Saturday afternoon saw the Dunfermline Reign Junior Men in action against Grampian Flyers in the Scottish National League Division 2 match up. Reign who are currently 0-5 before the game have been frustrated of late with recent narrow losses. The away team had a long drive so Coach Ross Dawkins knew this was a chance for the team to pick up that elusive first victory the team deserves.
Star players Ali Horne, Callum O’Donnell and Mark Graham were all up for the win and the game started off well with all 3 guys shooting well from the tip. Early shots from Horne got Reign off to an early lead and they never looked back ending the quarter up 21-14. Horne continued his form into the 2nd half along with Graham who started getting into the swing of things after a spell of injuries of late. The team had to step on the defensive end and a few crucial time outs called By Coach Dawkins got things back on track with Reign up 37-29 at the half.
The second half was all about defence and finishing easy buckets so none other than Callum O’Donnell was the man to step up with some great decision making moves to finish strong at the basket. Soon enough Reign extended out into a comfortable lead and started to bring in some future talent in Jack Guyan and Daniel Bogan who both had a very impressive performance to show that they are ready to step up next season when they move from the Cadet Men Squad next year.
Reign held the lead well into the 4th quarter even though Grampian applied the pressure on numerous occasions and they held on to pick up their first win of the 08-09 season with a victory of 73-53.
Reign top scorers - Ali Horne(29),Calum O`Donnel1(22), Mark Graham(10)
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Reign lose out to Glasgow City in NL Div 2!
Dunfermline Reign 58 - 75 Glasgow City
National League Div 2
Duloch LC - Sat 29th Nov '08
In only their second game of the season, Dunfermline Reign opened up strongly against the visitors Glasgow City, quickly recovering from an early deficit to lead the first quarter by seven which reflected a more determined team effort demonstrated in particular by Calum McKinley (Knuckles) scoring 6 and Ali Horne (Ivan) chipping in 15 points, which included Ali's first dunk of the season.
With Reign and City continuing to exchange baskets throughout the second quarter, Reign went in at half time leading the game by 3 to set up an exciting second half.
The third quarter with a combination of good ball movement and sharp shooting from the visiting City moving them into a lead of ten points, A late rally from Matthew Miller and Calum McKinley helped pull Reign back to within five points going into the final quarter.
Maintaining their strong defence, and accurate shooting, Glasgow extended their lead to a commanding seventeen point lead which they never relinquished. The strong City defence prevented Reign getting to the hoop and restricted Reign to 9 for the quarter, City eventually saw the game out to win 75 – 58 and condemn Reign to their second defeat of the season.
Reign Juniors are next in action on December 13th against the Glasgow Rens and hope to earn their first win of the season.
Reign Scorers, A. Horne 26; C. McKinley 10; M. Miller 10; C. Skicko 6; M. Graham 2; R. Hunter 2; D. Clark 2
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Reign tame the Sharks to progress to 2nd Round of Scottish Cup
Dunfermline Reign 72 - 70 Dundee Sharks
U18 Scottish Cup 1st Round
Menzieshill CC, Dundee
The opening game of the season saw the Dunfermline Reign's U18 team secure victory against Dundee Sharks in the 1st round of the Scottish Cup away from home.
The game started in favour of the Sharks as they opened up a 5 point lead, but Reign came back strongly to command a 9 point lead going into the 2nd quarter.
As Sharks fought back, the lead moved back and forth between the two teams throughout the remaining quarters, and with 21 seconds left on the clock Reign found themselves trailing by 1 point.
In those final seconds Reign forced Dundee into conceding two separate fouls which resulted in both Ali (Ivan) Horne and Matt Miller putting Reign back in front from the free throw line and ultimately securing victory in the dying seconds.
Final score Dundee Sharks 70- 72 Dunfermline Reign.
Reign Scorers - M. Graham 31, A. Horne 17, C. O’Donnell 12, C. McKinley 6, M. Miller 3, R. Hunter 2, C. Skicko 1.
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