A determined fightback from York fell just short on Sunday, as the men’s basketballers lost 64-55 to a strong Lancaster side. Despite strong efforts from the likes of Brendan Moran and Ben Barrett late on to claw back points, Lancaster ultimately proved too strong for the home side.
The game began at breakneck speed, with both teams showing great energy and finding themselves evenly matched despite Lancaster’s position three leagues above York in the BUCS tables. York were holding their own against the visitors, and the first quarter finished with Lancaster only just ahead at 15-14.
The visitors started to up their game in the second quarter though, moving forward a gear as they started to overwhelm the White Rose with the speed of their counter-attacks. Lancaster were clinical above all else, and at one period treated the crowd to three successfully made three-pointers in a row. This kind of shooting accuracy put them in a firm advantage as the second quarter drew to a close, and with York struggling to wrest back possession the quarter finished with Lancaster 36-25 ahead.
York fought back in the third quarter though, with the introduction of the imposing figure of Brendan Moran galvanising the home side. York were no longer so profligate with their shooting and passing around the basket, whilst the channelled aggression of Moran helped the team start winning the rebounds that they had been losing in the previous quarter. The crowd started to stir, sensing a possible comeback on the cards, and as York found their way back into the match the White Rose supporters roared them on from the sidelines. Both sides visibly wanted the win, straining every sinew to hold possession. The momentum was with York though, with the team fighting for every ball and eventually bringing themselves back to within only two points of Lancaster, having been 12 points behind earlier in the game.
Lancaster seemed to sense the danger of their position however, and in the final few minutes asserted their authority on the game one more time to snuff out York’s chances of an heroic comeback. With York desperate to draw level as time ebbed away, Lancaster played intelligently to draw the home side into conceding a succession of free throws, from which Lancaster capitalised to pull ahead one final time and finish the game 64-55 as deserved victors.