Report: Cardiff Met Archers 74-86 Bristol Flyers II

Rhys Farrell got Flyers on the board with a lay-up at the end of a good sequence of ball movement. Mann ignited the Flyers offence with a steal and found Farrell on the arc for a three-pointer to give Bristol an early lead.

Player/Coach Roy Owen grabbed another errant Archers pass and Stephen Foard finished the fast break with a lay-up. James Dawe followed-up with a three-pointer from the top of the arc to tie the game.

Farrell continued to create second chance opportunities, grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it in himself. Mann was aggressive in the passing lanes making another steal and finding Owen for a fast break lay-up. Flyers finished the first quarter ahead 16-28.

Flyers kept up their defensive intensity after the quarter break, forcing more turnovers and profiting from fast break offence. Jack Craggs ran the floor after another Mann steal and Mann found him on the perimeter for a three.

Archers called timeout and made a series of adjustments that proved effective. Zone defence and taking better care of the ball helped to shift the momentum back in their favour and it was Flyers who began to commit multiple turnovers.

Mann’s sharpshooting and points from Callum McCulloch helped to restore some of the dwindling lead but another push from Archers to close the quarter did more damage. Dawe and Stubbington again ran the pick and roll to perfection and Stubbington was able to complete a three point play at the line. Williams closed the quarter with a lay-up to leave Flyers hanging on 43-48 at half time.

Owen regrouped his team during the half-time break and the starters retook the floor with renewed defensive commitment. Daniels stole another wayward pass and finished the fast break with a high-flying reverse dunk.

Flyers big man Steve White put an end to any further scoring from Archers in the quarter, blocking their next two shots. The strong defensive quarter saw Flyers’ lead stretch to 50-68.

Alex DeHaan showed off his speed, blowing past the Archers defence for a pair of layups. White made an athletic put back to keep the pressure on Archers.

A trip to the foul line for Mann saw the lead peak at 22 points and force another Archers time out. Archers got into foul trouble with the aggressive defence and Flyers made their foul shots to keep the gap too large to overcome as the time ran out.

Flyers II will host London BC Medelynas at WISE on Saturday March 10th (3.30pm). A win in this final regular season game could see Flyers clinch second place which would give them crucial home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs and the right to apply for promotion to Division Two next year.