The FIMBA GB +40 Women are next in our review of the recent XII FIMBA European Championships in Pesaro, Italy.
The GB Forties came in to this tournament off the back of a successful World Cup where they won Silver, but still looking for their first win at a European finals. Drawn in a tough group with one of the favourites, Poland, and the sharp shooting Latvians it was always going to be a tough ask. It did not start well as point guard Laura Bull tore her calf on the training court before the tournament had even started, with a fairly innocuous move to the basket, meaning Shooting Guard Gabby Navickaite would have to step up with JoJo Glowa.
We were all devastated for Laura when she went down, she has worked so hard to get in the best shape possible and to get injured before the tournament even started made it all the more gutting. We had already prepped Gabz that she may be an option at point as the tournament progressed and I have to say despite it being out of her comfort zone, she rose to the challenge and did a fantastic job.
Assistant Coach, Bruce Lauder
Game-day came round and more bad news for GB as Vice-Captain Michelle Fellerdale was unable to play following a trapped nerve in her hip. First up was a cross-pool game against a Slovenia team they narrowly lost to at the World Cup, so revenge was very much on the table. Unfortunately the gym was stiflingly hot, which led to a very lethargic start by GB as Slovenia jumped in to a 10 point lead before a 3 from inside player, Lisa Stocks, stopped the momentum and sparked GB into life. The damage had already been done by the end of the 1st, as they trailed 12-5. The 2nd was a much more balanced affair as the two teams traded baskets but rebounds would prove to be the Achilles heal as they very much lost the battle of board 26-3. Charlotte Henderson made her GB debut and started making a nuisance of herself inside on defence, forcing Slovenia to shoot from outside, but offensive boards continued to hurt them. At the end of the 2nd, GB still trailed 22-14. In the second half, GB started to find their rhythm, inspired by defensive pressure from Charlie Lauder and Marcela Yassine as well as a game high 10 steals from Aneta Dodson. Offensively, Vilma Jurgaityte hit a 3, before Simone McKoy caught fire hitting back to back shots to make it a 1-point game, 22-21. Unfortunately, GB kept giving away easy second chances and Slovenia hit 7 unanswered points to end the quarter up 29-21. The fourth was very much GB’s quarter, as points came from all options but with time against them, they were forced to foul and the Slovenians finished the game off from the line 40-35. Top Scorers: Jurgaityte 13; Dodson 6; Stocks 5.
Next up was one of the games of the tournament against a Latvia side littered with ex-international and professional players. Fellerdale had been cleared to play by physio Nat from our partners Spectrum and immediately made an impact, hitting an and-1 to start the game. However Latvia answered straight back with the first of their ten 3-pointers. Jojo Glowa answered with a long range effort of her own to keep GB in touching distance at the end of 1, trailing 6-10. The second quarter started strongly as Navickaite and Stocks shot well to tie the game before a Jurgaityte 3 and some well taken free throws gave GB an 18-11 lead. The level of skill on show was very impressive, with the “amateurs” of GB moving the ball nicely on offence to get the best inside shot against the high basketball IQ and long range shooting skills of the Latvian “professionals.” In a blink of an eye, two more 3s were hit by Latvia and it was back to a 4 point game. More great defence from McKoy and Lauder allowed Dodson to do her thing with steals and layups but another 3 to end the half made it a 24-23 game in GB’s favour. At the start of the 3rd, it was GB who took the early initiative with a 3 of their own as the teams traded baskets and free throws until the final 2 minutes when 3s from Jurgaityte and Yassine were met with more 3s from Latvia. Two ice cold free throws at the end of the 3rd ensured GB kept their advantage heading into the final quarter 42-41. Fellerdale started the 4th strongly but Latvia kept hitting threes meaning GB had to work to score three baskets for every two Latvia hit. Two more 3s gave Latvia a 6-point advantage heading into the final two minutes but a timeout from Coach Harrison and more excellent defensive steals from Yassine and Dodson got GB to within 2 before Jurgaityte hit a 2 with seconds remaining tieing the game at 55. With a large crowd of other FIMBA GB teams supporting, the game was headed to overtime. Latvia jumped into an early 5 point lead, but the GB Forties never give up and they pushed hard on defence to get back within 2. Both teams were in foul trouble but despite the high shooting percentages from the floor, both teams struggled from the line and it was left to Yassine to hit a floater on the buzzer to take this exceptional game to double overtime 62-62. With both teams tiring, the shooting accuracy dwindled. With Latvia holding a 63-65 lead heading in to the final minute, Fellerdale made an excellent move to the basket late on to tie it once more, but a timeout from Latvia and a drawn up play created a wide open jump shot in the corner as time ran out to hand Latvia a 65-67 win. Top Scorers: Jurgaityte 17; Dodson 15; Fellerdale 11
This was our best game for so many reasons. Not only the level of play we achieved but the fight and heart we played with epitomises what this team is all about. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I couldn’t be prouder of the team and the strength of character and togetherness we have and we show not only on the court, but off it as well.
Charlie Lauder – Captain
The maths was now simple; despite two losses, a win against Poland by any margin would still be enough to send GB to the quarter finals. This was always going to be a tough ask, as Poland had two ex-Euroleague players as well as a host of internationals and they came out of the blocks firing with a clear gameplan as they broke hard to the basket for the score or to pick up the foul. GB were slow to start again, handing the advantage to Poland early on but it was tough going for the first half as Poland had an answer to whatever GB threw at them. Despite a large deficit heading into the second half, the character of the team again came to light and they stepped up, cheered on again by the large FIMBA GB crowd. Midway through the 3rd, GB had pulled it back down to single figures but unlike the day before, Poland hit their free throws down the stretch to extinguish any hopes of a GB comeback and eventually ran out 56-29 winners to finish top of the group on their way to the Silver medal.
Having played three games in a row, a well deserved rest day followed as the team took in some of the local tourist spots including a trip down memory lane for Assistant Coach Lauder as he turned tour guide and took some of the players to his old university in nearby Urbino.
The GB Forties were now playing for 9th place in a secondary league table and first up was the guest team from Columbia. Without a doubt, this was the hottest gym any of the players had been in as the temperature bordered on 40degrees but for once it was GB who started strongest with baskets from Stocks, Fellerdale and Navickaite pushing GB into an early 3-8 lead. The Columbians were quick, gritty and scrappy but they struggled to cope with the size advantage and ball movement of GB. Every time GB went on a run, the Columbians stopped the momentum with a 3, but the free flowing basketball and scoring continued in a high scoring first quarter finishing with GB leading 18-21. The shots stopped falling for both teams in the 2nd as the heat became difficult but GB controlled the game well and managed their lead. A technical foul for Fellerdale (applauding the booing crowd) threatened to derail the game, but GB remained focussed and if anything it pushed them to play even better as McKoy, Glowa and Yassine pushed the lead back to finish the half up 28-33. The 3rd quarter was a joy to watch as Jurgaityte hit a 3 to start a 12-1 run that put the game out of contention, 33-47. The 4th started in similar fashion as GB pushed home their advantage, with Fellerdale having a field day inside against the smaller Columbians. The game was all but done, but there was a special team moment where injured PG, Laura Bull under the watchful eye of Physio Nat, was able to step on the court for some game time, picking up a couple of assists before sitting back down to huge applause. Captain Lauder finished the game off with 2 free throws and give GB their first ever European Championships win in commanding fashion 37-60. Top Scorers: Fellerdale 14; Jurgaityte 10; Navickaite 8
With their first win under their belts, the GB team were confident heading to their next game against Estonia and started with an and-1 from Jurgaityte but got into early foul trouble allowing Estonia an easy way back into the game. Unanswered baskets from Lauder, Henderson and Yassine pushed the lead up to 6 but free throws kept Estonia in touch 13-8. The defensive pressure and hustle from McKoy and Navickaite was incredible as Estonia were being forced into rushed shots at the end of the 24 seconds. Midway through the 2nd, Jurgaityte hit an important 3 to push the lead out to 4, but Estonia came back again and had the game tied at the half 22-22. A 3 from Estonia to start the 3rd gave them their first and only lead of the game as it was followed by a 14-0 run by GB with Stocks, Navickaite, Fellerdale and Yassine hitting as they took a decent lead into the final quarter 36-28. The 4th started with a horrible moment as GB lost their other PG, Jojo (who was already playing with a damaged ACL) as she landed awkwardly. Again, this could have had a negative effect on a team, but not this one as they pushed on, trading baskets throughout the 4th with GB remaining in control to pick up their 2nd win 44-36. Top Scorers: Stocks 10; Jurgaityte 9; Fellerdale 8
Their two wins set up a deciding and eventful game against local neighbours and friends Ireland. Sharing the bus journey to the venue out of town was a lot of fun with both teams dancing and laughing on their way to the game, but they were met with a gym akin to a sauna again. GB started strongly with Yassine on fire hitting a 3 to start, quickly followed up by a 2 before the heat got the better of her as she feinted. Luckilly the GB Lions (+40 men) were supporting and able to help cool her down outside the venue but she wouldn’t come back round fully until the end of the game. On court, the lack of rebounding returned to haunt GB as Ireland punished them with second chance efforts to finish the 1st quarter up 8-15. The 2nd started strongly for GB with Fellerdale, Stocks and and two 3s from Jurgaityte tieing the game up before Ireland went on an 11-0 run as GB’s shots just wouldn’t fall. The half ended with Ireland in command, leading 22-34. GB started the 3rd strongly again, bringing the lead down to 5 but then the game became even more eventful as Dodson injured her shoulder, McKoy dislocated her finger and the players were starting to suffer from the heat. Physio Nat was running all over the place seeing to all her players and getting both Dodson and McKoy back in the game whilst cooling and icing the other players at every opportunity as well as ensuring Yassine was ok outside the venue! This gave Ireland the chance to push their lead to 13 before an accidental clash on defence sent Fellerdale to the floor, clearly in a lot of pain, but the game was allowed to continue around the injured player to the disgust of Coach Harrison leading to a double technical and him being ejected from the game. This left Assistant Bruce Lauder in charge with only a handful of players able to carry on playing. In the true character of this team, GB came back firing. Inspired by Captain Lauder and Navickaite’s energy and hustle on defence, Stocks and Jurgaityte again bought the lead back down to 5 but a couple of quick baskets at the end for Ireland gave them a 10-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the European Championships. Despite an and-1 play to start the final quarter and a 3 from McKoy, playing with only a few players in that heat eventually took its toll and despite a valiant effort at both ends of the court, Ireland took the win 47-60. Top Scorers: Jurgaityte 17; Fellerdale 8; Dodson 6
What a game that was! Everything was thrown at us but as always the girls answered and stepped up – they are absolute warriors and I couldn’t be prouder of them. A 10th place finish isn’t what we came for, but if we were in any of the other groups we are making the quarter finals. That said, we’ve played some of Europe’s best and the team have raised their level to match and exceed themselves. Off court, we have certainly raised a few smiles with our antics – especially on the bus trips in by entertaining the other teams from around the world! We leave with our heads held high, safe in the knowledge we are not a million miles away from where we want to be and know what we need to do between now and Switzerland.
Assistant Coach, Bruce Lauder
With the tournament done a team dinner (kindly funded by Langley Mechancial Services) was held in a beautiful seafood restaurant watching the sun set over the Adriatic, where the captains paid tribute to their team and staff. Gifts and mementos were handed out and Captain Charlie Lauder was awarded the Ocorian award – for the player that best displays the values of FIMBA GB – voted for by her teammates.
I could not be prouder of this team, it is unfortunate the position achieved does not reflect the level of play and effort that we sustained throughout. I want to extend my special thanks to our physio Nat for keeping the team on court and to our Team Manager, Michelle, for all the work she does behind the scenes to make our lives easier.
Coach Harrison
The team have been highly supported off court and would like to thank all the partners who have made this journey possible: Care Days; Castings Services; Global Travel Worldwide; Langley Mechanical Services; Ocorian; PPE; Spectrum; Trelleborg Tyres and White Trees Group. For more details on the FIMBA GB +40 Women click here or to keep up to date with the their ongoing journey, follow gbforties on Instagram and Facebook. If you want to get involved, send your details to admin@fimba-gb.com or fill in the registration form by clicking here.