Photo by MPhotography.

Saturday’s game sees Leeds looking to continue their perfect start to their National Trophy campaign and hold on to the top spot in their group. The Warriors on the other hand have lost their first two games of in the National Trophy to Westminster and Northumbria.

Carnegie Basketball Head Coach Matt Newby is keen to continue their winning start saying “Leicester traditionally is a competitive side who consistently contend for the high order playoff positions.

With Karl Brown at the helm they will always deliver a hard-nosed brand of basketball which is defensively focused and high octane in offence. With so many players moving from club to club in the Midlands it maybe that the new look Warriors will be a new proposition.

MansorMbye remains a consistent factor and in early games has put up good numbers. We need to maintain momentum and continue to develop our team chemistry. Last week against Hemel we improved but there were phases of the game when we were leaking points on our ball screen coverage and transition defence”.

The team will then start the defense of their National Cup title on Sunday against Stockport Falcons. The Falcons play their league basketball in Division Three North and will enter the game as underdogs.

As current champions Leeds received a bye in the first round whilst Stockport earned their place in the second round with a hard fought 82-84 victory against Leeds Tigers.

Coach Newby is pleased to start the club’s National Cup campaign saying “You can never underestimate Stockport due to the basketball heritage of the region. The Cup win last year was one of the highlights of my coaching career and to make a run to the final would be amazing. To put ourselves in a contention we cannot look that far ahead and simply need to take one step at a time and enter each game with the correct mind set”.

Both games are being played at Leeds Metropolitan University Sports Arena on the University’s Headingley Campus. The Leicester game tips off at 7:30pm on Saturday and the Falcons game tips off at 4:00pm on Sunday. Tickets for both games are available on the club’s website as well as a limited number being available on the door.

Story – Leeds Carnegie

Photos – MPhotography

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