Januari 31, 2004 No English
Due to a vacation of our webmasters, from January 11th until January 30th there will be no English translations on our website. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Januari 12, 2004 Zuzana Sakova returns, Amy Campion to be replaced by Jen Kerns
Tomorrow an old acquaintance will arrive in Landsmeer, Slowakian 6-0 forward Zuzana Sakova, who played for the Lions last season. Sakova (28) averaged 13 ppg and had a season-high 22 points against Groningen on March 18th. Coach Brian Benjamin said he is happy with this new addition. "I liked Zuzana's game last year. She an intelligent and highly skilled player, who can play all positions from 2 to 4." Sakova, who is a trained economist and speaks four languages fluently, was offered a job with a Dutch company and will play for the Lions on amateur-basis.
Amy Campion made the decision to return to the United States. "I didn't want to hurt the team by leaving, but I'm not feeling very comfortable lately. I know it's for my own good and I'm sure the team will be fine without me", she said. Amy Campion averaged 12.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game, shooting 46% from the field.
For coach Brian Benjamin Campion's resigning did come as a surprise, but he understood her decision. "I know she wasn't comfortable with her game and that she became kind of frustrated", he said. "And frankly I had my doubts too, although her numbers were not bad. Amy is hard-working player and a very kind person. I know it's tough on her and I wish her all the best. But these things happen and we'll have to move on."
And Benjamin moved on quickly. A day later he announced Amy Campion will be replaced by Jennifer Kerns, a 5-7 guard who played for Washington State, where she averaged 10,9 ppg and 4 assists pg in her last season, 1999-2000. After that she played four years in European countries like Denmark, Sweden and Turkey. Jen Kerns will be signed on a provisional two-weeks contract. Jen Kerns
January 10, 2004 Lions Battle Barons in Quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup Competition
Monday night the ProBuild Lions host the Breda Barons in the quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup Competition. Until now the Lions advanced to the next rounds easy. First round opponent Lely 2 withdrew from the competition and in the second round the Lions met second division team JRC Boxtel and emerged as the winner, 36-89.
The Breda Barons are in last seed of the Dutch eredivisie, having lost every game in the fist half of the season. If the Lions are victorious on Monday, they reach the quarterfinals, with GIBO group Grasshoppers or MPC Celeritudo as their next opponent.
January 3, 2004 Lions to miss Final Four tournament
The ProBuild Lions will not participate in the Final Four tournament on Januari 9th and 10th in Landsmeer. ProBuild suffered a 60-31 defeat in Den Helder and ended the first half of the competition in fifth seed. The Lions picked a bad time to play their worst game of the season, shooting 21% from the field, committing 24 turnovers and having just one assist. None of the ProBuild-players were able to stop Cape Holland's American center Tish Wescott, who scored 27 points. Anna Lembke came in foul trouble early, sat out most of the first half and ended the game with 9 points and 7 rebounds. Amy Campion scored just 2 points on 10-1 shooting from the field. All other Lions were stuck in single digits too.
Cape Holland built a quick 10-0 lead behind 7 points from Wescott and a 3pointer from Romy Calderon before Marte Linthout scored the only Lions-3pointer of the game. At halftime Cape Holland led by 16 points, 36-20, and at the end of the third period the gap was widened to 20 points, 45-25.
Coach Brian Benjamin said his team failed on the offensive side of the court. "Defensively we weren't so bad. But when you take just 43 shots on 21% shooting from the field and grabbing just 7 offensive rebounds, you know you are in big trouble."
January 1, 2003 Cape Holland
Saturday the Lions will travel to the Navy-town of the Netherlands, Den Helder to battle second seeded Cape Holland. The Lions have to come out with a victory to earn their ticket to the Final Four tournament, which will be held in Landsmeer on January 9th and 10th. Not an easy task, but the Lions haven't lost a game since November and are in a winning mood. If everything goes well, all players will be healthy at the same time for the first time this season. Marte Linthout is overcoming her glandular fever and working hard to get her game back and Leonie de Vlieger is returning from her ankle injury. Anna Lembke safely returned from California, while Amy Campion stayed in Landsmeer having her family over to spend a rainy Xmas in Holland. Coach Brian Benjamin resumed practices Monday, to prepare his team for Saturday's game as good as possible. Cape Holland also is on full strength, having American center Tish Wescott back after she had to return to the States for a few months due to family circumstances.
Game starts at 7 PM CET.
December 20, 2003 Lions beat Grasshoppers, 60-54
Amy Campion's 15 points and Rachel Witkamp's 9 rebounds helped the ProBuild Lions to their first four-game winning streak of the season. Anna Lembke came in early foul trouble, but still contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds. The Lions shot just 35% from the fields, but had a season-high 44 rebounds. "It was a win we had to have", coach Brian Benjamin said. "We took the right shots, but they just didn't fell. There's not much you can do about that. But the bottom line is that we worked hard and in the end we came out with a victory."
The Lions led by as many as 10 after the first quarter but made just 2 points in the first 6 minutes of the second quarter as the Grasshoppers reeled off 12 points to pull within 27-25. At halftime the Lions led 32-27.
In the third period a 3-pointer by Grasshoppers Tanya Bröring levelled the score, 34-34, but Gerda Heinen answered with a trey to put the Lions ahead for good. The quarter ended with Amy Campion scoring a 3-pointer at the buzzer, 52-46. In the last period Campion scored 6 of the Lions' 8 points.
December 17, 2003 Lions will try to extend their winning streak against Grasshoppers
Friday night coach Benjamin and his team host Gibo Group Grasshoppers from Katwijk (pronounce: Kaahtwaik), a fishing town on the North Sea coast near Rotterdam. The Grasshoppers are not doing very well this season, being 2-9 now. Coach René Mulder's team seems to be a little bit off balance, with lots of good shooting forwards and guards, but lacking a legitimate frontcourt. They can all shoot the trey, though. Once they have their shots falling, they can give their opponents a really hard time. The Lions will try to extend their winning streak to four games, to hold their chances to reach the Final Four tournament in January.
Game starts at 8.30 PM CET.
December 13, 2003 Lions Defeat Wildcats, 51-69
Anna Lembke scored 25 points and had 9 rebounds and Amy Campion was one steal and two rebounds shy of a triple double with 17 points, 9 steals and 8 rebounds as the ProBuild Lions defeated the Wildcats in Nijmegen, for their third straight victory.
The Lions had a slow start, trailing by 7 points in the first period, 19-12, before Anna Lembke hit two free throws and Marte Linthout had a score to end the quarter, 19-17.
In the second period the Lions and the Wildcats changed leads, before Rachel Witkamp had a driving lay-up and a free throw to give the Lions a small edge at the break, 29-33. In the 6th minute of the third period the Wildcats led 40-39, but next ProBuild placed a 2-11 run behind 7 points of Amy Campion, 42-50. Another 5 consecutive points by Campion gave the Lions a 42-56 lead at the beginning of the last period. After that ProBuild rolled to an easy 51-69 victory, with Anna Lembke scoring 6 points and Gerda Heinen 5. Coach Brian Benjamin thought his team did a good job in the second half. "At first we were surprised a little by their aggressiveness and tough defense, but we overcame that and overall, we executed well. We just got the ball to the people we needed to down the stretch."
December 12, 2003 Wildcats
Saturday the ProBuild Lions travel to Nijmegen near the German border, to battle the Nijmegen Wildcats. The Wildcats are debuting in the eredivisie this season. Without much success, until now, as the Cats lost all their games and are second last seed, just above the Breda Barons. Obviously both winless teams did not meet each other yet. No well-known players on the Wildcats-team, no foreign players, but just a hard-nosed team filled with local talents who are trying to win games by playing tight defense. Not very successfully, though, allowing 70 points per game and scoring not more than 50. The Lions are not a high-scoring team (63 ppg) too, but on defense they rank among the best, allowing only 57 points per game. Only Celeritudo (56) and Cape Holland (53) are doing better.
The Lions need a victory to remain in the race for the Final Four tournament in January. Including Saturday's game there are three games to go. Next week GIBO Grasshoppers visit Landsmeer and on January 3rd the Lions face Cape Holland Den Helder. If these games end in victories, the Lions will participate in the Final Four Tournament on their own home court.
The game in Nijmegen starts at 6.30 PM CET.
December 10, 2003 Lions Roll Past Jumpers
Jildis Pronk and Nadine Boesaart both scored 15 points as the ProBuild Lions ended their second game in five days with a 66-57 victory over the Perik Jumpers. Anna Lembke contributed 12 points (5-6 FG) while Amy Campion chipped in with 8 and Jolanda Jansen had 9. Chelsea Grear suffered from the flu and did not play for the Jumpers. In the first quarter the Lions placed a 19-4 run behind six points from Jolanda Jansen, to end the period with a 24-12 lead. The Jumpers pulled within 32-30 in the second quarter when Canadian Rhona McKenzie converted an offensive rebound in a score. By halftime the game was leveled 34-34. The teams battled trough the third period, changing leads until Gerda Heinen scored 49-49 to end the quarter. In the fourth period the Lions stepped up defensively, holding the Jumpers to just 9 points and their main scorer Rhona McKenzie to just 2. Jildis Pronk sank her third 3-pointer in the fourth minute, 56-51. It appeared to be the decisive blow from which Perik never recovered. Coach Brian Benjamin was satisfied with the way his team played in the fourth quarter. "I liked the defensive intensity", he said. "We held them to just 9 points in the quarter en 57 points in the whole game, while they are one of the highest scoring teams, averaging 72 points. Jildis Pronk played an excellent game, showing great leadership on the floor."
December 9, 2003 Bring on the Jumpers
Wednesday Night the Lions host Perik Jumpers from Tubbergen, near the German border. The Lions and the Jumpers fought many interesting battles in the past. The rivalry between the teams dates from the 2000-2001 season, when ProBuild and Perik battled for the Dutch Championship in the Playoff-finales. The Lions won, but next year Perik was victorious over the Lions in the semi-finals and won the Championship. Last season the Jumpers again reached the finals, but lost 3-1 from Lely Amsterdam. This summer three key players left Tubbergen. Center Marloes Roetgerink went to Binnenland Barendrecht, guard Rebecca Maessen was signed by Cape Holland Den Helder and Annemieke van der Goot, one of Hollands most talented pointguards, went to Celeritudo Groningen. To replace them American Chelsea Grear and Canadian Julie Smulders were signed. American forward Rhona MacKenzie, one of the most talented power-forwards of the Dutch league, decided to stay for another year. In January Canadian-Slowakian and former ProBuild-player Nathalie Hudec is going to make her debut in Tubbergen. Talented players, but until now the Jumpers are not playing well this season. They just won two games, against last seeded Barons and second-last Wildcats. After a four-game losing streak the Jumpers are desperate for a win. So are the Lions, who are still trying to qualify for the Final Four tournament in January. So, another interesting game awaits. Game starts at 7.30 pm CET.
December 7, 2003 Lembke Leads the Way as Lions Break Skid
Anna Lembke had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Nadine Boesaart added a season-high 15 as the ProBuild Lions overwhelmed BV Leiderdorp, 80-65. ProBuild's center-duo controlled both ends of the floor, holding Leiderdorp's Dutch star center 6-5 Lonneke Bransz to 14 points and helping the ProBuild Lions to a season-high 40 rebounds. Amy Campion recovered from her concussion in time to be on the floor and scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Leiderdorp lost its fourth straight game, while the Lions avoided a 3-game losing streak. Marte Linthout made her first minutes after being on the Injured List for five games. The game stayed close until the fourth quarter. The first period ended in a 13-16 deficit for the Lions, but they went into the break with a minim lead of one point, 34-33.
At the beginning of the third quarter Leiderdorp had an 11-1 run behind two scores of Lonneke Bransz and a 3-pointer by Jessica Wilhite, 35-44. After a time-out by coach Brian Benjamin the Lions managed to come back to 44-44, with Anna Lembke finishing two beautiful assists from Amy Campion and Gerda Heinen. By the end of the quarter the Lions had a 52-48 lead, but Leiderdorp one more time closed the gap, 54-54. With three minutes on the clock the score was 68-63, but in the last minutes the Lions extended their lead to 15 points.
Coach Brian Benjamin was satisfied with the performance of his team. "It was good to have a nine-player rotation again. Marte Linthout did not play many minutes yet, but her intelligence and leadership on the floor makes a difference instantly. I thought Anna played a great game and Nadine went to the basket well, especially in the first half. Amy did a good job too, considering she had not been able to practice for the whole week. We had 40 rebounds and just 10 turnovers, which was not bad at all. Hopefully we're on our way back now."
December 5, 2003 Will the Lions break their losing streak against Leiderdorp?
Saturday the ProBuild Lions host BV Leiderdorp. The Lions hope to break their two- game losing streak in the game against 7th seeded Leiderdorp. Though Leiderdorp lost their last three games, a difficult task lays ahead for ProBuild. Leiderdorp has two good Dutch centers in 6-4 Lonneke Bransz and 6-3 Renske van der Voort. On their roster are also two American players: Theresa LeCuyer and Jessica Wilhite. The Lions are beginning to feel some pressure to place themselves in the first four seeds, to qualify for the Final Four Tournement, which will be held in Landsmeer in January. In order to do that, the Lions must be victorious Saturday. Otherwise chances are becoming slim. The good news is Marte Linthout is of the Injured List and resumed practising this week. Saturday she will probably get some minutes. On the other hand Amy Campion was diagnosed with a concussion after last Friday’s game in Barendrecht and she probably will not be able to play on Saturday. So injuries continue to trouble coach Brian Benjamin and his team.
The ProBuild Lions will not participate in the Final Four tournament on Januari 9th and 10th in Landsmeer. ProBuild suffered a 60-31 defeat in Den Helder and ended the first half of the competition in fifth seed. The Lions picked a bad time to play their worst game of the season, shooting 21% from the field, committing 24 turnovers and having just one assist. None of the ProBuild-players were able to stop Cape Holland's American center Tish Wescott, who scored 27 points. Anna Lembke came in foul trouble early, sat out most of the first half and ended the game with 9 points and 7 rebounds. Amy Campion scored just 2 points on 10-1 shooting from the field. All other Lions were stuck in single digits too.
Jildis Pronk and Nadine Boesaart both scored 15 points as the ProBuild Lions ended their second game in five days with a 66-57 victory over the Perik Jumpers. Anna Lembke contributed 12 points (5-6 FG) while Amy Campion chipped in with 8 and Jolanda Jansen had 9. Chelsea Grear suffered from the flu and did not play for the Jumpers. In the first quarter the Lions placed a 19-4 run behind six points from Jolanda Jansen, to end the period with a 24-12 lead. The Jumpers pulled within 32-30 in the second quarter when Canadian Rhona McKenzie converted an offensive rebound in a score. By halftime the game was leveled 34-34. The teams battled trough the third period, changing leads until Gerda Heinen scored 49-49 to end the quarter. In the fourth period the Lions stepped up defensively, holding the Jumpers to just 9 points and their main scorer Rhona McKenzie to just 2. Jildis Pronk sank her third 3-pointer in the fourth minute, 56-51. It appeared to be the decisive blow from which Perik never recovered. Coach Brian Benjamin was satisfied with the way his team played in the fourth quarter. "I liked the defensive intensity", he said. "We held them to just 9 points in the quarter en 57 points in the whole game, while they are one of the highest scoring teams, averaging 72 points. Jildis Pronk played an excellent game, showing great leadership on the floor."