Lions Win Final Four
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Video's: Johan Kaal en Cees Hartman
Datum: December 19, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| Probuild Lions |
17 |
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27 |
10 |
72 |
| HLB Accountants |
16 |
18 |
8 |
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58 |
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Kati Harty scored a season-high 37 points to lead the ProBuild Lions to their 4th Final Four-title of the last decade. The Lions posted a 72-58 victory over their rivals HLB Accountants, who where without their 6-3 all-star center Marloes Roetgerink.
Harty took more than 50% of the scoring load, which was uncharacteristically for the Lions of coach Laki Lakner, who likes to have the scores well-distributed over his team. Lakner said this time he was glad Harty took so much of the scoring load. "Kati bailed us out, when we needed points. She took responsibility and showed leadership. I liked that."
Molly McDowell contributed 11 points.
Kati Harty was the absolute star of the Finals. The HLB-defense was unable to stop her without fouling her. Hitting 5 out-of-8 of her 3-point-attempts Harty also was extremely effective from long range.
Coach Lakner said his team was not sharp enough in the first half, allowing HLB Accountants to score 34 points. "We gave them to much space and let them play their game. You have to play real aggressive defense to beat this team. In the third period we just did that."
The Lions held a minimal 35-34 lead at halftime, but came out of the locker room as sharp as knives, fueled by coach Lakner's comments on their defensive effort in first half, posting a 7-0 run. Kati Harty drained four of her five 3-pointers in the quarter, helping the Lions to a 62-42 lead at the start of the fourth period.
In the last period Lakner distributed the playing time over his complete bench. HLB took advantage of this, cutting the deficit to 69-56 with two minutes on the clock, before Ilana Vergunst sealed the victory with a 3-pointer, 72-56.
>> Pictures
>> Documentary video
>> Game video
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Lely 62, ProBuild 93
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: December 18, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| Probuild Lions |
18 |
15 |
14 |
24 |
71 |
| Woonbron DAS |
19 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
61 |
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Kati Harty scored 26 points and Molly McDowell contributed 18 as the ProBuild Lions advanced to the Finals of the Final Four tournament with a 71-61 win over Woonbron DAS.
Karen Heinen chipped in with 10 points.
It took the Lions until the fourth period before they could create a more or less confortable margin.
After the first periode ProBuild trailed 18-19. At halftime they led by 1 point, 33-32. At the start of the third quarter the situation had not changed: 47-46.
Molly McDowell hit a jumper in the 4rd minute to put the Lions up 55-49 before Ilana Vergunst drained a 3-pointer to make t 60-51.
As Woonbron DAS has reached the penalty situation by then, the Lions had no trouble to keep the cushion in tact from the free throw line.
>> Pictures.
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Final Four Promotion Clip
Author: Henk Wals
Date: December 10, 2009
Dutch
The Lions shot their newest promoclip in an Amsterdam boxing gym, where they battled former IBO world champion Raymond Joval. Success comes when you work as a team, seems to be the message of the clip.
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Lely 62, ProBuild 93
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: December 12, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| BV Lely |
13 |
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23 |
62 |
| Probuild Lions |
26 |
18 |
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29 |
93 |
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The ProBuild Lions posted four consecutive wins over Lely Amsterdam, each time stretching the margin a little more. This time they won by 31 points, two more than in the last meeting.
Kati Harty led ProBuild with 23 points and 8 assists. Marie Hoogstraten hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points. All 12 ProBuild-players saw playing time and all of them scored.
The Lions hit 47% of their shots from the field, and even a slightly higher percentage of 48% from behind the 3-point-line.
"Offensively we did a good job", coach Laki Lakner said after the game. "But we allowed them too many points. Especially in the last quarter our defense became sloppy."
Kati Harty and Ilana Vergunst both kicked off with a 3-pointer to spark a 2-14 Lions opening run before Fieke Lighthart got Lely started, making 3 consecutive baskets. After the first period ProBuild led 13-26.
Rookie Marloes Soffner nailed a trey shortly after entering the game, followed by a 3-pointer of Marie Hoogstraten to put the Lions up 15-29. At halftime ProBuild had extended the margin to 26-44.
After the break coach Lakner ordered a zone-press, which resulted in a 30-point lead in the 6th minute, 32-52. Kati Harty and Molly McDowell took turns at the point guard position and both dished out some wonderful assists.
In the last period the Lions played a little less intensive defense, still outscoring Lely 23-29 in the quarter.
>> Pictures.
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Lely Again
Author: Henk Wals
Date: December 10, 2009
Dutch
For the third time this season the ProBuild Lions pay a visit to BV Lely in the Amsterdam. Their home court is just a few blocks away from the apartments where most of the Lions live, so one can argue ProBuild plays more or less a home game next Saturday.
Both teams are opposites in the sense that Lely did not win a game so far and the Lions have not lost one. In the preliminary round for the Final Four tournament ProBuild beat Lely twice, 69-52 and 46-71. In the Cup tournament ProBuild advanced to the next round, posting a 44-73 victory over Lely.
Game starts at 8:30 PM CET on Saturday.
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Lions Win Opener
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: December 6, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| Probuild Lions |
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78 |
| Woonbron DAS |
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58 |
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Despite Molly McDowell's absence, the ProBuild Lions overcame a 28-point effort by Reggie Maddox and posted a 78-58 victory over Woonbron DAS in the competition opener.
As McDowell had been ill for the last two days, it was decided she was in no condition to play, although she dressed in uniform and sat on the bench.
Kati Harty started at point guard and Marijn Neyndorff moved to the starting line-up.
Harty played for 38 minutes and led the Lions with 19 points. Jasmijn Overbeeke had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Marie Hoogstraten scored 12 points and Belinda Bos 11.
With Woonbron DAS a new foreign player made her debut: American 6-2 center T'qwana Pendergrast. She finished with 8 points.
The Lions built a 14 point lead in the first four minutes of the second period, when Karen Heinen nailed a 3-pointer to spark a 12-0 run, and capped it with a lay-up, making it 26-12. At the break ProBuild led 39-25.
In the third period the Lions pulled to a 48-27 lead, but after Kati Harty had left the court for a few minutes to nurse a bloody nose, the point guard-less Lions saw their cushion melt away to 60-51 in the fourth quarter.
Karen Heinen and Jasmijn Overbeeke responded by hitting treys and the Lions rediscovered their form, stretching the margin to 20 points in the last four minutes of the game.
>> Pictures.
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Start of regular competition
Author: Henk Wals
Video: Johan Kaal
Date: December 3, 2009
Dutch
Now the preliminarily round of the Final Four tournament is finished, it is time to start the regular competition. Saturday the ProBuild Lions host Woonbron DAS for the season opener.
Woonbron DAS eliminated ProBuild in the semi finals of the play offs last season and the Lions are eager to revenge themselves.
Another important occasion was the visit of Saint Nicholas on Wednesday. In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas' Eve (December 5) is the primary occasion for gift-giving, when his reputed birthday is celebrated. In this case, roles are reversed, though, in that Saint Nicholas is the one who gives the presents.
In the days leading up to December 5 young children put their shoes in front of the chimneys and sing special 'Saint Nicolas-songs'. The Dutch Lions spontaneously burst into singing when the Saint entered the gym, presenting chocolate letters for everyone. The American Lions looked around in amazement.
Due to the celebration of St Nicholas's Birthday on December 5th, the game is scheduled on Sunday December 6th, 2 PM CET.
>> Pictures.
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McDowell, Harty Solid as Lions Breeze Past Eurosped Twente
Author: Henk Wals
Video: Johan Kaal
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: November 28, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| Probuild Lions |
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96 |
| Eurosped Twente |
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62 |
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Katy Harty scored 23 points and Molly McDowell posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, as ProBuild Lions routed Eurosped Twente for the second time this season.
ProBuild handed AutoCAD Amazone a ticket for the Final Four, beating Eurosped 96-62.
After a slow start the Lions stepped on the gas somewhere in the second period, when they trailed 24-28 after coach Laki Lakner had received a technical for criticizing the refs and Kierah Kimbrough converted 4 straight free throws.
Lakner ordered a full court press and Eline Vink nailed a 3-pointer to spark a 18-2 Landsmeer-run, which was capped by Marie Hoogstraten with a trey in the buzzer, 42-30 at halftime.
In the second half the Lions cruised to a lopsided 96-62 victory, with McDowell spectacularly setting up her teammates for some easy scores.
Eurosped's main scorer Theresa LeCuyer was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The other part of the North-Dakota duo, Kierah Kimbrough, scored 8 points, of which one field goal. Dutch national team player Myrthe Beld had 16 points and rookie center Sharon Lammerink posted 15.
Coach Laki Lakner credited his team with the win. "We started poorly, missing easy lay-ups and not grabbing any rebounds. But in the second period this all turned around and in the rest of the game we played some of the best stretches we showed this season. Molly and Katy both did an excellent job, but they got all the help they needed from their teammates."
>> Pictures.
>> Video.
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Eurosped Twente
Author: Henk Wals
Date: November 19, 2009
Dutch
Who will be the fourth participant in de Final Four? ProBuild Lions, HLB Accountants Den Helder en Woonbron DAS have clinched themselves a spot. Candidates for the last spot are AutoCAD Amazone and Eurosped Twente, who are tied with Amazone having finished their 8 games and Eurosped being scheduled to play one more game. Yes, at Landsmeer, home of the ProBuild Lions.
With Eurosped and Amazone being tied 1-1 in games, but Amazone having a better result in points made and allowed over the two games, Eurosped will have to pull out a win in Landsmeer to advance to the Final Four.
For the Lions the result is of no real importance, but coach Laki Lakner and his team simply hate to lose under any circumstances, so Eurosped will have to put up a fight to be victorious.
In Twente the Lions put up a 58-82 rout of Eurosped. A few days later coach René Heeres quit his job. He was replaced by Wim van Ek, a very experienced coach, who retired last year - well, not for long, as it turned out.
Since Van Ek made his comeback Eurosped has not lost a game yet.
Game starts at 7:30 PM CET.
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Lions Advance to Final Four
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: November 21, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| BV Lely |
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46 |
| Probuild Lions |
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71 |
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The Lions clinched themselves a spot in the Final Four tournament with a 46-71 win over BV Lely. Molly McDowell led the Lions with 19 points, 6 steals and 4 assists. Kati Harty contributed 17 points and Jasmijn Overbeeke chipped in with 11.
Although the result does not differ much from last week's score, the game developed in another way. Last week the Lions turned the game into an early rout, leading 2-18 after the first period. This time the game was tied at the start of the second quarter. After that the Lions gradually stretched the margin, enjoying a 25-36 lead at intermission.
The decisive moments came just after the break, when Molly McDowell scored 25-38 and Jasmijn Overbeeke nailed a 3-pointer and followed up with another basket. Belinda Bos capped the run converting two free throws, 25-45.
In the fourth period the Lions cruised to a 42-71 lead before Lely made the two last baskets of the game.
All Lions made double minutes. The game brought that opportunity, coach Laki Lakner said. "This was one of the times to give our young players the chance to prove themselves and gain experience."
"Offensively we did not have a great night", he added. "We created some great looks, but we were not very efficient in converting these chances. We were 7-out-of-29 from behind the 3-point line, which is not very good. On the other end we held them to just 46 points, which I believe is more important."
>> Pictures.
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Lely revisited
Author: Henk Wals
Date: November 19, 2009
Dutch
Saturday ProBuild Lions pay another visit to BV Lely, this time for a game in the preliminary round of the Final Four tournament in december.
There's not much to add to last week's preview and game notes. The Lions posted a pretty convincing 44-73 victory and advanced to the next round of the Dutch Cup tournament.
Game starts at 8:30 PM CET.
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Lions Eliminate Lely, Advance to Next Round
Author: Henk wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: November 14, 2009
| Scoreboard |
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| BV Lely |
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44 |
| Probuild Lions |
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26 |
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73 |
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ProBuild Lions comfortably reached the next round of the Dutch Cup Tournament after routing Lely Amsterdam 44-73.
Kati Harty scored 13 points and posted 6 assists and 6 steals. Molly McDowell and Belinda Bos both added 12 points.
The Lions held a 17-44 advantage at intermission and cruised in the second half.
Coach Laki Lakner said he thought his team had some good defensive stretches, but struggled offensively at times, especially in the third and fourth period. "It's always hard to keep focus in the second half when you lead by 30 points at the break", he said. "At least for us it is. All I can say is, next week we'll be here again and I hope we can improve our performance then."
The Lions used a smothering defense in the first period to jump to a 0-16 lead before Tamlyn de Groot scored Lely's first points from the line in the 9th minute. In the second quarter ProBuild extended the margin to 27 points, securing the victory before halftime.
In the second half the Lions did not pursue a larger win, settling for more or less keeping the margin intact. Coach Laki Lakner used all of his 12 players to cruise to an easy win.
>> Pictures.
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First Cup Round
Author: Henk Wals
Date: November 14, 2009
Dutch
Tonight the Lions meet BV Lely in Amsterdam for the first round of the Dutch Cup Tournament. This knockout tournament is held throughout the season in four rounds. The winners advance to the next round, the losers are out.
BV Lely is still winless this season, so hopefully the Lions won't have too much trouble reaching the next round.
Game starts at 8.30 PM CET.
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Lions Top Grasshoppers, 77-50
Author: Henk wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: November 11, 2009
Molly McDowell scored 16 points, Kati Harty had 13 and Jasmijn Overbeeke contributed 12 points as the ProBuild Lions rallied past STOL Grasshoppers.
Former Lions player Rianne Philippo's 23 points effort could not prevent a 77-50 loss for the visiting team. DePaul's Missy Mitidiero scored 5 points for Grasshoppers, all in the last quarter.
The Lions turned the game into an early rout as Jasmijn Overbeeke, Molly McDowell, Belinda Bos and Marijn Neyndorff all hit 3-pointers to fuel a 23-8 run, capped by Neyndorff's trey in the 8th minute of the first period.
The Lions had a 28-13 lead entering the second quarter and held a 44-28 advantage at intermission.
Rianne Philippo drained a rainbow right after the start of the second half, but Molly McDowell hit a jumper and Katy Harti converted a steal into a basket to make it 48-31.
At the end of the third period Kati Harty fed Jasmijn Overbeeke for a lay-up to give the Lions a 60-38 edge.
In the last period coach Lakner put in rookie Marloes Soffner, who responded by nailing three jumpers, one from behind the arc.
Molly McDowell buried a trey to put up the largest margin of the game in the 8th minute, 75-44. Rianne Philippo hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to reach the 50-point mark for Grasshoppers.
>> Pictures.
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Another Midweek Game vs STOL Grasshoppers
Author: Henk Wals
Date: November 10, 2009
Dutch
Wednesday night ProBuild Lions hosts STOL Grasshoppers for a midweek game. Grasshoppers is 1-out-of-6 now, having posted just one victory on winless BV Lely.
The Lions won the first meeting by 11, but coach Laki Lakner was far from happy with the 61-72 margin after a 32-36 lead at halftime.
Eurosped Twente (74-95) and AutoCAD Amazone (95-65) obviously did a better job against the Grasshoppers.
Let's face it: humiliating low-seeded team is not one of ProBuild's strongest points.
Game starts at 8:30 PM CET.
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Harty, Lions Top Amazone
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: November 1, 2009
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| Amazone |
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62 |
| Probuild Lions |
17 |
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10 |
21 |
68 |
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In their second meeting visiting ProBuild Lions defeated AutoCAD Amazone 62-68 after posting a 88-60 rout in the first game. The Lions are very close to clinching a ticket for the Final Four now.
Kati Harty was one rebound shy of a double-double, with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Harty hit four 3-pointers. Jasmijn Overbeeke posted 15 points and 8 rebounds. Molly McDowell contributed 11 points and 6 assists.
The Lions led 24-36 at intermission, but saw their lead melt away in the second half. In the last period they trailed by six, but managed to pull the game away in the last three minutes.
Coach Laki Lakner said he had seen his team play better games. "Offensively it was not a good night", he said. "We had too many turnovers and too many missed shots. Kati, Molly and Jasmijn carried the team, the other ladies contributed too little tonight. But on the other hand: offf-nights happen and we pulled out the game."
Indeed the Lions did not had a perfect shooting night, hitting 31% from the floor, 29% from behind the arc and 60% from the free-throw line.
Amazone started the game with a 10-0 run, but ProBuild answered with a 0-13 burst, leading 17-18 after the first period.
Kati Harty nailed a 3-pointer and had a lay-up to help the Lions build a 20-28 cushion in the second quarter. A few minutes later Marijn Neyndorff hit a trey to cap a 0-7 run, putting ProBuild up 22-35. At halftime the Lions led 24-37.
A.J. Jackson and Marloes Renskers led the Amazones in the third period, when they clawed within 42-47 before entering the fourth.
In the fourth minute of the last period ProBuild looked at a 54-49 deficit. Belinda Bos hit a 3-pointer, but Heather Zurich and A.J. Jackson made it 58-52. However, things brightened up for the Lions when Kati Harty, Molly McDowell and Jasmijn Overbeeke all had a steal and a lay-up, tying the game, 58-58.
Amazone made it 60-58, but Kati Harty responded with a 3-pointer, 60-61. Next Heather Zurich scored for AutoCAD before Jasmijn Overbeeke knocked down a trey for a 62-64 lead. Molly McDowell made it 62-66 in the 8th minute.
After former Lion Maaike van den Bovenkamp had missed two free throws, Kati Harty sealed the win with a lay-up.
>> Pictures.
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