THUNDER SPURN IT AT THE CHARITY LINE

Thunder, the holders, making their fourth straight appearance in the Trophy Final tenaciously matched a much more experienced Arrows team of former internationals and European competition players but ended up going down 83-76.

National Trophy Final at Brighton Centre '”

1st quarter: From 14-10 down, Thunder went 10-0 to lead 20-16. Moore and Gayle two baskets each, plus a Gayle free throw.

But the price for Hildreth guarding Patton, typically with phenomenal energy and footwork, was three fouls, one debateable. Hildreth benched, Patton broke loose on Hildreth's deputy, Brame, to sink a three and pick up a foul from Moore and make both frees for a 25-21 interval lead.

Thunder had achieved their initial objective: to subdue Patton and stop Sheffield rushing into a decisive lead as at Worthing in the league. They were forcing Garnet to take shots and that's not the strongest part of his game. He was missing plenty and at four points down, and having just forced Sheffield into a 10-second back-court violation, things looked good defensively for Thunder.

2nd quarter: From 27-27 and 34-34, even though Cauthorn rested, Sheffield went 10-0 with a three from Payne. Mead had replaced Brame but Patton got to the line for two and made a three-point play, and Danny Richards had a put-back. Richards was widening the Sheffield transition.

Ugbana came on and Thunder actually closed the half 7-3 (to a Patton trey). Mead and Brame both dished easy baskets for the inside men and Ugbana made a free throw: 47-41, a six-point deficit instead of four at the first quarter break but two teams basically still locking horns.

3rd quarter: Thunder's 8-0 start added up to an exciting 15-3 run astride the interval. Butterworth drove and dished to Moore and Knox showed signs of going to work inside.

Suddenly, the Sheffield perimeter ignited. Four straight treys to outside twos from Butterworth and Gayle, and Smith was calling time out at 61-52 Arrows at 3:34 on the clock.

Moore and Knox led the response, Moore drawing two fouls and only a shock Garnet three gave Arrows a 68-57 lead at the end of the quarter '” the first daylight betwen the teams.

But in the quarter, Thunder had twice forced 24-second clock failures from the Sheffield offense. It was to happen twice more in the final quarter and it was Garnet most being caught still holding the ball. More great D by Thunder, undone only by the four threes.

Garnet led Arrows in the stanza with seven points, Cauthorn with six. Hildreth, Brame and Gayle had the lid on Patton.

Final quarter: Cauthorn beat the buzzer with a jumper to create the biggest gap at 70-57. Bates was now in the game, albeit briefly; he, fellow big man Ugbana and almost-as-big Butterworth with a three-point play off the post, hauled it back to 70-65 but defensively the shut-down was at a cost of four team fouls by 6:41.

At 74-65, Ugbana's double miss at the line revealed the mounting tension but Knox inspired Thunder with two frees and a turnaround jumper to pull it to 74-70.

A Gayle jumper cancelled out a Payne drive to the hoop and after Thunder forced the fourth 24-second triumph, Gayle's out-of-touch three-pointer failed when net would have made it a one-point game at 76-75 Arrows.