KENDAL Warriors are looking to bounce back after a spirited away defeat to Gateshead Phoenix.

Feeling confident after securing their first win of the season against Liverpool II last week, Kendal made the long journey across the country hoping for another victory.

Despite a close start, Gateshead gradually proved themselves too strong for the visitors and they ran out eventual 96-62 point winners.

The game began brightly with an early basket for the Warriors but Gateshead soon turned things around.

Buoyed by a large, boisterous home crowd, the Phoenix began breaking with pace and intensity as they moved into an early lead.

France and Mason combined for Kendal to keep their team in the game - scoring all of the Warriors points in the first quarter.

But despite their best efforts, Kendal went in on the wrong side of a 29-13 scoreline at the end of the first quarter.

Kendal changed tactics at the start of the second quarter and looked to close down their opponents quicker in an effort to stop Gateshead from shooting from range.

However, the versatile Phoenix just found new ways to score as Kendal's pressure tactics opened up cracks in their defence which the canny Gateshead players exploited.

The Warriors dug deep and managed to score 19 points in the quarter to keep them within touching distance - it would have been 22 points had the buzzer not beaten a three point shot at the death.

This meant the Warriors had managed to keep the margin between the sides to just 16 points which gave them a chance of victory if they could maintain their scoring rate but improve in defence.

Boosted by their second quarter success, the Warriors were true to their name as they came out fighting after the half way point.

The Mason brothers combined with a series of scores to bring Kendal to within touching distance but when several free throws were missed, momentum shifted back towards the home side.

These were golden chances for the Warriors that they could not afford to miss and they will have been ruing those mistakes on the long journey back from the North East.

Despite missing some glorious chances as a team, McInnes managed to score four points late in the quarter for the Warriors to give them a boost going into the final break.

Fatigue played a role in what proved to be damage limitation for Warriors in the fourth quarter.

Tenacious efforts from Arfanis and Withnell helped stem the Gateshead tide and with the persistent determination of France and Mason the Warriors could just about cling on to the coat tails of their opponents.

The game ended 96-62 but, despite the loss, there were positives for the hard working Warriors to take away from the game against a Gateshead side looking to mount the top of the table.

The Warriors' next game is a regional derby at home to Preston on Saturday, November 22 at 5pm at the Dallam Sports Hall.

Scorers

G France 26 K Mason 17 P Mason 8 K McInnes 4 T Withnell 4 M Basedow 3 K Arfanis 0