Rocks kills Jets fire
Edinburgh Rocks pulled off a 73-72 victory in less than definitive style over Chester Jets at the Northgate Arena to retain leadership of the Northern Conference of the Dairylea Dunkers Championship.
However Jim Brandon’s side ably demonstrated that with brilliance comes fragility, his team combining some exceptional offensive moves with basic defensive errors which left what should have been a comfortable victory in doubt until the very final seconds..
The Rocks had initially threatened to run away with the contest as some fine shooting by Michael New gave the Scots the first ten points of the game over a Jets side jaded from their heavy loss to Manchester Giants on Saturday. The visiting lead extended to as much as 16 points in the second period but after a slow start, their hosts began to find their own rhythm and steadily came back into the game.
A 13-2 Chester spurt left the match balanced at just 43-34 in Edinburgh’s favour at half time and they refused to yield after the re-start. Ten straight Jets points handed them the first lead midway through the third quarter and it required a scoring burst from Rocks duo Ted Berry and John McCord to regain the visiting advantage.
Nonetheless, as the clock ticked down, Chester’s accuracy from three point range extended their challenge and it was not until Scots skipper Iain Maclean hit a pair of free throws with two second left that his side’s third victory in four starts was secured.
"We started off well but we didn’t absorb our high foul count very well," admitted Brandon. "A lot of little things went wrong and the fouls made us more passive. Michael New for example was having a great game but a I had to take him off. I’m just having to pray people don’t get silly foul calls." McCord led all scorers on 24 points.
Chester coach Robbie Peers was left only to rue a poor start which costs his side a chance of a first BBL victory this season.
"We dug ourselves such a hole. When the pressure was on, we started to play as individuals not as a team. It's all about making the right decisions at the right time and we have some players who are not doing that so far. We're going to have to improve and we will fight and improve."
Greg Francis had 23 for Jets while Kyle Ivey-Jones hit 22 including an all-too-late three pointer on the final buzzer.
Copyright Britball. Download is subject to Britball's Terms of Service.