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BBL Riders stun Storm for high five win
Local derbies are always hard to predict and Thursday's East Midlands clash at the Thunderdome continued that strange tradition. After leading by as much as 16 points early in the third quarter, Renault Leicester Riders caught Derby Storm cold but had to hold off the hostess's late fightback to escape with a 84-86 win, the Riders' fifth of the Championship campaign.
A 0-12 spurt in the first quarter put Billy Mims' men in control and when they rattled off the opening nine of the second half, their lead had stretched to 40-56. Derby, whose coach Martin Ford believes are playing their poorest at present, came back strongly around the fourth quarter break and levelled matters with four minutes left in regulation.
However Troy Coleman hit 1/2 from the foul line to put his team two points ahead and when Darrian Evans and Kip Stone failed to convert potential game-saving shots, the game was lost.
Purnell Perry of Leicester led all scorers with 28 points, his team raising themselves into sixth place in the Northern standings.
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