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BBL Brandon blasts refs as Bears shock Rocks
Brighton Bears gave coach Mark Dunning only his second victory in his three month tenure at the club as the south coast side upset Edinburgh Rocks 66-69 at Meadowbank in the Dairylea Dunkers Championship.
However while Rocks coach Jim Brandon conceded that his opponents had played better than in their previous encounter last Tuesday, he was angry about the refereeing decisions which he felt had unfairly harmed his team in the final decisive stages.
"I'm really disappointed with the officiating," was Brandon's blast. "We got no favours tonight. The guys did everything they could do to win the game but calls went against us down the final stretch. Once you beat someone you expect them to come back. There was no hint of complacency. I thought our effort was infallible."
The Scots did not enjoy much fortune at all, particularly when John McCord suffered a leg injury early in the second quarter which limited his contribution afterward. Edinburgh's advantage stood at 34-31 at the break and apart from one momentary interlude, the Rocks remained in front through the next period with a lead which peaked at 54-46.
Yet the visitors, who had won only once in two months, applied constant defensive pressure upon their hosts and were rewarded with a 12-0 run around the final quarter intermission. That left Brighton up by 58-54 and with a cushion which decreased only marginally before the finish.
However, the closing stages were marred by three technical fouls, including one apiece for Rocks Stuart Mackay and Bears ex-NBA centre Charles Claxton. Their skirmish fired up the home crowd but even four late points from the hobbling McCord could not salvage a repeat of their victory over the same opponents last week.
Lormont Sharp, who again saw only limited court time, led all scorers with 16 points, one more than Ted Berry.
"We've put in a lot of hard work and you want that to be reflected in wins," admitted a delighted Dunning. "There's been some gradual improvements. We are improving slowly but surely. The guys did show some good defensive work today and that's pleasing."
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