 |
BBL Injury-laden Riders succumb to Rocks
Edinburgh Rocks moved to within four points of third placed Derby Storm in the Northern Conference play-off race to record a fine 91-86 victory at Meadowbank yesterday. After trailing by as much as 15 points in the opening half, the Scots rebounded to secure a fourth positive result over the Midlands basketball outfit this season.
It was a result however which at one stage looked doubtful as the visitors capitalised on a series of early Edinburgh errors to lead for all but 30 seconds of the first half. Ahead 24-22 at the close of the opening period, the Riders played above their lowly station to hit their hosts on the break, building an advantage which peaked at 53-38.
However the turning point arrived just before the mid-way break when Jim Brandon's side embarked on a 13-2 run, a spell which was interrupted by an unfortunate knee injury to Leicester's Malcolm Leak who was forced to leave the match after racking up a team-best 19 points.
In his absence, the Rocks rapidly made ground, closing initially with a 7-0 burst and then putting further pressure on the Riders through ten consecutive home points from John McCord. The breakthrough eventually came when Iain Maclean converted a pair of free throws from the foul line to put his side up 69-68 and from then on it was plain sailing, McCord ending on 30 points with Ted Berry, selected for next Saturday's All-Star Game as a wild-card nomination, adding 19.
"The guys played with a lot of spirit," praised Brandon, who was hospitalised with suspected appendicitis until just before the game. "They collectively supported each other and covered for the void left by Joel Burns when he went to Birmingham. Obviously Leak getting injured gave the guys a boost but I still think we played tremendously well."
Copyright Britball. Download is subject to Britball's Terms of Service.