Towers book Trophy final spot
Haribo London Towers reached March 18's uni-ball Trophy final against Manchester in convincing style, defeating Thames Valley Tigers 90-80 in their semi-final at the NEC Arena.
Towers led by as much as 15 points in the third quarter but allowed Tigers to close to within one point just after the final quarter break. However, sparked by Martin Henlan who ended with 15 points and 12 rebounds, the capital giants pulled clear with a 10-1 run to book the showdown spot.
It was a fair outcome for Ron Abegglen's team who had led from the opening exchanges but the Tigers were left to rue the series of chances they wasted to compete in this game.
"It came down to Thames Valley," said Steve Bucknall who hit a game-high 24 points, a tally matched only by Tigers' Jason Siemon, "They were aggressive and came back at us. We let ourselves slip mentally and let them into the game."
After trailing 25-22 after the first period, Paul James' side let the Londoners assert control to compile an 11 point half-time lead. Thames Valley's team-chemistry was not too evident as that lead was extended still further but when all looked lost, they began to pull back from the brink.
Casey Arena and Siemon led the revival movement, striking Towers from inside with a series of drives and lay ups which slowly cut the gap between the Southern rivals. That gap stood at 64-61 entering the final period but the holders from 1993-95 could not nudge in front and the Londoners rapidly built a secure 13 point cushion.
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