16th April, 2008 Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 77-73 Marshall MK Lions

BBL Championship Match Preview

Game details:-

Venue: Plymouth Pavilions

Competition:- BBL Championship

Tip-off:- 7.30pm

Quarterscores:-  24-22, 33-40, 52-56

Overtime periods:-

Final result:- 77-73

Officials:- Haydn Jones, Darren Bolt, Gavin Williams

Top Scorers:

Raiders: Lasker 22, Noel 18, Martin/Moore 15

Lions: Youngblood 19, New 15, Griffin 12

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The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders finished the season in style as they recorded a first BBL Championship win of the season over the Marshall MK Lions, 77-73 live on Setanta Sports 2.

It was the tenth time that the Raiders have bounced back from a half time deficit to win a game this season.

The victory means that the Raiders go into the BBL Championship Playoffs on form after winning back-to-back games against fellow post-season contenders, and they have won 11 of their last 13 games. They also have a chance of holding onto second place, although they are relying on the Heat not recording a win in their last two games.

Drew Lasker led the way with 22 points, but it was James Noel and Anthony Martin who combined in the fourth quarter to win the game for their team. Robert Youngblood led the Lions with 19 hard-earned points.

There were four early lead changes in the game, but it was the Lions who settled the quicker, and particularly Mike New and Tony Windless as the former had 9 points and the latter 4 to help the Lions to an 11-13 lead. Drew Lasker hit his second triple of the game to give the Raiders the lead once more, before a 19-19 tie was broken by a series of Peter Heizer free-throws (5). Amazingly, Drew Lasker scored 5 points in the last 5 seconds of the quarter as he hit a three-pointer, whilst Jamison committed a foul inside and Lasker scored once more from the out-of-bounds play.

Baskets from Lasker and Moore made it a 9-0 burst across the first break and a score of 28-22. The Lions came back with a vengeance and regained the lead after a 14-0 run in which Windless had 4 points and a Kevin Griffin three gave them a 30-36 advantage. The Raiders halted the run before the half, but still trailed 33-40.

Plymouth, who had come from behind at the half to win games on nine occasions this season, hit the first 5 points of the third stanza to narrow the gap to 38-40. However, 6 straight points from Youngblood capped an 8-0 response for the Lions to make it a ten-point game at 38-48 as Ronnie Baker rolled back the years to run the show for the visitors. James Noel kept the Raiders close and they held it within single digits before an 8-0 burst, capped by a Lasker triple, made it 52-53 before a Griffin dagger three-pointer on the third quarter buzzer.

Early in the fourth Youngblood made an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a Griffin three, to make the score 56-64. The momentum swung once more, and decisively, as Martin and Noel combined to rattle off 8 points for the Raiders to give the home side the lead at 68-66, before two lead changes ensued. After the Raiders had completed a 12-3 burst, 6 each for Martin and Noel, they led 72-69 with less than 5:00 to play. Two-and-a-half scoreless minutes followed before Noel scored again. Within the last minute, Youngblood and New scored to make it 74-73. With 18 seconds remaining, Gaylon Moore made 1/2 from the line before Yorick Williams was fouled by Lasker with 11 seconds left. He missed them both before a fracas ensued in the paint and Gaylon Moore ended up on the line at the other end with 5 seconds remaining and he made both to settle it.

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