21st Sept, 2007 Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 89-74 BiG Storage Cheshire Jets

Game details:-

Venue: The Plymouth Pavilions

Competition:- BBL Championship

Quarterscores:- 25-22, 46-41, 62-58, 89-74

Overtime periods:-

Final result:- 89-74

Officials:- Haydn Jones, Darren Bolt, Gavin Lewis

Top Scorers:

Raiders: Lasker 36, Noel 13, Beasley 12

Jets: Obazuaye 37, Brown 16, Pratt 9

vs.

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders opened their BBL Championship campaign with a home win after defeating the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89-74 at the Plymouth Pavilions.

It was a showdown between shooting guards Drew Lasker (Raiders - pictured) and Jayson Obazuaye (Jets). The former scored 36 points and the latter netted 37 in vain on the night.

The teams could barely be separated in the early exchanges, although the hosts did not take their first lead until seven minutes in at 17-15. The Jets edged in front again before a three-pointer with the last play of an offence-focused first quarter saw the Raiders go in 25-22 in front.

The visitors rattled off the opening 6 points of the second stanza and extended that to a 10-2 run and a 27-32 lead. The lead was still five points before the Raiders closed the half with a 12-2 surge that gave them a 46-41 edge going into the interval.

The teams traded runs early in the third. Plymouth scored 4 in a row, the Jets responded with 5, before the home team nailed 9 without reply to stretch the lead into double-digits at 62-52. However, the Jets finished with a 6-0 burst to go into the decisive period just 62-58 down.

The Raiders maintained a four-point lead up to 74-70 before making the decisive move. They closed the game with a 15-4 run which included 9 points from Lasker and 4 from DeAntoine Beasley, the knockout blow was a Lasker triple that made it 79-70 with 2:49 left, from where there was no way back for T.J. Walker's team.