Riders grind out victory
LEICESTER FINALLY SEE OFF SHARKS IN FINAL PERIOD WITH LEE TOP SCORING ON 17 POINTS
LEICESTER Riders had a tense 74-64 victory against the Sheffield Sharks to maintain their unbeaten start to the BBL Championship in a tight, defensive affair at the Morningside Arena.
The teams were playing for the second time in five days, and for the fourth time in this young season.
With both sides very familiar with their opponents’ strengths, they tended to cancel each other out over the first three quarters, before Riders finally took control in the final period to take the win.
It was the Sharks that started the better, with a driving lay-up from the impressive new signing Jeremy Hemsley, and a dunk from Kipper Nichols, helping the visitors to an early 6-2 lead.
Riders were a little tentative on offence, and a couple of sloppy cross-court passes were turned over by the Sharks, and converted into breakaway scores.
Darien Nelson-Henry kept Riders in the game in a low scoring affair, and after six minutes the scores were level on just eight points apiece.
Conner Washington came off the bench to hit five points in a row for Riders, and Nichols responded with seven points in succession for the Sharks, to leave the teams at 17-17 after ten minutes.
It was a grind out affair in the second period as the tough defences limited scoring opportunities, and then seven points in a row from Sheffield, capped by a Nick Lewis three pointer, pushed the Sharks ahead by 27-21, forcing Riders head coach Rob Paternostro to take a time-out.
Halfway through the second period the Sharks led 31-25, but then it was Riders’ defence that turned the screws, and fine play from Geno Crandall, who was closely marked by the Sharks throughout, and a turnaround jump shot by Zach Jackson had Riders back in it, trailing just 35-32 at half-time.
The game remained close, with the Sharks ahead 44-41 with six and a half minutes gone in the third quarter, but Riders then turned the tide.
A William Lee lay-up was quickly followed by one from Jackson, Corey Johnson scored five points in a row, and Riders finally had some breathing space, leading
50-44.
But the Sharks would not lie down, Nick Lewis responding with a three pointer, and the game was still in the balance after three quarters, with Leicester leading
54-50.
The start of the final period proved decisive as a Washington three pointer was quickly followed by one from new boy Aaron Falzon, and with Riders then pressur
ing the Sharks to a shot clock violation, the visitors were forced to a time-out.
Riders were racking up the fouls, and four free throws in a row from the Sharks closed the gap, but a Lee dunk followed by a powerful inside hook shot from NelsonHenry and a three from Lee got Riders’ lead back up to a 10-point cushion with four minutes on the clock.
From then on it was just a matter of managing the clock and Riders finished with a hard fought but deserved win.
Lee was the star man for the Riders, hitting six of eight shots on the way to 17 points, highlighted by a couple of ferocious dunks, along with nine rebounds, including a couple of crucial ones in the fourth quarter, along with two assists, three steals and a block.
Captain Nelson-Henry was his solid self with 13 points and seven rebounds and an eye-catching five assists, while Washington also scored 13 points, including two three pointers and four assists, guiding Riders home in the tense fourth quarter.