Groundhog day as Riders meet Flyers
LEICESTER AIM TO PRESERVE UNBEATEN BBL RECORD
LEICESTER Riders look to preserve their unbeaten record in the BBL Championship when they take on Bristol Flyers at the Morningside Arena tomorrow night (8pm).
It will be the second time the teams have met within a week, with Riders coming out on top last Friday night 85-73, after a stunning first quarter when they outscored the Flyers 34-19.
Bristol came back from a 21-point deficit in the second quarter to match the Riders, but could not get the game to within a single figures points deficit at any stage in the second half.
Riders used superb three point shooting in the first half to build their winning position, making 10 of their first 15 attempts, and some wizardry by point guard Geno Crandall frustrated the Bristol comeback.
Crandall’s driving play led to him drawing fouls, and he made nine from 10 free throws to keep the Flyers at bay.
But Bristol matched Leicester in all other departments and Riders’ defence had to be at its best against Bristol’s all-GB back court of Ben Mockford and Teddy Okereafor.
Bristol bounced back on Sunday with a 20-point hammering of Surrey Scorchers, with Okerafor simply sensational with 16 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists.
The Flyers have won three out of their opening six BBL Championship matches to sit in fifth place.
Riders head coach Rob Paternostro was pleased with Friday’s effort by his team, but also wary of the threats Bristol pose.
“I thought our ball movement was excellent last Friday and it was nice to see the shots dropping,” he said.
“But our defence was also top notch, and we are really making it difficult for guys to get open looks.
“We rebounded really well, kept their shooting percentages down, and really did an overall excellent job at that end of the floor.
“We are really balanced at the moment, in terms of how we spread the ball, the points contributions we are getting from seven or eight players, and the minutes played.
“Whenever you have to play the same opponents in quick succession the second game becomes a grind out affair. We expect that against Bristol.
“We saw that they won well at the weekend. I don’t have to convince our guys what they are going to be up against. They are a very tough team to play.
“Fortunately we have guys who like to play defence and we made it tough for them bringing the ball up the court.
“Conner Washington and Geno Crandall are amongst the best 94 feet defenders in the league, and when we do that, we can disrupt their overall offensive play.
“It remains early in the season, but there are no gimmes in this league, and we will have to be on our game to get another win.”
Leicester Riders: Corey Johnson, Jamell Anderson, Geno Crandall, Zach Jackson, Darien Nelson-Henry, William Lee, Conner Washington, Ali Fraser, Aaron Falzon, Greg Wild,
Bristol Flyers: Ben Mockford, Daniel Edozie, Zach Copeland, Eric Lockett, Marcus Delpeche, Panos Mayindombe, Josh Rogers, Marvin Dinnall, Liam Davis, Raphell ThomasEdwards, Finley Woodward