Raiders mauled by Lions

PLYMOUTH Raiders blew a 12-point first leg lead as their record-breaking season was ended by the London Lions in the second leg of the BBL play-off semi-final.

The capital club ran out 20-point winners on the night for a 180-172 aggregate win over the two ties.

The loss was a disspointing end to an incredible season that has seen the Raiders assert themselves as contenders in the league.

Following the match, Raiders’ head coach Paul James commented: “On the game, London just kept throwing bodies at us, and we had a short rotation so you could physically see that the guys were tired. Shots were falling short and we missed some defensive assignments.”

Reflecting on the past season, James added: “I’m really proud of what the team has managed to achieve this season. They’ve come in and played hard, we’ve played through adversity and without some players and still managed to get to this point.

“We’ve had a fantastic season and... we’ll be back.”

The Lions exploded out the blocks in the first period, and the 12-point Raiders lead from the first leg quickly turned into a two point Lions lead on aggregate.

Plymouth halted the Lions momentum in the second period , holding London to just 12 points, and the half was capped off by a monster jam from Ashley Hamilton as the Raiders gathered some momentum of their own.

Plymouth had cut the Lions lead to just one point on the night halfway through the third quarter, but the Lions’ went on a late charge, including a three-pointer with just over a minute to go in the ball-game.

Raiders’ Rickey McGill, who played all 80 minutes of the playoff tie, led all scorers with 25 points as he capped off an impressive season with another galvanising performance, however it was the Lions who booked their place in tonight’s end of season showdown against the Newcastle Eagles.