Riders’ young stars earn their stripes...
WALKER IS TOP POINTS SCORERS BUT PROSPECTS HELP SEAL WIN
LEICESTER Riders won their second successive pre-season match, beating the USA Select 90-79 in their annual fixture.
Mo Walker led the Riders with 18 points and seven rebounds, continuing his early dominance after a 27-point double-double in Leicester’s pre-season opener against Loughborough Student Riders.
Kimbal Mackenzie finished with 11 points and eight assists, while shooting 63 per cent from the floor in 20 minutes of play.
O’Showen Williams had a monster performance for USA Select, scoring 27 points running the point for the visitors.
His athleticism and speed earned him frequent trips to the rim and the free-throw line, leaving a strong impression on the game.
Riders’ new man Mackenzie had the best of the early goings, scoring six points in the opening two minutes to get the Riders on the board. The 6ft 1in guard out of Bucknall University, who averaged 17.2 points in his senior year, led the team in scoring and assists in a tightly contested first quarter, with six points and two assists as the Riders took a 27-22 lead.
USA Select kept the contest competitive in the first half, shooting 50 per cent from three.
They had three players in double-digit points entering the locker rooms at half-time, led by 13 from Van Turner.
Four straight buckets from Walker closed out the half, earning the Riders a slight lead at the end of the second quarter.
Walker earned a roar from the home crowd by producing the play of the first half, fighting for a bucket at the rim.
Surrounded by three defenders, Walker grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession before laying in a hard-earned two. His efforts put the Riders up 51-47 at half-time.
Four triples from the Riders marked the difference between the teams in the third quarter, including a three from Charnwood prospect Louie Jordan who gained 15 valuable minutes in the game and scored six points and added three rebounds.
Leicester-born Jordan put the Riders up 11, before a back-andforth exchange between the sides meant Riders entered the final period leading 70-62.
Head coach Rob Paternostro relied on his youth to see the game out for the Riders in the fourth quarter.
His faith in Leicester’s Charnwood and Loughborough prospects was rewarded immediately by the play of the game from Charnwood’s Kanu Gudza.
The 6ft guard took his flashy ball handling to USA Select, dazzling the defence to drive to the bucket for two early in the final period.
With three minutes left in the game, Gudza got to work once again, spinning to put his defender on the floor, before banking in another two at the rim.
The Riders sealed the game late on, winning the fourth quarter 20-17.
Justin Hedly led a balanced fourth quarter scoring effort with five points, as the Riders’ youth stars displayed confidence and composure to win the match.
The fixture was the last of the Riders’ pre-season home games.
Next up is a trip to the Netherlands for two highly anticipated games against highly-rated Donar Groningen today and on Sunday.