Rocks move to within two points of Sheffield with five games left
IN PRACTICAL terms, the line between finishing fourth and fifth in the British Basketball League is invisibly thin with the rewards of home advantage in the forthcoming play-offs much lesser in a home and away format than in the prolonged series used in the NBA and Euroleague.
With just five games remaining in their campaign, Glasgow Rocks have little room for significant advances despite the 77-65 victory over Leeds Force last night that moved them to within two points of chief targets Sheffield who face a pivotal visit to the Emirates Arena next weekend.
However, Sterling Davis acknowledged, the critical mission over the closing three weeks of the regular season is obtaining vital momentum. And despite the burden of injuries that has proven a blight since the very outset, six wins out of seven have turned the Scots into one of the BBL’s form sides as they gear up for a tilt at the fourth and final piece of domestic silverware up for grabs.
“It is about building now for what lies ahead,” Davis said. “We want our level of play to keep moving up. We want to get that confidence solidified. Coming fourth would be a good sign because we want to end up as high as possible and that is probably now coming down to us against Sheffield. But everyone is going to want to finish as strongly as they can.”
Despite the absence of first-choice playmaker Riley Grabau due to a knee injury, Glasgow did not miss a beat in effectively euthanising Leeds hopes of sneaking into the top eight. After the Rocks raced into a 10-2 lead, the visitors were allowed to draw level late in the first quarter but their threat was quickly neutralized.
Warren Gillis scored ten of his game-high 34 points in the opening period and the rookie guard capped a 10-0 run that quelled the Force before he converted two free throws that extended the gap to 41-27 at half-time. Leeds – eventually paced by 16 from Kwan Waller – trailed by as much as 18 early in the third quarter. And although seven unanswered points reduced the hosts advantage to nine with six minutes left, Gillis continued his tour de force to erase any fears of a meltdown.
Elsewhere, Leicester Riders are now just two points behind leaders Newcastle with two games in hand after their 90-52 demolition of Bristol kept them on track to claim the title in a race that will likely go down to the final weekend of their respective campaigns. Cheshire Phoenix moved up to sixth by holding off Plymouth Raiders 82-81.
Meanwhile Basketscotland is set for a major funding boost ahead of its incorporation into the new British Basketball Federation later this year.
Herald Sport understands monies from Sportscotland will be injected into the sport following a provisional deal to send at least one national side to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Scotland will no longer field international teams in FIBA competitions after this summer with Great Britain sides selected from Under-16 level upwards.