Rocks face uphill battle after Leicester fightback
GLASGOW ROCKS have the highest of mountains to climb to reach next Sunday’s BBL play-off final after an 105-84 loss to Leicester Riders in the first leg of their lastfour encounter yesterday.
The Scots looked primed for an upset when leading the league champions 54-43 early in the second half. But BBL Player of the Year Geno Crandall scored 32 points and ignited a charge that makes Leicester odds-on to survive tomorrow’s return leg on their own court and progress to face London or Bristol at The 02 Arena.
“We lost it in the second half,” Rocks player-coach Gareth Murray said. “Leicester’s attacking was relentless and Geno showed why he’s so good. The big difference is their depth. But they did a good job of punishing us and they showed why they’ve only lost five times all season.”
Jordan Harris paced Glasgow with 29 points, most coming in a frenetic first half that saw Glasgow come from 25-11 down to edge ahead. But Riders cut their mistakes and surged clear with a 10-0 run in the third period.
It points to the Rocks ending their season with a third semifinal loss of this campaign with Murray, 37, potentially concluding his distinguished playing career in the BBL after signing a one-year extension to his coaching role last week.
He added: “We’ll go out and enjoy ourselves on Monday. We’d need to play four perfect quarters and shoot a high percentage for a chance because they are a quality team.”
Meanwhile, Bart Sengers claims Caledonia Pride can also play pressure free when they visit London Lions today in their WBBL play-off semi-final.
The Scots, in the last four for the first time, start as huge underdogs against their hosts who are two games away from completing the domestic season unbeaten and chasing the last leg of a quadruple with the Women’s British Basketball League title, plus the Cup and Trophy, already secured.
However Sengers will urge his side to have no fear at The Copper Box with the winners facing Sevenoaks next Sunday at The 02.
The Dutchman said: “It’ll be a great challenge for us. London is the best team in the country. But on the other hand, we have nothing to lose.
“We know we’d need to play four perfect quarters to have any chance at all. That’s something we’ve not really accomplished, even when we’ve been winning games. We make mistakes. We still have a lot of room for improvement. But you get that in a young team.”
Defeat, Sengers revealed, would likely spell the end of alltime leading scorer Sian Phillips’ stay at the Edinburgh outfit.
“We’ve pretty much accepted Sian’s leaving,” he said. “She’s finishing her degree. And she probably wants to do something else than basketball. But that’s part of the issue for the WBBL. How do you get the league to the point where it’s an attractive enough option?”