Leicester Riders played the first of three December fixtures against their rivals, Newcastle Eagles, in the first leg of the Super League Basketball Trophy semi-final last Friday.
It was a hard-fought battle, with the Riders having to fight back from down 17 at halftime to bring the tie to within four come the final buzzer.
With the teams facing off a further two times in the coming weeks, both encounters taking place at the Mattioli Arena, learning from previous games becomes a pivotal part of the Riders’ hopes of December success.
Here’s what we can take from Friday’s game…
Newcastle’s strength in depth
Newcastle proved to possess a talented roster from top to bottom, with weapons in the starting and second unit able to knock down shots at a high rate.
Jaylin Hunter spoke on Newcastle’s strength in depth ahead of Friday’s highly anticipated clash.
“They’re pretty deep,” said Hunter. “They have a lot of guys that can hurt you and win a game for them so they are not a one or two man show.
“They have a lot of players that can drive and shoot, so we have to really pay attention to the scouting report and know who we have to contest hard on and who guys we need to be wary of drives to the rim.”
Hunter’s assessment was accurate, with the Eagles’ bench outsourcing the Riders’ 47-18 led by 18 from former Rider Josh Ward-Hibbert. Three players scored double digit points tallies on the Eagles second unit, with that unit playing a pivotal role in a 38 point second quarter for the hosts.
The Eagles bench was red hot from deep, shooting 7-15 from behind the arc, three of those triples coming in the second. The Riders will have to be locked into their perimeter defence through 40 minutes in the upcoming fixtures to keep Newcastle’s second unit in check.
Riders’ experience proves vital
Down 59-42 at the half, Leicester were forced to fight out of a hole and get themselves back into contention for the semi-final.
The experience of Head Coach Rob Paternostro paid dividends in calming the team at the half, and instilling belief that they could make it a game going back to Leicester.
Paternostro reminded the team that there was plenty of basketball to play in the two-legged semi-final.
“We played poorly in the second to give them the lead, but there weren’t just 20 minutes left, there were 60 left, and that was the message at halftime,” said Paternostro post game “There was plenty of time to just keep chipping away.”
With those words echoing in their ears, the Riders came galloping back into the tie out of the half, going on an 8-0 run in the third quarter to cut it to single digits, and making it a one point game with an incredible sequence late in the fourth.
Ethan Wright epitomised the Riders’ never say die attitude with an incredible chase down block on Christian James, before dishing it to Hunter for three to cut it to one. A late three for Newcastle rebuilt their lead to 4, but the Riders’ fightback has made it a game going into the second leg.
“We did an excellent job in the second half to get back into the tie. Defensively we learned a lot for the second half which is really important in these types of games,” concluded Paternostro.
Big moments, big players
With the team’s back against the wall, Coach Paternostro leaned on his star power to get the Riders back into the tie. Hunter, Zach Jackson and Charles Thompson came up huge down the stretch in the second half to play big minutes and make important plays.
Jackson got the comeback rolling with a 10 point third quarter, battling to the free throw line with physical play at the rim. He led the game with 24 points, shooting 8-8 from the foul line in the game.
Jackson combined with Thompson, who had 8 points in the period, to snatch momentum back and establish themselves in the paint. Then as the clock ticked down in the fourth and the game hung in the balance, Hunter stepped up to drain a pair of crucial threes and chip into the Riders’ deficit.
Leicester’s star trio stepping up in the highest leverage moment of the season means all is to play for when the Eagles come to Leicester for the reverse fixture.
Newcastle next at home
The Riders take on the Eagles in their next home action in a crucial game in the Championship season on December 15.
