Leicester Riders took another stride towards the Super League Basketball Championship title, with a 94-90 victory over Cheshire Phoenix.
Duke Shelton’s 21 points, off the bench, spurred the Riders to the win, in what was a gritty, hard fought affair.
Words: Daniel Ajanaku
First Quarter:
The game started off with a fast-paced, efficient start with both sides on fire. Nick Timberlake kicked things off on a fastbreak layup, before Riley Abercrombie got the Riders off with a wing three, igniting a near perfect scoring streak, the next three possessions.
Sights set early
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Following that, Phoenix pushed on showing their rhythm, with Skyler White’s transition three and TJ Atwood’s lay-up, stretching the lead to 7-15 and forcing the Riders to regroup with a timeout.
Post-timeout, Zach Jackson and Charles Thompson connected on a pick and roll play, but Phoenix continued the way they began. Leicester’s misreading affected them in the points column, Timberlake’s three and Cameron Holden’s putback helped build the largest lead of 11 points.
Ethan Wright and Shelton brought energy to end the quarter, with their strong offensive rebounding and interior play reducing the deficit. Despite their best efforts off the bench, the Riders struggled, shooting 41%.
Part of Cheshire’s 61% shooting came from White’s buzzer-beating three-pointer, ending the quarter back up 11, as Leicester trailed 18-29.
Second Quarter:
The second quarter saw a more settled Leicester team as they stood determined to eat into the 11-point deficit.
After two good defensive possessions, Jackson found Wright on a dime of a full court pass, as the guard converted the layup.
Phoenix responded through Timberlake’s mid-range shot but the Riders kept pushing. Shelton and Wright continued from where he left off, both causing havoc down low.
The forward did through his thunderous alley-oop slam and draining a three, to decrease Phoenix’s lead to two and increased his tally to 12.
DUKE GOES RIM RATTLING
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Whilst the guard increased energy with good defensive shifts, hungry for points and providing the necessary spark, as they looked to regain control.
They capitalised on this momentum. Spencer Johnson’s wing three gave Leicester their first lead since early in the first quarter. Despite this it was not safe, with it still being a one-point lead.
The Phoenix worked well to keep the game within arm’s length, with Timberlake racking up his 13th point through a transition slam, whilst White providing contributions within and beyond the arc, giving them a narrow lead going into halftime, 43-46
Third Quarter:
The third stood in more similar fashion to the start of the first, with both sides trading haymakers of their own, from the line, paint and beyond, creating an increasingly competitive atmosphere.
Phoenix kicked things off in competitive spirit, with Larry Austin Jr scoring, for his 16th point of the game. While Thompson responded quickly with a layup on the other end, Holden’s involvement on the boards proved crucial, as a putback slam and free throw conversion kept them ahead.
Both sides were giving their all on both sides of the ball, this saw the game in a small period of deadlock before Jaylin Hunter broke it with his wing three, bringing them within three, followed by Shelton’s slam tying it at 58.
Zach magic
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Austin Jr continued his effective inside work as he drove the cup for two before Wright hit back with a spin move and layup, keeping the score level.
Plenty of lead changes were witnessed with Abercrombie’s corner three tying things up at 63, before White’s three successful free throws got cancelled out by his steal and game-tying triple.
To cap off this heavyweight of a third quarter, Timberlake’s acrobatic reverse layup was cancelled out by another Shelton and-one, completing the three-point play, giving him 17 points.
Leicester began to smell the blood in the water, as they trailed 69-70, with momentum on their side going into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter:
The Riders came out of the gate, hungry and expectant for the win. Shelton’s relentless presence in the paint, giving him 19 points, and Jackson’s contributions, pushed them in the right direction.
Hunter drained a wing three, causing the crowd to erupt, but Holden responded with a reverse layup. Just as in the third, consistent back and forth remained the story.
Wright’s great defensive shift on White, despite the mismatch, was enough to alter his finish and allow Shelton to finish in transition.
Phoenix duo Holden and Timberlake remained effective, with the latter scoring twice in quick succession taking the lead to 79-83.
Abercrombie momentarily tied the game with a three and later followed it up with another, putting Leicester up by one at 86-85, whilst silencing the duo of Holden and Timberlake.
Down the stretch it was a nerve-racking period for both sides, as free throws continued to fly. With an unsportsmanlike foul on Tyreek Scott-Grayson proving crucial, as Jackson sunk both free throws, making it a two-possession game.
Despite a late Scott-Grayson score, bringing the game within one, Hunter calmly sank his two free throws, when fouled.
Thompson grabbed the biggest rebound of the Riders’ season, off Holden’s missed free throw, capping off a thrilling finish at 90-84.
Shelton’s 21 points, 8 rebounds and single block, won him the TrophiesPlusMedals Player of the Game, steering Leicester further up the climb for the title.
The Riders look to Wednesday, where they will travel to London to face the Lions at the Copper Box Arena, aiming to snatch the title from the hosts with victory.
