Leicester Riders lost the First Leg of the Super League Basketball Playoff Semi-Final 85-75 to Sheffield Sharks.
The Riders were down 20 in the third quarter, but led by Ethan Wright’s heroics, they battled to get back into the tie. Wright had 14 and 6 off the bench, and Charles Thompson led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Leicester started the game shooting 1-15 from three as they fell into their 20 point hole early in the third. Wright sparked the comeback, and the Riders cut it to four near the end of the third quarter, but Rickey McGill went off late to rebuild some of Sheffield’s advantage. McGill had 32 on the night.
Zach Jackson went off in the final minute to bring the Riders to within reach. He drained a tough three over a tight contest on the buzzer to make the difference 10 going back to Leicester.
Now the Riders need to grit their teeth and battle back in front of their home crowd on Sunday.
Clash of Titans ends in first quarter stalemate
A battle between the side’s big-name players made for an electric start to the battle. The first quarter featured 10 lead changes.
Thompson, named to the Team of the Year earlier in the day alongside Jackson, dominated the paint from the jump. He had 6 points and 4 rebounds in five minutes, and showed off his ball-handling ability in transition to get a bucket going coast-to-coast.
But back-to-back threes from Rickey McGill, who scored 31 in the Second Leg of the Quarter-Final for Sheffield, represented a hot shooting start for the hosts’ star guard. McGill had 8 points in the opening period to nullify Thompson and keep the score level.
McGill leads Sharks to halftime lead
Sheffield built a lead to start the second period. They went on a 9-0 run and built a nine-point advantage through Jacob Groves in the corner, forcing a Riders timeout with 7:20 left in the half.
Leicester had to weather the storm to stay in contention- there was a lot of game left in the Semi-Final. They had started 1-12 from three 17 minutes into the game, and were waiting for their long bombs to start dropping as Sheffield’s were.
McGill closed the half with a bang to give Sheffield a 14-point lead at halftime. He drained a three for his second straight bucket and 15th points of the game. The score was 46-32 at the break.
Ethan Wright leads Riders third quarter comeback
Despite Jaylin Hunter bringing his game tally to 10 with a turnaround jumper in the midrange, the Riders couldn’t take the lid off the basket from deep at the start of the second half. They missed their first two attempts to make it 1-15. Meanwhile, Sheffield built their lead to 18.
Hunter got the Riders rolling with a corner three, which started a 9-2 run. Wright injected his energy into the game for a series of momentum-changing plays. His chase-down block, putback layup and buzzer-beating three cut it to eight with seven straight Wright points.
Deep shots started to fall for the Riders, with Jackson getting in on the action near the end of the third. McGill was sent to the foul line for three shots to end the period, making it 65-57, but Leicester were back in the game after falling down 20.
Zach Jackson shot-making cuts into deficit late
McGill caught a heater to start the fourth, draining back-to-back triples to make the lead double digits once again. Wright kept up the fight with his relentless hustle, but Leicester couldn’t make inroads.
Hunter and Thompson had a go at it with a 5-0 run. Hunter hit from three to give him 16 on the night. McGill again had the response and made it 81-68 with a layup on the run.
Jackson had the final say in the ball game, getting it to go through contact at the hoop before draining a tough look from three over Jamell Anderson on the buzzer, meaning the Riders have a 10-point deficit to overcome in Leicester on Sunday.
Second Leg in Leicester!
The return leg, played at Mattioli Arena, Leicester, takes place on Sunday, May 11 at 3 pm.
All tickets are £10. You can get them here!
