Leicester Riders won an overtime thriller 105-101 on the road to the Bristol Flyers to secure top spot in their Trophy group.
Zach Jackson and Jaylin Hunter went off in the clutch to see home a game in which Bristol never said die, making a late comeback in the fourth to send it to OT.
Jackson led the game with 27 and 7, and Hunter logged 20 and 9, the duo combining for seven in overtime and 18 in the fourth quarter.
Throughout the latter stages, Leicester’s performance at the foul line proved pivotal as Hunter and Jackson stepped up to put the game away. They made 26-32 of their free throws, and shot 45% from the field on the game with five players in double digits.
Keddy Johnson was the catalyst of the Flyers’ comeback, making huge plays late on his way to 23 points. But Leicester took one lead too many in overtime, Spencer Johnson’s three proving the dagger in overtime.
A battle from the jump
A physical encounter ensued from the jump, with the first 16 points coming at the rim or the foul line with the scores tied at 8-8.
Back-to-back turnovers combined with four missed threes to start the game gave Bristol a narrow edge through Trey Tennyson’s four points, but Hunter’s active hands snatched two steals leading to a tie game with Charles Thompson’s jam.
The game’s first three went Bristol’s way to end the opening period, as Jared Sherfield made it 23-19 with ten played.
Bowman takeover in the second
Blake Bowman, off the back of a Player of the Game performance against Surrey last time out, caught fire in the second. He scored 10 points in three minutes including a heat check three to make the lead four.
The back and forth nature of the game meant Bristol bit back immediately in a breathless second period, Desmond Robinson tying it up at the foul line.
With the clock ticking down towards the half, Jackson turned it on from deep for back-to-back triples, giving Leicester a seven point advantage with 1:30 left. The American scored eight straight points in a crucial moment in the game.
Bristol’s star Keddy Johson concluded the half with foul shots, bringing the sides to the locker rooms with Leicester leading 51-46.
Back and forth until the fourth
Offences dried up to start the second half, with the Riders managing just two points in four minutes. The Flyers climbed back and tied it up through Keddy Johnson on the drive, before Hunter opened up the Bristol defence with a smooth no-look dish to Jackson inside.
Bowman checked back into the game with four minutes left and made an immediate impact. The young Brit pulled down Keddy Johnson’s miss before taking off, driving into the teeth of the Flyers’ defence and kicking out for a Jackson triple.
Bristol’s aggression paid dividends throughout the third as they attacked the rim relentlessly. An and-one from Raphell Thomas-Edwards got them the lead, followed by a big jam from Kendall Lewis.
Duke Shelton stemmed the bleeding with a long two, setting up an intense finale with the Riders down 66-65 to start the fourth.
Bristol comeback forces overtime
Jackson, in another critical spot, scored six to start the final period and take the Leicester lead back.
With the score close, Hunter stepped up with a pull up three from the top and Jackson bullied his way down low for an and-one play, making it 79-72. Hunter went off in the final quarter, pulling off a circus shot to give Leicester a convincing lead.
A red hot run for Bristol got them right back in it late, however. 8 straight points, including two quick threes, brought them to within a score, before Trey Tennyson stepped up from the wing to deliver the game tying three.
Tennyson, following a Riley Abercrombie missed three, got to the foul line on the next play to make the score 86-84 with 1:20 left.
Hunter was the Rider to step up in the clutch. He nailed a corner three with a defender draped over him to snatch the lead back, and was followed by Spencer Johnson three to put Leicester up four.
In a last gasp effort for the hosts, Keddy Johnson again drove to the hoop, making an and-one play to cut it to one. Hunter was then sent to the foul line with 10 seconds left, making one to make it 91-89. But Keddy Johsnon, with one second left, stepped up in the midrange to tie it next time up the floor to send the home crowd into rapture.
Hunter was given the chance to win it, but missed his three right to send it to overtime.
Seeing off a Flyers fightback in overtime
Leicester got straight to work in OT. Thompson took it down low for a hookshot inside, before Hunter’s steal saw him lay one in on the break. Spencer Johnson drained another three, and Leicester led 100-93.
But in 25 seconds Bristol brought it back to a one score game, once again threatening an unlikely comeback with Keddy Johnson scoring on the fastbreak. Evan Walshe followed up with a trip to the line, and it was 99-100 with 1:33 remaining.
With under a minute on the clock, Leicester found their way to the foul line through Spencer Johnson and Hunter to make it a five point game. That was the final nail in the coffin for the hosts, who ran out of clock despite Keddy Johnson again getting a bucket with less than a second left.
The Riders return to action on Sunday, hosting London Lions in their final Trophy group game.
