| Glasgow Rocks | 86 |
| Guildford Heat | 75 |
The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders strengthened their grip on a home playoff berth as they beat the Scottish Rocks 75-88 in Glasgow. The win means that they have recorded their second highest number of victories in a BBL season, behind twenty wins in 93/94. The Rocks have now lost eight consecutive games and find their spot in the playoffs at risk.
The Riders were led by the duo of Bradd Wierzbicki (27) and Tommy Swanson (25), who combined for 52 of their 88 points.
The start of the game provided no suggestions for what was to come as the Rocks raced into an 8-0 lead as Yanders and Pratt opened the game with three-pointers. Duane James got the visitors going with a three-pointer, and they were soon back in the game at 14-13 after Bradd Wierzbicki added another triple. The Riders took the lead after a Tommy Swanson basket rounded off a 5-0 run and made it 19-20. But Gareth Murray gave the Rocks the edge as he scored his team’s last four points and they led 23-22 after the opening ten minutes.
The Rocks started the second stanza in a similar manner to the first as Pratt scored a triple and Murray added another basket to make the score 28-22. However, they were reined in once more as another Wierzbicki three capped a 9-2 burst that put the Riders back in the ascendancy at 32-33. Mirroring the first quarter, the Rocks edged back in front, this time courtesy of further three-pointers from Pratt and Murray and they were as much as 44-37 in front with 1:32 remaining in the half. However, it was a one-point game once more as Isaac Westbrook and Tony Windless scored three-pointers to trail just 44-43 going into the locker rooms.
The Riders ran away with the game in the third quarter as they outscored their hosts by 27-11. They tied the game early on as Swanson made a three-pointer and held a slender lead at 51-52 after another Swanson score. They restricted the Rocks to just one basket in the last 4:35 as Swanson started and finished a 16-2 surge, during which Wierzbicki hit back-to-back triples and nine straight points. That saw the Riders leading 55-70 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Riders were never threatened in the fourth as the teams traded baskets, with their lead peaking at 68-88 on a Swanson score with 1:30 remaining. The Rocks closed by scoring the last seven points of the game, but it was too little too late.
The loss puts further strain on the Rocks playoff aspirations and they face a huge test next week as they travel to Newcastle on Good Friday, 10th April, to take on the top placed Eagles
The Rocks are next in home action on Easter Monday, 13th April, when they face the Milton Keynes Lions (tip-off 5pm)
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Posted on 05 April, 2009
