| Glasgow Rocks | 78 |
| Cheshire Jets | 80 |
The Riders went down to a narrow home loss against old rivals Prestige Homes MK Lions last Saturday, while the following day saw Rocks lose against Mersey Tigers. Those results leave Leicester it third place in the BBL Championship table with an 8-2 record while Rocks are fifth with seven wins and as many losses.
Riders' coach Rob Paternostro expects the Scottish side to present a tough challenge when they arrive in the midlands: "The Rocks have struggled with injuries this season but are a team that is well coached and have many players who have contributed. Mychal Green has had a very good start to his season and is a player that can be explosive.
"I have a lot of respect for Sterling [Davis], his teams have always been well prepared over the years."
The Riders did have the consolation of a comfortable victory at Mersey Tigers last Friday, and Paternostro was pleased with that win: "Against Mersey we played pretty well on the defensive and were able to pick up another road win. Other than a brief spell in the fourth, we felt like we were in control for most of the game.
"We knew MK Lions would come out quickly, they were off the night before and I was impressed with their energy in the first quarter. They are a talented team their record is not an indication of the ability they have.
"I was very disappointed in our play early in that game, we played right into their hands by not moving the ball enough on the offensive end. When we move the ball we have proven to be a very difficult team to defend, but for whatever reason that did not happen early in the game.
"After being down 35-10, we didn't quit, we regrouped and were able to come all the way back and take the lead with 20 seconds to go, which would have been an incredible come back, but basketball can be cruel and Adrien Sturt hit a huge three from the deep corner to put them in front.
"I have to give the Lions credit, they blew that big lead, but were able to hit a huge shot to give them a win. It was a tough loss, especially when you consider that we missed 13 free throws, we need to figure out a way to knock those down, because as we can see it can cost us a game."
Riders' guard Bradd Wierzbicki is ready for another tough game on Saturday evening: "They're a bit banged up at the moment. EJ [Harrison] hasn't been playing for a while now, and Sterling has been injured as well. But Mychal Green has been outstanding at point guard and has put up some big numbers. Danny Huffor is another key - when he plays really well, they do well. They're the guards that we need to worry about, but there's also Sterling - he's been in this league a long time and knows how to play"
Wierzbicki admitted that last weekend was a tough one for his team: "We have mixed feelings about last weekend. The first game at Mersey was tough, and as I said last week, they're a good team. They won on Sunday and they're coming on strong. To give Lions credit they came out hot with lots of energy, but we fought back and were winning with ten seconds before Sturt came up with the big shot to win.
Posted on 27 January, 2012
