BBL Play-off semi-final report: Riders roll Rocks over in return leg, 97-72

I imagine I’m meant to be unbiased and professional when writing a game recap but to hell with it…

…THE LEICESTER RIDERS ARE IN THE PLAY-OFF FINAL!!

Yep, that’s right, the Leicester Rider overcame a tough Glasgow Rocks side that was secretly favoured by many to reach the BBL Play-off Final on May 12th in Birmingham.  And who can blame those who backed the Rocks? The team had overcome a season filled with injuries and as a result found that their back-ups (Wedemire and Huffor) were actually serviceable pieces to add to their play-off puzzle. The Rocks had also previously beaten the all-conquering Newcastle Eagles AND they had twice beaten the Riders – both times on the Riders home court.

Credit to the Riders on Sunday though, they came out of the gate quickly and apart from a small two minute blip leading into halftime when they saw their double digit lead cut to only eight, the Riders never looked back.

Cameron Rundles was once again a revelation as he scored 16 of the Riders 33 points in the third quarter, a run that saw the Riders create daylight in the semi-final tie.

It’s not unfair to say that the game was only a 25 point victory because Mychal Green was allowed breathing room in the second half that the Riders simply hadn’t afforded him in the first, to score 21 points.

The Rocks go back to the drawing board as they search for a way to keep their team healthy, while the Riders go to their first Final under the leadership of Coach Paternostro.