Riders beat Wildcats to head into Christmas break on a high

The Leicester Riders showed up as a close knit team on Saturday night as they broke their two game losing streak by hammering BBL new boys, Durham Wildcats, 97-64.

It was a game that held a huge amount of importance for the Riders as they were desperate not to head into the Christmas break on the back of consecutive defeats especially given the start to the season they were having.

Paternostro’s men laid all fears to rest as they ended the first quarter up 30-19 and from that point on, they never looked back. Double digit scoring efforts from Rundles, Hardy, Wierzbicki, Royster and Griffin allowed the Riders to get ready for the festive season earlier than expected as the home side found themselves leading by 27 points heading into the final period.

Credit must go to the Durham Wildcats who were playing the second game of a back-to-back and although they battled until the final whistle were visibly tired from their battle with the MK Lions the night before.

All in all it was a great night for the Riders as not only did they get the win but more importantly they raised a substantial amount of money for former Leicester Rider, Jason Johnson, who was involved in a car accident in Israel earlier this year.

The Leicester Riders final game of 2011 is on the road against the Worcester Wolves on the 28th December.