Riders prepare to meet Lions again
It may only be a few weeks into the 2011 BBL season but already the MK Lions and Leicester Riders are going head-to-head for the third time as they look to do battle in the BBL Cup on Saturday.
The season series is tied at one apiece after both teams won their home fixture in the BBL Trophy with the Lions coming out on top over the two games thanks to the efforts of Stefan Gill in the 107-90 victory at the MK Arena. His 26 points on the night helped erase the eight point lead the Riders held going into the second fixture and ultimately pulled the Lions through a physical battle between the bitter rivals.
Following that MK win, the Lions hosted the EBL’s London Leopards where they recorded their second consecutive win before travelling to Scotland for their first league game, a humiliating 115-88 defeat at the hands of the Glasgow Rocks. Despite having the momentum of two BBL Trophy wins the Lions faced Sterling Davis’ team and found that they were in crushing form.
The Lions contested the opening seven minutes but after that the Rocks buried the Lions thanks to their offensive avalanche (Murray had 20 points, Davis had 17 points and Cranston claimed a high scoring double-double) and the strong defensive wall that they erected. The Lions struggled to such an extent that they only recorded a paltry 11 points in the second period.
Mike New’s team will be looking to Saturday’s fixture to release their pent up frustration but will be faced by a different Riders side to the team they beat with relative ease earlier this month, thanks to the new signings made following the defeat in Milton Keynes on October 7th.
After that defeat, Riders coach Rob Paternostro identified areas of concern for his team and wasted no time in improving his squad as he brought in GB Captain, Andrew Sullivan, as well as unknown college prospect, Brett Royster.
The move for Royster was met with scepticism by BBL fans as they struggled to see the need for a big man in the Riders line-up but Paternostro remained patient and silent, instead allowing the detractors to have their say, confident in the fact that his newest acquisition would show the league what he could do:
“I feel like since that game (107-90 defeat to the Lions) we’ve done a better job of protecting the painted area” admitted Paternostro “I think that’s an important part of basketball. You have to be able to control that….I didn’t think we played well enough inside, so now we have improved in that area and (are) looking to get stronger there every day, game by game.”
After only three games and with Royster averaging around 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in a little over 21 minutes per game, the move for the former Sun Belt Defensive player of the year is looking like a solid bit of business by Paternostro and has gone a long way to not only resolving the Riders issues inside the paint but also to silencing his critics.
With the home team taking the win on both occasions, there is reason to believe that fan support is crucial in these emotion filled match-ups, something that has not escaped Paternostro:
“Last time we played Milton Keynes (at home), we felt the crowd was a major factor. I’m hoping that all our fans will be fired up right from the start as that was important last game – we felt that that our fans were ready to go before the opening tip off – and we’re hoping for more of the same on Saturday.”
The JSSC will undoubtedly be rocking when the ball is thrown up at the tip on Saturday night, it’s just a matter of whether the home fans will finish the night in the same way.
For details of how to get tickets for the John Sandford Sports Centre BBL Cup clash against the Milton Keynes Lions on Saturday the 29th October, please visit www.leicesterriders.co.uk
