Giants dial in from distance to dismantle Phoenix

Manchester Giants made a victorious start to life without Nick George as they defeated the Cheshire Phoenix at home, 94-78.

The hosts started off a crucial run of games that will dictate their playoff destiny in the best possible way as they made 13 their 26 attempts from behind the arc to trigger a 16-point victory over their local rivals.

Devan Bailey put on a brilliant shooting display as he finished with 22 points making nine of his 10 attempts from the field including all four of his shots from behind the 3-point line.

The visitors were paced by 21 points apiece from Alif Bland and Chez Marks. Bland added 12 rebounds and six blocks and was extremely active at both ends of the floor.

The Giants used a 9-0 run at the end of the first quarter to turn a five point deficit into a four point lead as they turned up their defensive intensity against a Phoenix side that only suited up eight players. Aliu kick-started the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key before Callum Jones scored six straight for the hosts including a layup at the first-quarter buzzer to give the home-side a 19-15 advantage after ten minutes of action.

The hosts began to stretch out the defense in the second period as their 3-pointers started to fall and they opened up some breathing space between them and their opponents. The Giants drained five triples in the quarter as the atmosphere in the building cranked up another notch. Marks knocked down a pair from the free-throw line to cut the lead to 33-27 with just over four minutes left to play before the hosts went on a 9-2 spurt as Bailey and David Watts dialled in from long distance.

Bland dropped in a layup off a smart pass from Marks before James Jones converted from close range as he was fouled by Cheshire’s Gabriele Haskins to give the home-side a 42-29 advantage with 51 seconds remaining in the half. Marks hit a fade-away to trim the lead to 11 but Bailey drilled his third 3-pointer of the first-half to give his side a 45-31 lead at the interval.

The Giants long-range attack continued to flourish in the third quarter as they knocked down five more shots from 3-point range with the visitors tired legs unable to keep up with the host’s crisp ball movement as they generated wide-open looks on the perimeter. Former Giant Stuart Thompson knocked down a triple from the corner to cut it to nine with 5:45 left in the period as he finished with 13 points in his first game back against his old team. The Phoenix were held scoreless as the hosts went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes with Eaves, James Jones and Watts connecting from long range to put them up 60-42 with four minutes remaining in the third.

Cheshire regrouped and found a way back into the game as the Giants were guilty of some lapses in concentration; committing four turnovers in the closing stages of the quarter as the Phoenix cut the lead down to just 10 points.

The visitors continued their resurgence by scoring the opening four points of the final period as Bland knocked down a pair from the line and Marks scored a fast-break layup to cut the lead down to just six points. Aliu halted the run with as he muscled his way inside for a layup before Bland responded with an explosive dunk off the dribble to cut the lead back to six with 8:55 remaining.

The Giants guards stepped up and steadied the ship as Bailey and Stefan Gill combined to lead their side on a 14-2 run to put the hosts back in the driving seat. Bailey started the burst with a bank-shot from close range before getting into the paint and converting a difficult step-back jumper. Gill knocked down a pair from free-throw line and then Aliu found him wide-open in the corner for a three-ball. Haskins scored for the Phoenix with a blow-by layup but Bailey answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the game which was soon followed by Gill’s third and fourth free-throws to put the Giants ahead 83-65 with 6:15 left to play in the game. Bland and Haskins continued to lead the attack for Cheshire as they scored six points each in the final period but they were unable to stop the home-side at the defensive end as the Giants poured in 27 points in the final quarter to snap a two-game losing streak.

With seven games left to play in the season victory leaves the Giants firmly in the Playoff hunt as they currently lie in ninth position with the same number of points as the eighth place One Health Sheffield Sharks who have played four less games. The London Lions currently occupy the seventh spot and play the Giants twice in their final seven games of the season which will go a long way to decide who gets to join the Playoff party and who is left on the outside looking in.

Starting Fives

Manchester Giants – Bailey, J. Jones, Watts, Aliu, Eaves

Cheshire Phoenix – Haskins, Marks, Thomson, Myers, Bland

Top Scorers

Manchester Giants – Bailey 22, Eaves/J. Jones 16, Gill 13

Cheshire Phoenix – Bland/Marks 21, Haskins 17, Thomson 13

Play of the Game

Alif Bland’s nifty drive to the basket and dunk was one of quite a few highlights for the Phoenix centre with several of them coming on the defensive end in the form of highlight blocks as he finished the contest with six rejections and only three fouls.

Game MVP

Devan Bailey – 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals – 9 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from downtown in just 27 super-efficient minutes. Bailey shot the ball with supreme confidence all night in what was a must-win game for his side as we approach the final run up to the playoffs. He can create his own shot off the dribble at any given time but on a night like this when his outside shot is falling he becomes impossible for the defense to contain.

Next Up

Manchester Giants – London Lions, Sunday 24th February, 5:00pm, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre

Cheshire Phoenix – One Health Sheffield Sharks, Sunday 24th February, 5:30pm, Northgate Arena