Raiders of the lost half
The score sheet will tell you that the Rocks lost the game by seven after blowing a twenty one point lead, the stat sheet will clearly tell a story of two contrasting halves. A quick glance at the quarter scores may lend itself to a double take as you see that the Raiders outscored the Rocks a resounding 30-8 in the final ten minutes. And browse the box score and Anthony Martin’s game high 14 assists to 3 turnovers will certainly jump right out at you, the game certainly churned up some interesting numbers.
Statistics are great, and in sport we have a major obsession with them, because they never lie, and present us with the most objective account of affairs. But as the saying goes, they don’t tell us the whole story.
The score sheet won’t tell you how selflessly and in sync the Rocks played in the first twenty minutes, how they turned down a good shot for a great shot, toying with the Raiders defence before delivering fatal blows time and again. The Rocks Mychal Green played an inspired first half; he repeatedly rose up against the smaller Jeremy Bell, and with a release so smooth, knocked down jumper after jumper. Green scorched the Raiders for 22 first half points, more than making up for the absence of his fellow American Andrew Wedemire, who sat out the majority of the half with foul trouble. The Raiders were very much out of sorts, and were perhaps in shock by the Rocks continued onslaught, the home side could only manage a measly 13 points first quarter, whilst the Rocks racked up 25.
There haven’t been many occasions this season at the Pavilions where the visitors have looked so in control, the Rocks had the Raiders at their mercy, and still had still yet to play their best basketball of the evening. EJ Harrison, who had been sidelined for 3 months with an ankle injury, showed us all why he is still one of the quality players in the British game. Displaying the safest hands in the league, Harrison conducted himself with the savvy flair that only a seasoned veteran of his calibre could posses. It was Harrison along with Green who stroked back to back triples to put their side up 40-19 midway through the second period, the Raiders were fading and fading fast. A timeout saw the home team play with more coherency and focus; they trimmed the deficit to 14 thanks to a Michael Ojo 3, however, this was quickly forgotten as Harrison once again came up with his own response, sinking a 3 to give the Rocks a 56-39 lead at the break.
The Rocks certainly weren’t done yet, they still had more punches to throw, taking the lead back up to 68-48 early in the third. It wasn’t clear whether or not Raiders James Jones was in coach Love’s doghouse as he not only failed to start the second half, but also failed to log a single minute, star centre Paul Williams also spent the best part of the second half as a spectator as Love went in favour of reserves Anthony Martin and Michael Ojo – a decision that would change the whole outlook of the game.
It was perhaps only a matter of time before the wheels fell off the Rock’s high octane offense, foul trouble, injuries, and a limited bench all played their parts in the collapse. Local lad Anthony Rowe started to abuse his match up with Rock’s player coach Sterling Davis, getting the better of him on the boards and the score sheet. Rowe’s contribution was backed up by the ever reliable Lehmon Colbert who more than troubled the Rock’s tiring interior defenders. However, the guys from Glasgow still held a healthy lead, holding on and going into the fourth up 70-55; all they had to do from here on in was rally with the Raiders.
The Pavilions has been the venue for many a momentous comeback in its 16 year history as the Raiders stomping ground. The same energy that’s filled the arena so many times before began to build, and as the players hit the floor to start the final quarter the atmosphere was charged, the home fans anticipating another historic comeback.
Momentum is a funny thing, it can be found anywhere, sometimes from the most unlikely of sources and can be lost as quickly as it’s gained. Some players thrive off it, it becomes contagious and soon the whole team is ignited and the result is breathtaking moments of play and a performance that otherwise didn’t seem possible.
Saturday night, Anthony Martin was that source. He simply stole the show, the quarter belonged to him as he attacked the rim and threaded the ball with pin point precision to his teammates in perfect scoring positions. The Raiders took the lead at 72-70, scoring the first 17 points of the quarter. Mychal Green split a pair of free throws to get within two again at 78-76, but then the Rocks suffered a 7-2 Raiders run which was enough for the guys in Green to close out the win, finally taking it 85-78.
