Riders hold out to stop a Jets upset

Leicester Riders survived a major scare from a swiftly assembled Cheshire Jets squad at home, running out 80-72 victors.

Playing out of Loughborough University’s Sir David Wallace Centre in their first home game of the season, Riders got out of the blocks early. Combined with Jets’ game plan to run the clock down in possession and dictate the pace, it backfired and gave opportunity for a lead to be stretched out late in the first quarter. Jay Couisnard’s dunk left the quarter with a score of 23-9 in favour of the home side.

More of the same was on the cards for Cheshire, as Leicester dominated again shortly after the break between quarters. At one stage the scores had Rob Paternostro’s side at a huge 26 point lead, which may have left many thinking a Mersey Tigers-style rout was to be expected.

However, the determination and efforts of Cheshire did not wane, and sure enough a run of late points, started by Phil Brandreth’s three pointer, followed by buckets from Shawn Myers and debutant Kenny Moore, it hauled their team back from the brink of disaster, with the scoreline going into the locker room at half-time, 47-31.

A tale of two team talks at half time most likely, Riders with a comfortable lead, but Jets having gained the momentum late in the half. However, it was the away side who took up the challenge and a dominant third quarter, which brought Cheshire back into the game.

John Fraley hit two early on for Riders in the third stanza, but a 10-0 run from Jets saw the home side’s lead cut to just 8, with still over half of the quarter to go. Riders did their best to regain control, but Chez Marks took over finding his range, helping Cheshire cut the lead to just a single point at 54-53. Pavol Losonsky made it a 3 point lead for Leicester headings to the final period of play, but it ended up as an incredible 22-9 quarter for the Jets.

Just over a minute into the fourth, and with some early scores, Chez Marks soon went to the line to convert two free throws and tied the game at 57-57. That was to be as close as Jets came to tasting victory in their first game of the season, as Riders began again to take control. Strong words from Paternostro to secure him his 100th win as coach, and a possible lack of experience and fatigue on the side of Cheshire, despite showing glimmers of a late charge, helped the East Midlands side run out eventually to an eight point win, 80-72.

Zaire Taylor led the Riders with 21 points, while John Fraley had a second double-double for this season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jets’ Chez Marks led all scorers with 28 points, and Kenny Moore, who stepped off his plane from America only hours before also posted a double-double of his own (14 points, 10 rebounds).

Post-game, coach Paternostro seemed happy enough to have gotten the win but had more to work on: “We have two wins, and we’ve done a pretty good job defensively so we can build upon that.”

In preparing for the match with little or no knowledge of some of the Jets squad, he said: “It was so difficult this week, people were telling me they haven’t practiced a lot and many other things, but it was hard because we could not prepare at all. I can tell those guys all week that Chez Marks can play, but if you don’t see the video, or haven’t played him before, maybe the message doesn’t get across as well.”I always believed they could sneak a chance, with Chez Marks hot and probably the best player on the floor tonight, we dried up offensively in the third quarter. They made close to eight or nine shots with less than five seconds on the shot clock; that happens. However what I was most disappointed about was in the first half.

“We went in at halftime, up by 16, but I felt it should’ve been a lot more. We messed around a bit, missed dunks, rookies thinking that the game was over. I told them in the locker room, Cheshire know how to play and I give them a lot of credit. With James Hamilton and another player to add, they will be a tough team to beat.”

James Hamilton, in his first ever game as player-coach, felt his side were unlucky at the best of times, but maintained their belief and game play heading into the game.

“I think going in with a full strength team would’ve been hard to beat, so going in with guys unprepared, one who flew in this morning, Shawn having to play forty minutes, Chez having to play forty minutes, our guard playing forty minutes; it was always going to be a tough ask for them. We had a game plan that we executed well in the second half, and got to within one point where it was anybody’s game and that’s all I could ask for. I’m happy with the result but we need a little more time to get together and have our big guy get here.”