The Raptors got a key win away to Sheffield Saints today as Steven Gayle shone brightest in the contest against his namesake Garnett Gayle.
But it was no means a single effort from Gayle, but a well rounded team performance that secured the result.
Raptors started quickly and led 11-2 after five minutes with Conor Porter getting three great finishes on the break. Saints fought back in the middle of the quarter before Josh Houghton came off the bench and led the Raptors to a 22-10 first quarter lead.
The Raptors focus on defence over the last few weeks didnt pay much in the way of dividends in the second quarter as the Saints scored quickly and easily and cut the lead Raptors lead to just 5 points at half time.
But it was in the third quarter where the Raptors really did the damage, bouncing back from the poor second quarter to open up a 72-54 lead. Steven Gayle and Josh Houghton combined for 16 points in a 29 point 10 minute stretch.
In the final period the Raptors maintained their lead to close out a 96-78 point win. The Raptors had five players in double figures: Gayle 24, Houghton 22, Rangeley 11, Kuczaj 11, Porter 10.
Coach Ken Masser commented: "I was a little nervous before the game today. Sheffield are a well organised competitive team and obviously Garnett is still really dangerous. We were missing starting big guys Tom Sutton and John Lindsay as well as their backups Ty Taiwo, Matt Lindsay and Ben Chicken. But I was really pleased with how Anthony Kuczaj and Mark Rangeley played today and they carried us in the front court.
Its been a tough few weeks with injuries and various problems but we're grinding out results and starting to show glimpses of what we can do. We can certianly play a lot better both offensively and defensively and I'm excited about our potential.
It was a good win today. I'm really pleased with the result. We've got a big game next Saturday when we travel to Tees Valley. They'll be competitive and hopefully we can get another result."
The Raptors now sit second in the table behind Birmingham with two games in hand. Northants Thunder (third) are also poised to push for the title with three weeks to go.