Rossendale Raptors suffered a last gasp defeat against Middlesbrough Lions in the National League Division Four.

With just four seconds left, Raptors were still two ahead but a three-pointer in the closing seconds snatched victory for the Lions, who came out eventual winners 78-77.

Star man Steve Gayle, who scored 35 points on the night, said: "We did enough to win the game and I’m disappointed with the loss.

"We’ll fix the mistakes we made And hopefully get a win next weekend."

With more than 100 fans at the game coach Jim Fry said: "It’s terrific to have the support of local people and we hope we’re putting on a good show.

"One of the fans who got a free family ticket through our schools programme said that it was one of the best family nights out that they have had in a long while and were suprised by how engaging the game was.

"Hopefully we can continue to put on a great show and provide a good night out for Rossendale people. There was a great atmosphere and the team really fed off it."

The Raptors dominated the game from the start, leading by double digits for the majority of the first three quarters.

However, Middlesbrough began their comeback with some excellent pressure defence that led to easy, fast break baskets.

As the Raptors lead dimished the players looked nervous but Gayle stepped up to knock in some difficult shots to maintain a slender lead.

As the game approached the final 90 seconds, Raptors still led by eight points and looked to be moving towards a terrfic victory over one of the divisions top teams.

However, the Lions mounted a furious comeback, scoring several baskets in quick succession and then scoring that decisive three-pointer in the final seconds.

Ex-Rossendale player Tom Robinson, now at the Lions, scored a game-high 36 points.

The club’s women’s team played a more experienced team in East Manchester Rebels and despite losing showed improvement and grew in confidence.

Many of the Raptors women haven’t played in competitive games prior to this season but have done terrifically well.

Bethany Cattle (18) showed her potential by scoring 10 points in limited playing time, and more experienced players Michelle McManus and Emma Widdowson – who scored 13 and 12 points respectively – led the team well.

The women lost the close fought game 61-50. Coach Dan Byrne said: "The team are really improving and the ladies are playing exceptionally well. We’ve been working hard since starting the team earlier in the year and I'm delighted with how far we’ve come."

The team are always looking for more players both those who just want to give it a try and get some excercise to more serious players.

One of the stories of the week was the Under-16 team who went to play Burnley in the Lancashire Under-16s League.

Due to various issues the team had limited players and although they fielded a full team, by half-time the team had been reduced to four players who were competing against the Burnley’s five.

Despite this the youngsters battled on, showing tremendous spirit.

They pushed Burnley all the way, led by Alex Fry who scored a terrific 24 points.

Despite losing the game 65-57 the team’s coach was delighted with the team and their effort and spirit.

ROSSENDALE Raptors’ national team are next in action at Mold Magic on Sunday (2pm).

http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/sport/s/1464784_late-hurt-for-valiant-raptors