BASKETBALL: Rossendale Raptors top National League Division Four North table after their first game of 2012.
The Raptors ran riot against an under-strength Mersey Tigers side at Haslingden Sports Centre, chalking up a 116-41 victory.
The Raptors team was almost at full strength and welcomed back point guard Ken Masser, returning after a shoulder operation.
Conversely the Liverpool outfit were missing a couple of key players through injury and fielded a young and fairly inexperienced side.
And Raptors got off to a flyer, scoring within three seconds of the tip off and almost immediately secured the ball to convert again.
Mersey Tigers were off the pace and failed to score until the fourth minute, by which time Raptors led 11-0.
Using a tough man-to-man and an occasional full court press, the home team continued to put the pressure on and with substitutes coming on regularly the lead had stretched to 36-10 by the end of the first quarter and eight different players had made it onto the score sheet.
The rout continued in the second quarter and, in the space of three minutes, Steve Graham had scored 10 points by getting on the end of key passes and picking up some smart rebounds.
Tigers had no answer in this quarter, only scoring five points, while Raptors pushed on to lead 60-15 at the halfway stage.
Coaches Jim Fry and Allerston’s half-time talk emphasised the importance of composure and execution and the team responded in the third quarter by again topping the 30-point barrier.
Raptors’ top player Steve Gayle, who leads the league standings for points scored and average per game, put in a burst of scoring to take 20 of the 34 scored and then made way for others in the team to come to the fore.
During this period of play Ion Slabu, Raptors’ 6ft 8in Romanian, woke the spectators up with two amazing ‘dunks’ – one of which started at least eight feet from the ring.
Yet again there were seven different players getting on the scoresheet.
The Mersey Tigers coach worked hard at calming his players against the Raptors pressure and they did manage a reasonable return of 14 to the Raptors’ 34.
By the start of the fourth quarter all of the Raptors squad had been on court and this theme continued.
With 94 points already on the board it is always difficult to finish with the same intensity and some of the edge went out of the game.
By halfway through the final quarter, every Raptor player had scored and, even when the Tigers players fouled to stop the easy score, the Rossendale players converted the resulting free throws with ease to amass the big win.
Gayle was top man for Raptors with 32 points, eight assists, and four steals; Graham scored 14 with six rebounds; Kornecki scored 12 points and took 15 rebounds.
Several other players were in double figures. Masser had a good defensive game and finished with four steals and four assists.
This result takes Raptors to the top of National League 4 and they now have two long hauls to Hull Wasps and Tees Valley Tigers to contend with in the next couple of weeks.
The Sanderson Wetherall sponsored side have their sights firmly set on the National play-offs in late March.
http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/sport/s/1470574_all-round-team-show-by-rampant-raptors