Raptors knew that the Sunday game at Middlesbrough was going to be a completely different scenario thatn the comfortable win over Mersey Tigers theday before. Middlesbrough Lions had been responsible for Raptors last loss by one point, back in early November, and were lying one place below the valley side in National League 4. Coupled to this the Lions have a very professional set-up and had just beaten the transfer deadline by signing two players from Newcastle in Division 1 of the National League.
Raptors were also depleted with another six key players being unavailable. Centres and consistent rebounders and scorers Mark Cowell and John Lindsay were both missing along with double digit scorers Steven Graham and Angelo Korcnecki. Back up point guards Ken Masser and Rob Williams who have been playing significant minutes in recent weeks were alos missing and so the Raptors drafted in two of their Manchester League side, Mike Tibbs and Aaron Kay, who has previous national league experience. Undaunted, the valley side left the snow of Rossendale to face a partisan crowd of 300 at the Eston Sports Academy in Middlesbrough.
The Raptors’ coaching team had already highlighted the main threats on the Lions’ team and assigned defensive responsibilities to certain players, but knew little about the Middlesbrough teams’ new recruits. The home team had built the game up as their game of the season and Raptors were aware that their opponents are capable of beating any team in the league and have their sights set on promotion. Their 6’9” American, Konanec, leads the League in rebounds and blocks and Robinson, a very quick forward, is vying with Raptors’s Steven Gayle for league top scorer! Add to this Italian guard Papis Samb and the other unknown quantities and Raptors knew they might be stretched.
Raptors start was tentative and after five minutes they trailed eleven points to just one. Eventually Gayle started to find his form despite some tough defence by the Lions. Helped by three pointers from Estrada and Ngara he pulled the deficit back and the Raptors held a slender one point lead at the end of the first quarter. Meanwhile Slabu and Allerston were playing great defence on Konanec and Robinson restricting them both to only one basket apiece. The quarter finished 20 to 19 with a relieved Raptors team on terms again.
Estrada nailed a three pointer to start the next quarter and for a while both sides traded baskets, with coach Fry, for Raptors, using his substitutes to rest players. Konanec and Robinson for Lions were still being contained and towards the end of the quarter Raptors pulled ahead through key scores by Estrada, Kay and Slabu. Gayle continued to accumulate points despite some brutal handling by the Middlesbrough side. This had been a good quarter for Raptors and the 32 points they accumulated took them to an eleven point lead 52 to 41.
The third quarter was a war of attrition and became very physical with Gayle and Slabu on the receiving end of most of the punishment, which seemed to go unnoticed by the referees. During this period the Raptors coaches were so incensed at an unpunished foul on Slabu that they incurred a technical foul from the referees for their complaints and for the rest of the game they had to be on their best behaviour! However Konanec had picked up his fourth foul and was rested by the Middlesbrough coach. Gayle continued to score for Raptors and although frequently fouled he sank all of his free throws. Allerston also contributed at this time, but Raptors were finding it difficult to contain Samb and Lions’ two new recruits Fisher and big-man Sommerville; who attacked the boards and pulled back some of the deficit. Coach Fry had thrown Platt and Tibbs into the fray to play key defensive roles and to rest other players, and they played their part well.
Lions started the last period five points behind and came out of the blocks in very determined mood, employing a very aggressive press on the Raptors guards. Samb and Robinson for the home team went to the basket to pull the lead back to one point and the writing was on the wall for a very close and contested last eight minutes. However Kay hit a huge three-pointer and Ngara drove through traffic for a fantastic lay-up. Allerston also hit a three pointer to take the lead back out to seven for Raptors. The referees who for most of the game had allowed an amazing amount of contact, suddenly decided to tighten up and call everything! Konanec fouled out for Lions but Samb, and Fisher continued to probe the Raptors defence with some success and Robinson broke out of his shackles to pose another threat. In three minutes the home team scored eleven to Raptors two and took the lead by a single point, but first Allerston and then Gayle went to the line to score both their shots and put Raptors back in the lead.
By now Estrada for Raptors and Samb for Lions had fouled out, but with less than thirty seconds to go Lions held a one point lead. Up stepped Raptors 6’8” forward Slabu to claw back the lead for Raptors, and after some strong defence, the Rossendale side regained the ball with ten seconds to go. Ngara was fouled and went to the line to shoot two and make it very difficult for Lions to come back. Sadly he missed both and Lions had one more attack to try to claim the game. They moved the ball up to the Raptors baseline but strong defence kept them at bay and as the ball was pushed out of bounds the final hooter went. The Raptors bench and travelling followers rushed onto the court to congratulate their winning team. An intriguing game of Basketball, which had the crowd on the edge of their seats, finishes 98-97 for the Valley side. Raptors have laid another ghost to rest and effectively put an end to Middlesbrough’s title hopes. Samb with 23 top scored for Lions but a battered and very tired Steven Gayle for Raptors finished with a massive 41 points. Estrada, 17 and Allerston, 15 were the other main scorers, but it was a superb team effort with some good defence especially from Slabu, Allerston and Kay, that laid the foundation of this key win.
Raptors are back at the top of the table and it now looks like a two horse race with only Stockport who could spoil their promotion or title prospects. That said, with several tricky away games left, the Raptors will continue to take one game at a time and will be happy to have their squad back at full strength in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy if Steve Brown (www.middlesbroughlions.com)