Rossendale Raptors MABL Premiership side travelled to St Helens to play Rainford for the first time this season. The Raptors were unsure what type of game to expect with Rainford losing a few games but also having wins against in form
sides, YMCA and Cardinal Langley.
In turn the Raptors have seen a big improvement in their form, with recent a recent win over table topping Trafford and a narrow loss to YMCA in the last 2 games. The return of centre Matt Worsley, the energy and guile of Seb Ingham and the leadership and experience of Aaron Kay has turned around the below par start to the season.
The first quarter saw both teams trading baskets, with Rainford’s big man Simister and forward Buckley combining for 11 points with a mixture of post play and outside shooting. The Raptors hit some early baskets on the break and then went to new recruit Hall who made some strong cuts to the basic which resulted in him going to the foul line. At the end of the first quarter it was tied 13-13.
At the start of the 2nd Quarter both teams traded 3 pointers to keep the game tied. Raptors called a time out and recognised they needed to be more aggressive in cutting to the basket to exploit the Rainford defense. This resulted in an a 12-2 run in favour of the Raptors with frequent visits to the free throw line by Kay and break away baskets from Bramwell and Ingham. Mike Tibbs again took on the defensive responsibility of stopping Simister scoring, increasing his reputation as the Raptors defensive stalwart. The early strong play by Buckley was hampered by 4 fouls in the half to limit his minutes for the rest of the game. The half finished 30-20 in favour of the Raptors, with experienced Rainford point guard Lang struggling to get his team into half court offense.
The 3rd Quarter saw much of the same from the Raptors, intensive defense by all players on court led to fast break baskets for Ingham and Sanderson. Raptors worked on their half court offense running the Motion, taking good shots from the perimeter and feeding the cutting players. The Raptors held Rainford to 6 points in the period whilst breaking out with 21 of their own points.
The final quarter was more open again and saw Rainford make baskets led by Simister who led the team with 18 points. Tom Platt had an incredible 4th Quarter hitting 11 of his 13 points, including a long 3 pointer. Seb Ingham continued to control the offense and get to the basket at ease and finished the game with the Raptors last 8 points. The final score of 74-40 in favour of the Raptors was a result of strong defensive play and execution on offensive end, seeing all players score and 4 of the team in double figures. Seb Ingham’s pace and control exploited the Rainford defense and opened the court for the rest of his team mates. Ian Sanderson added great guard play with strong drives to the hoop. Forwards Kay, Hall and Platt dominated inside the paint and Rainford’s fouls were converted at the free throw line. Tibbs and Worlsey anchored the defense securing great rebounds and allowing the guards to break for easy baskets.
It is great to see the Raptors finding form at this critical point of the season. Moral is increasing and performances are improving for a group who only started playing together this season, and also had to step up level when promoted to the MABL Premiership. We move forward to next week’s games hosting Cardinal Langley 1 and looking to put pressure on the other teams in the bottom half of the league table.
The only unanswered question from the game, is veteran Richard Bramwell a guard or forward? Answers on a post card!!
Raptors Scorers:
Ingham 19, Kay 16, Platt 13, Sanderson 10, Hall 9, Bramwell 4, Tibbs 2, Worsley 2