The Raptors have had another busy week with games for all their teams culminating in another double header weekend where the Raptors claimed wins in scintillating fixtures with the Derby Trailblazers and Leeds Carnegie. Both games were close and went right down to the final seconds.
Saturday versus Derby Trailblazers 94-92
On Saturday, in front of a large home crowd, Raptors played Derby who had a good squad and some very talented players. The game was close throughout, with Raptors leading from the beginning and maintaining a slender lead for most of the game. Aitor Estrada continued his recent return to form making several shots in the first quarter but each time raptors pulled away Derby came storming back.
As the game came into the final quarter Raptors lead 66-60, but the scores were tied at 81-81 with 5 minutes to go. No matter how freely Raptors scored Derby made difficult shot after difficult shot to keep the game close and with 20 seconds left the scores were tied at 92-92. With Gayle controlling the ball he attacked towards the basket in the final seconds, but as the defence smothered him he managed to pass out wide to Aitor Estrada who made a long range shot to win the game at the buzzer. I fantastic end to one the most entertaining games of the season and a crucial win for the Raptors who now top the league table.
Sunday versus Leeds Carnegie II 72-68
On Sunday, in the National Shield, Raptors looked fatigued and were struggling with a few niggling injuries and faced a youthful and athletic side from Leeds University. Again the game was close but the Raptors controlled the game from start to finish and were never behind. They won the game 72-68 and advance to the third round of the shield when they will host Huddersfield. Point Guard Roy Paul and wing man Steven Graham had good games as well as Steven Gayle who finished with 40 points of his own.
On the weekends achievement Coach Fry commented “It’s been a tough few weeks where we’ve played a lot of games and had a very busy schedule. The guys have been terrific and we’re feeling good about our current form and hopeful for the rest of the season. With a bit of luck I think we’ll be pushing for promotion come March.”
Junior Tournament
On Saturday afternoon Rossendale Leisure Trust and the Raptors came together to organise a junior basketball tournament at Haslingden Sports Centre. There were five teams in the competition, 3 teams from Rossendale and two from St Wilfreds school in Blackburn. For many of the youngster aged between 8-12 this was their first competitive basketball and they acquitted themselves brilliantly. The talented girls teams from St Wilfreds won each of their games in the round robin pool and faced each other in the final.
The teams from Rossendale included the first ever competitive action for the new Bacup team which has been formed with the support of funding from Rossendale Borough Council. The Bacup team were brilliant, fighting for every loose ball, passing the ball well and looked to be very well coached by up and coming young coach Beth Cattle (19).
Beth was delighted with the teams performance; “It was so good for the kids to get some competitive games for the first time. They did so well and I was delighted for them. They all seemed to really enjoy it and we’re looking forward to continuing to develop the team and get more young people at the Thursday night sessions.”
Raptors II beat Bolton
Despite being shorthanded Raptor II pulled off a terrific win away at Bolton in the Manchester Area basketball league Premier Division. Without star player Aaron Kay the team had to work hard to cover his absence, but it was teamwork and togetherness that fuelled this win, with national league up and coming youngster Jalees Siddiq (19) who led the way for the team. Good performances from Martyn Taylor and Matthew Worsley helped the Raptors get their first win in the division this season 65-45.
Coach Gren Worsley commented, “The team were excellent tonight and a delight to coach. They worked hard for each other and showed that the sum of the parts of the team can be greater than the individuals within it. Jalees and Martyn were terrific and its great to get that first win of the season under our belts.
Raptors Ladies narrowly miss out on away win
On Friday night the Raptors Ladies team that are flourishing under new coach Martyn Taylor travelled to Chester to face university team MMU Cheshire.
Once underway the first half was closely fought with impressive defence from both teams. Rossendale was in foul trouble quickly with some confusing decisions made by the referee resulting in Michelle Gilliver on 4 fouls by the half, and the team trailing by only 3 points. An impressive start to the second half saw the Raptors close down the key restricting the home team to only 4 points allowing us to take a narrow lead of 2 into the final quarter.
A flurry of baskets by MMU at the beginning of the fourth, and the Raptors struggling to finish, the Crewe team pulled away. A switch in defence and a tremendous effort by all (including a great check by the smallest player on court, Verity Postlethwaite), put a halt to Crewe’s run and saw a final surge from the Raptors to pull the deficit back to 5 with over 3 minutes left. Both teams struggled to score as the time ran down and defences were strong. A late 5 points in the last minute for the Crewe team gave them a flattering 10 point win at the end of a hard fought game.
A tremendous team effort by the whole Raptors team showed huge improvements across all areas of the game. Almost all the Raptors got on the score sheet, lead by Jacky Rees (9), Verity Postlethwaite and Lisa Dickenson (both on 6). The remainder of the team (Ebony Hatton, Michelle Mcmanus, Michelle Gilliver, Chloe Yearsley, Beth Cattle, Bryonie Carroll and Sarah Gallagher) all put in great performances, and all players should be proud of the improvements made since their first game two week ago. Confidence should be high as they look forwards to our next game on Tuesday at home.
Raptors U16 put up brave fight against Burnley
Raptors juniors played Burnley in the east Lancashire CVL on Wednesday night and despite a heavy deafeat should be very proud of their efforts. The team worked extremely hard for each other, played some very good passing basketball, and despite the score line fought hard to the end in true Rossendale Raptors spirit. For many of the players it was their first competitive action as the coaches looked to give opportunity to some of the recent new recruits and couldn’t have been more proud of their effort and attitude despite playing against a much more experienced Burnley side.
Raptors III struggle against Ribble Valley
Raptors third team travelled away to Ribble Valley this week and despite leading after the first quarter struggled to maintain their form as the Knights pulled away. Although dissappointed with the performance, Choach Chris Watts was pleased with the players effort. "New man Nick Dearden had a good game as did many of the youngsters. Things didn't go our way today but we'll be back strong next week."