Derby Trailblazers 72 Reading Rockets 89
Moorways Leisure Centre, Derby
Saturday 13th February 2010 7.30 pm tip
In a high tempo game against the league leaders, Rockets turned in their best team performance of the season to date, overturning a November home defeat to Trailblazers, and boosting Rockets for the Play off Championship.
Other than 22 seconds in the opening couple of minutes, Reading led throughout. They played excellent defence and stuck to and executed their pre game plan. Rockets were up on Derby's sharp shooters throughout the game stopping them scoring any three pointers in the first half and only three in the whole game, whilst Rockets inside guys, Jason Sayers, Ryan Lohfink and Kenny Saunders scored 44 points between them and claimed 28 defensive rebounds.
Robbie Parker hit a three off Rockets' first possession with Saunders and Lohfink finishing well inside but within minutes Rockets were in foul trouble. From 7 – 9 down, Rockets edged into a lead they were never to lose with Parker hitting his second three and Lohfink converting the bonus point having been fouled in the process of scoring. A Saunders block and a brace of jump shots by Adam Thoseby saw Rockets finish the first quarter 21 points to 16 up.
With Saunders and Jason Sayers scoring jump shots and Jason finishing another penetrative move, Rockets found themselves with a double-digit lead after the early exchanges of the second period. Derby Trailblazers were being constrained by excellent Rockets defence and when the Sayers boys combined for Jason to score a buzzer beating three, Rockets had opened up a 15-point lead. Fenny Falmagne drove to the basket for his first points and Louis Sayers scored from behind the arc for Rockets to go into the break 45 points to 30 in the lead.
Though Derby had first possession of the third quarter, it was Rockets who scored first despite Derby's full court press. With Parker hitting his third three of the game and a great drive and score from the diminutive Jon May, Rockets led by 21 points. Derby got up some momentum as Lohfink and Falmagne were called for their third and fourth personal fouls but an outrageous hook by Jason Sayers followed by some superb inside play and two more points saw Rockets have an eleven point advantage at 64 – 53 to open the final period.
Rockets crucially scored first with a Louis Sayers three but Lohfink and May had their fourth personal fouls and Falmagne collected his fifth and disqualifying foul. Derby stepped up the pressure on the younger and less experienced Rockets but they stood their ground in the highly charged cauldron of Moorways. Another magnificent Parker three and yet more work inside by Saunders saw Rockets 12 up with 6 minutes to go. A Derby three and a tip in increased the noise and anticipation of the Derby supporters, but Lohfink scored in the paint, May hit a buzzer beating shot and Saunders drove for two more points as Rockets increased their lead to 13 points. As Derby fouled to get possession and put pressure on Rockets, Lohfink, Saunders, Jason Sayers and Parker scored from the free throw line. A couple of late Derby threes reduced Rockets lead but Rockets finished as they started with superb team defence and clinical offence to secure an excellent 17 point win by 89 points to 72.
After the final buzzer, Rockets' head Coach Matt Johnson was keen to say: 'That game was for Sasa Punosevac (the coach Rockets had to release due to financial pressures) – we executed well all that he had coached us. Thank you, Sasa.'
Top scorers for Rockets were Kenneth Saunders and Robbie Parker both on 21, Jason Sayers 17 and Ryan Lohfink 10.
