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Heartbreak at the end for the Caledonia Gladiators as their strong comeback would fall just short, losing their away trip by just one point to Manchester Basketball. The Caledonia Gladiators were back on the road this Friday evening as they took on Manchester at the National Basketball Performance Centre. A tough start on the road saw the Gladiators fight their way back but ultimately fall just one-point short. The Gladiators look to bounce back this Sunday as they take on the Bristol Flyers.
After a strong scoring output by both teams in the first quarter, Manchester would take an early lead in front of their home crowd. Despite a strong showing from 2-point range, the Gladiators were unable to find their rhythm from behind the three-point line, a theme that would continue throughout the first half of basketball in Manchester. Despite strong 2-point shooting and offensive rebounds, the Gladiators would find themselves down by 8 at the end of the first quarter, with Manchester starting the game hot, putting up 30 points to start the game. The score at the end of the first quarter was 30 – 22 to Manchester Basketball.
Strong defensive from Manchester, with 12 steals by the end of the first half of basketball, helped them enter the half time break up by 7 points. The Gladiators had a strong second quarter, attempting to bring themselves back into the game. Winning the second quarter by 1, the Gladiators were able to slowly decrease Manchester’s lead but would remain down at the end of the half. The Gladiators would keep themselves in the game due to their strong offensive rebounding and fighting spirit in the key.
The half-time score was 49 – 42 to Manchester Basketball.
The Gladiators would continue to chip away at Manchester’s lead in the third quarter of action, taking the game to just a 3-point differential by the end of the quarter. The Gladiators picked up their intensity coming out of the half, determined to take control of the game, tying the game within the first minute and a half of the second half and taking their first lead. The Gladiators would take a 5-point lead 5 minutes into the second half, looking threatening to the home team. The game would remain tight during the rest of the quarter, but Manchester would regain the lead, ending the quarter with a score of 67 – 65.
Caledonia Gladiators vs Manchester Basketball would come down to the final quarter of action at the National Basketball Performance Centre. Both teams fought hard to keep control of the game, behind stellar performances from their star guards, Ian Dubose (Manchester) and Patrick Whelan (Caledonia Gladiators). With two and a half minutes left on the clock in this action-packed game, Manchester were up by 7 but the Gladiators would bring themselves within touching distance. With huge plays from Patrick Whelan in the final minutes of action, 7-points in the final 3 minutes, and a huge three from forward, Toto Fagbenle, the Gladiators would be down by just one-point with 40 seconds left. Despite the missed three from Manchester in the final plays of the game, the Gladiators would be unable to seize the opportunity to take the game in the final seconds and Manchester would escape the Gladiators come back and take the win. A strong showing from the Gladiators on the road would unfortunately end in defeat.
Top Performers:
Patrick Whelan: 31 points, 77% from 2-points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals.
Trevond Barnes: 16 points, 100% FG%, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks.
