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The Caledonia Gladiators headed back on the road in search of another win under head coach Jonny Bunyan but would be stopped in their tracks by a Cheshire Phoenix team hungry to get back into the win column to break their 3-game losing streak. A tough game on the road for the Gladiators saw them loss 89 – 75 to the Phoenix, led by a huge 37-point performance by guard, Nick Timberlake.
The Cheshire Phoenix would start the game hot on a 13 to 0 point run before missing their first basket of the night. The Caledonia Gladiators would struggle early in the game to find their rhythm, remaining scoreless for the first 3 minutes of action at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. Despite falling to double digits to start the game, the Gladiators were able to fight their way back to end the quarter down by single digits on the road. The Gladiators would struggle from three during the first quarter and Timberlake would lead the Phoenix with 12-points in the first quarter. The first quarter would end 20 – 13 to the Phoenix.
The second quarter saw the Phoenix push their lead to double digits to end the first half of basketball this evening. With the Gladiators continuing to struggle to find their rhythm, Cheshire took advantage of their struggles and with fast-paced offence were able to get the majority of their points in the second quarter from inside the three-point line. The second quarter would end 23 – 19 and the Phoenix would take an eleven-point lead into the half-time break.
The score at the half was 43 – 32 to Cheshire Phoenix.
The Phoenix would continue their momentum into the second half, further increasing their lead with a 10-point lead in the quarter alone. The Phoenix would push their 11-point lead to 21 points entering the final quarter of action in Cheshire. The Gladiators would continue to struggle against the strong defence of Cheshire, and stellar offensive output of Timberlake. The score entering the final quarter of the game was 69 – 48 to Cheshire Phoenix.
Despite being down by 21-points, the Gladiators continued to fight in the final quarter of the game, winning their only quarter of the game and cutting Cheshire’s lead. However, the fight shown by the Gladiators would be too late as the team would fall to Cheshire, 89 – 75. The Gladiators slowly started chipping away at the Cheshire lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Cheshire continued to play fast offense and would prevent the Gladiators from coming within 14 points. The Gladiators showed heart in the final quarter, picking up Cheshire with full court defence and continuing to fight. However, despite taking the quarter 20 – 27, it would be too late, and the Gladiators would face defeat on the road.
The final score of the game was 89 – 75 to Cheshire Phoenix.
