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With a large crowd in attendance for the return of Jonny Bunyan in his new role as Head Coach of the Caledonia Gladiators and the debut of new signing Devearl Ramsey, the Gladiators would put on a strong showing but ultimately would fall to the Surrey 89ers. The Gladiators would show their competitive spirit throughout the game but were unable to come back after falling behind in the second quarter of the action.
The game would start off with the Gladiators quickly taking control of the action, with Toto Fagbenle flying high for a dunk to put the first points on the board at the Amphitheatre. The Gladiators would continue to show their skill under the basket throughout the quarter, with a strong showing from behind the arc helping them put up 28 points to start the game and take the lead at the end of the first, 28 – 20.
However, the Gladiators would struggle in the second quarter, only putting up 4 points for the 10 minutes of action, making just 2 of 14 shots taken in the second, allowing the 89ers to take a commanding lead into the half time break. Coming back from 8 points down, the 89ers would take the 10-point lead entering the second half of play and would maintain their lead till the end. Surrey was aided in their comeback by strong shooting from the free throw line, making 8 of 9 from the line for the second quarter.
The half time score was: 32 – 42 to the Surrey 89ers.
With the second half starting, the Gladiators would refocus, forgetting their trouble in the second quarter and focusing on getting back into the game. The Gladiators would start the quarter strong, retaking the lead within the first 5 minutes of the half with a 13-point run and preventing Surrey putting up any points for the first six minutes of action. But the 89ers were able to put a stop to the run and find themselves back in front at the end of the quarter. A low scoring quarter would see both teams look evenly matched with the 89ers taking the quarter by just one point, 16 – 17.
The fourth quarter would continue to show how evenly matched these two teams were for much of the game, with the Gladiators taking the quarter by 2, but ultimately falling to the 89ers overall by 9 points. The two teams would trade baskets for the fourth quarter, but the Caledonia Gladiators would be unable to fight their way back into this game. Despite the defensive intensity shown by the Gladiators in the second half, the 89ers would take the win on the home court of the Gladiators. With the game being decided by a tough second quarter for the Gladiators, the 89ers won 68 -77.
The final score of the game was 68 – 77 to the Surrey 89ers.
