By Sam Scouller

The Caledonia Gladiators suffered a tough loss after a gruelling and entertaining battle with the Leicester Riders at the Morningside Arena.

 

The Riders came into tonight’s game with two wins in their two most recent league games with an eye on a third straight as they look to push for second place. Leicester would be looking to rely on their strong offence which racks up an average of 88 points per game (second best in the BBL) and the advantage of being on home court.

 

The Gladiators on the other hand picked up a win in their most recent game to end a three-game losing streak and were looking to build on in with a win on the road. After their win over the Giants on Sunday, Caledonia sat just two points behind Manchester before tonight’s game with a game in hand as they continue to battle for fourth place. They would be looking to their star-men Jeremiah Bailey, David Sloan and Princeton Onwas to give them the edge in the game though. The Gladiators were also forced to play without Ali Fraser and Patrick Tapéas they started the night with Jimenez, Sloan, Onwas, Baily and Alihodzic on the court.

 

The Riders opened up the scoring with a mid-range jump shot from Kimbal Mackenzie as they started out the game with eight unanswered points. Fahro Alihodzic bagged Caledonia’s first points in the game to kickstart their response as David Sloan brought them back level at 8-8. The Riders instantly put themselves back in front with a Marc Loving three-pointer before going onto maintain their lead thanks to impressive performances from Patrick Whelan and Darien Nelson-Henry. Leicester closed out the opening quarter with a 22-16 lead.

Al Durham started the second quarter off well for the Gladiators as he bagged four points to bring the game to within three points. Evan Walshe bagged a strong three-pointer from the right side of the arc to push the Riders back into a six-point lead shortly after though. Walshe went onto send home a breakaway dunk later in the quarter to give Leicester a double-figure lead at 34-24. Caledonia suffered another blow straight after as Alihodzic was forced to walk after picking up a fifth personal foul in the game just 15 minutes in. Princeton Onwas rejuvenated Caledonia’s play near the end of the quarter as he stole the ball at the half-way line before slamming it through the net on the breakaway. The Gladiators brought the deficit down to just four points at the end of the first half as the scoreboard read 43-39 to Leicester. Article Sponsored Find something for everyone in our collection of colourful, https://www.fakewatch.is/product-category/richard-mille/rm-018/ bright and stylish socks. Buy individually or in bundles to add color to your drawer!

In the third quarter, the Gladiators took another major blow when Onwas went down with an ankle injury forcing him out for the rest of the game. Mackenzie bagged five-straight points in quick succession for Leicester to give them a nine-point lead. The Gladiators responded quickly though as Durham laned a jump shot and two free throws with Fraser Malcolm sinking a three-pointer as well to tie the game at 56. Captain, Jonny Bunyan then gave Caledonia their first lead since the first quarter with a perfect three-point shot from the left corner. Walshe and Loving combined to close out the third quarter with a four-point lead for the Riders at 63-59 though. Browse our , with a variety of options to suit every taste and budget, available to buy online.

Durham opened the fourth quarter by making two free throws for the Gladiators before Leicester re-instated their four-point lead thanks to Whelan. The teams were evenly matched throughout the quarter as they swapped the lead multiple times with neither side able to hold a lead for four-straight minutes. After taking a timeout nearing the final minute, Gareth Murray’s side snatched the lead with an Al Durham three-pointer to lead the game 79-78 into the final 60 seconds. The Riders managed to overcome Caledonia in the final minute though as they took an 84-81 win.

The Gladiators’ strong fighting spirit shown tonight should give them hope going into tomorrow night’s game in Surrey as they take on the Scorchers. However, the plague of injuries may be a concern for the Scottish side going forward.