Dave Ryan reports…
Levett Essex Leopards head into the Christmas break on a high after a thrilling 87-86 victory against Lancashire Spinners, on Sunday.
The Brentwood crowd went through the full range of emotions as their depleted line-up trailed by 12 at half-time before a stunning second half comeback saw them lead by seven with just over two minutes remaining. But the visitors replied with an 8-0 run and appeared to have won the game as they had a one-point lead with 3.2 seconds on the clock only for Tosin Oyelese to hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to spark some wild celebrations.
The odds were certainly stacked against the Big Cats as they went into the game with only seven fit players, a squad that included coach Steve Ogunjimi who played his first number of meaningful minutes for two years.
However Ogunjimi’s appearance only last 12 minutes of court time as he was controversially ejected midway through the second period for what appeared to be nothing more than talking to the referee.
With Justin Hitchman and Dougie Bennett injured, Caleb Tabanar and Dominic Scott-Robinson unavailable, and Perry Lawson suspended following his ejection at Leicester, the remaining Leopards were forced to step up and they were led by a triple-double from American guard AJ Roberts who finished with a 24 point, 12 rebound and 12 assist triple-double.
Darrell Bethune added 25 points, four assists and four boards while Mike Martin had 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a full 40-minute performance, and Jamie Hayes added 11 points.
The Big Cats had overcome a slow start to cut an early ten-point deficit to trail only 24-21 at the first break but the ejection of Ogunjimi clearly disrupted the home side and they were 50-38 down at half-time.
The visitors made it a 15-point game with the opening score of the second half and there was little sign of the comeback that was to follow until three minutes before the end of the third period when Roberts launched a 10-2 run, and a Bethune lay-up cut the deficit to 67-65 at the final break.
Bethune drained a three to open the final stanza as they took their first lead of the game, and Martin put the hosts 75-69 ahead with 6:31 on the clock.
The lead grew to eight with four minutes remaining as Martin converted a Bethune assist, and Roberts made it 82-75 with 2:19 remaining.
As the Big Cats struggled at the foul line, Spinners chipped away at the lead and Mark Rangely cut the lead to 85-84 with 23 seconds left and a poorly executed play saw the ball turned over as Rangeley put his team ahead by one going into the final play.
A timeout from stand-in coach Roger Malpass saw Roberts inbound the ball to Martin who found Oyelese just inside the foul line and he sunk his shot to seal the win.
Leopards will open 2017 with an intriguing friendly against the Welsh national team on Monday January 2, tip-off 3.30pm at Oaklands Academy in St Albans.
The Welsh side will use the game as part of their build-up for the 2018 Commonwealth Games qualifiers, while for the Big Cats it will be a chance to get the Christmas break out of their system before a big weekend which sees them at Brentwood against Manchester Giants in the BBL Trophy on Friday January 6 and Worthing Thunder two days later.
Wales finished seventh in this summer’s FIBA Europe Small Nations Championship in Moldova, beating Gibraltar 67-40 in their final game to avoid the wooden spoon. Since then they have undergone a change of coach, with Kings Lynn Fury play-caller James Bamfield taking over, and Leopards were pleased to help their former Division One rival.
“It should be a great game for us and a chance to get rid of the Christmas cobwebs” said general manage Dave Ryan. “It’s a fantastic venue at Oaklands, and they’ve staged junior international games and camps before.
“We’re hoping for a big crowd as it’s the end of a long break, and it’s the chance to see something a bit different.”
The game will be played with NBA length quarters of 12 – rather than the normal ten — minutes in each period.
