NEWS CHANNEL
ICE cool Adrien Sturt sunk a massive three pointer to give Lions a dramatic late victory over fierce rivals Leicester Riders on Friday.
Cameron Rundles put Leicester 75-74 in front with just 43 seconds left on the clock but Australian Sturt held his nerve under high pressure to fire Lions back in front.
Incredibly, there were only four seconds left when Sturt cooly floated in his three pointer to win the game.
When the ball dropped it sparked scenes of celebration on court and coach Mike New tried to restore order as Leicester still believed there was time to win it.
He said:“There was still time left on the clock so I tried to keep everyone calm.
“We didn’t know what could have happened so I told the guys to finish the job.”
The game was a close run thing but Lions will perhaps feel that it could have been won more easily after they stormed out of the blocks.
Demarius Bolds helped himself to nine points in a blistering first quarter which saw Lions race into an almost unheard of 18-4 lead.
Leicester went five minutes without scoring and the lead had been increased to 29-10 at the first break.
Things got even better for Lions who kept Leicester out for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second to claim a monster 25-point lead at 35-10, but Riders, undefeated on their own court before the game, began to hit back.
Scoring bursts reeled in the deficit to just ten points at half-time and Leicester continued to chip away at the total following the restart before the pulsating final moments.
Rundles’ basket sensationally put Leicester in front for the first time since the opening seconds and it looked like they would complete the most unlikely of comebacks before Sturt’s heroics.
The 6’10” player had netted just one of his four three point attempts all night but he found the hoop when it mattered most.
Lions now find themselves sixth in the British Basketball League (BBL) table, well poised to break into the top four if they can string together a sequence of wins.
“It’s a marathon not a sprint and we hope to keep playing well at the right times,” New told MKNEWS. “We need to stay focussed and hopefully we can get some momentum.”
Lions have won three of their last four away games and New believes that the players he signed from overseas are starting to perform well as they have become used to the game in Britain.
The roster has been boosted with the return of veteran Rob Youngblood, a move which led to Nathan Schall leaving MK for Cheshire Jets.
