Rockets and Arrows have met on three occasions during the regular season, with Dave Titmuss’ Reading team completing a clean sweep of victories.

 

Undoubtedly the most important of those games was Rockets’ 97-84 victory at Rivermead which saw them reach a third straight National Trophy final.

 

Led by 23 Walid Mumuni points, Rockets led 24-17 at the first break before extending their advantage to 47-35 at half-time. The game looked effectively over at the end of the third period as Reading’s lead grew to 72-56, and although Sheffield won the final period 28-25 it was too late to prevent the Rockets progressing to the final and extending their record in the competition to 20 wins in the last 21 games.

 

David Watts and Terrell Smith each added 21 for the Rockets, while Arrows were led by Tyler Ousley (27), Douglas McLaughlin-Williams (23) and Carl Pearson (16).

 

The teams met at the same venue in the league the previous day, with Reading recording a much more comfortable 93-59 victory.

 

Led by 24 Watts points, Rockets were 26-19 ahead at first break and doubled that lead to 44-28 going into the locker room at half-time. That lead grew to 67-45 at the final break before a 27-14 fourth period wrapped up the victory.

 

Terrell Smith added 18 for Reading and Walid Mumuni 17 as all 11 Rockets got on the scoresheet, while Tyler Ousley was the only Arrow in double figures with 24.

 

The teams’ only meeting of the season in Sheffield came in Arrows’ league opener on November 1, and Rockets sneaked a close game 81-75.

 

Sheffield’s Carl Pearson finished with 20 points, and was well supported by overseas duo McLaughlin-Williams and Ousley, who both had 17 points. However, it was Watts who led all scorers with 29 points, with Mumuni adding 13.

 

Arrows took the fight to the much-vaunted Rockets from the outset determined to defend their previously unblemished home record. Ousley was prominent with Pearson in the early action, as the American scored 10 of the Arrows 15 quarter points, while Sam Spare battled manfully to restrict the dangerous Wellings as the Arrows trailed by three at the first break.

 

The teams exchanged baskets throughout a hotly contested second quarter. Watts and the dangerous Smith carried the fight for the Rockets, who made 5 three-pointers in the quarter as they extended their lead to 44-39 at half-time.

 

The Rockets came on strong in the third quarter with Mumuni and Watts prominent and it took a pair of treys from McLaughlin-Williams and another pair of twos from Dave Siddall to keep the Arrows within range at 73-58.

 

Arrows gave their all in the fourth quarter with a combination of Pearson and James Kelly giving fresh impetus in transition as the Arrows began with a 12-4 tear to peg back the Rockets at 77-70. Arrows’ defence was now stifling the Rockets who fouled repeatedly to stop Sheffield. However, Arrows again struggled from the line making only one of seven attempts down the stretch as Reading continued their perfect start to the season.

 

 

 

 

 

In common with the first semi-final match-up, Magic and Leopards will be meeting for the fourth time season, with the game a repeat of the National Trophy semi-final.

 

The first meeting this season didn’t come until the beginning of February, and Leopards took the Division One points – but only after an incredible 85-83 overtime win at the Brentwood Centre.

 

The home side looked to be strolling towards a comfortable win, adding six points to their 46-23 half-time lead to be 29 ahead with 15 minutes remaining. However, Magic staged a comeback of epic proportions and scored 22 straight points before eventually forcing the game into overtime. Jeff Jones’ side led for the first time when they scored the first points of overtime after 80 seconds.

 

However with Steve Boonham and Stefan Gill fouling out, Leopards finally took control again and a 7-0 run capped by a three from Hrvoje Pervan saw them 84-79 ahead with two minutes remaining.

 

Scores from Adam Slater and Brandon Kimbrough cut that lead to one, but as Magic were forced to foul to stop the clock, Carl Latham-Henry converted a free-throw to wrap up the win.

 

Pervan led the Leopards’ scoring again, finishing with 30 points, including ten in the first period. Latham-Henry added 13, Ronnie Baker 11 and both Russell Jordan and Lee McCarthy ten each. Magic were led by 32 Tanner Adu points, while Gill added 25. Steve Boonham was the only other Manchester player in double figures with ten.

 

That game remains Magic’s only defeat against anyone other than champions Reading, and they gained revenge the following week with an 89-81 victory in the National Trophy semi-final.

 

A strong third period proved to be key as Magic outscored the visitors 25-15 to put themselves in pole position. Kimbrough finished with 22 points for Magic, while Adu added 14 and nine rebounds with Steve Boonham chipping in with 11.

 

Latham-Henry led the Leopards scoring with 24, while Pervan added 22. McCarthy had 11 rebounds to go with his 14 points, with Jordan adding nine points and seven boards.

 

The Big Cats returned to the Amaechi Centre on the final weekend of the regular season, with Magic clinching the runners-up spot with an 83-78 victory.

 

The fans in Manchester were treated to a thrilling final league game of the season as the Magic managed to hold off a late rally to defeat the only side who could deny them second place.

 

Brandon Kimbrough knocked down a huge 3-pointer with 1:08 to play giving Magic the win and confirm their second place. Kimbrough scored 5 of his game high 26 points in the closing minutes after the Leopards had erased a 20 point Magic lead in the second half. Stefan Gill added 17 points and 4 assists and knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with 5 seconds left to play which sealed the win

 

Pervan led the visitors for the fourth successive game, hitting 25 points, while Latham-Henry marked his return from injury with 20 points. Russell Jordan finished with a 12-rebound, 11-point double-double, while Gareth Laws added 11 points for a short-handed Leopards team who were forced to name coach Jon Burnell in order to meet the minimum requirement of eight players.

 

While the Big Cats were clearly upset about two offensive foul calls on Latham-Henry late in the game, they were also architects of their own downfall as they missed 11 of their 26 free-throws.

 

Pervan tied the game at 75 with 1:46 left as he drained an off balance 3-pointer from the right wing. The Leopards then had a chance to take the lead after Magic forward Adam Gerami was called for an offensive foul, but Gareth Laws missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.

 

Taner Adu then misfired on a 3-pointer for the Magic, but Pervan threw the ball out of bounds to set up Kimbrough’s go ahead bucket. Kimbrough inbounded the ball to John Linsley who passed the ball back to him and he calmly swished a 3-pointer to give the home side a 78 – 75 lead that they would not relinquish.