Rockets’ Men advanced to the semi-final of the NBL Division 2 playoffs by way of a comfortable 89-69 win against Greenwich Titans at Nechells Wellbeing Centre on Saturday evening.
Rockets entered the post-season on the back of a near perfect regular season campaign, with a 21-1 record reflective of the quality the team have displayed throughout the season.
Greenwich Titans finished fourth in Division Two South with a 14-8 regular season record.
A slow opening couple of minutes against a physical Titans side eventually turned in Rockets’ favour as our quality began to shine through.
Ron Oberia and Sam Toluwase led the charge early on, with both putting up 9 points including a number of crucial baskets as we grew into the contest.
Luke Okosieme was once again dominant on the defensive end, finishing with a double-double which included a crucial 14 rebounds.
Continued high-tempo play and strong ball movement opened up a number of good shooting opportunities as our early advantage grew.
The quarter ended 23-15 in Rockets’ favour after some signature three point shooting from and some solid defence.
We started the second much quicker with our three-point shooting proving vital.
Some nice link up play from the Rockets back court of Kayne King and Reiss Faure-Daley made for entertaining viewing for the capacity crowd as we continued to grow the lead in the second quarter.
Coach Gayle was on fine shooting form proving to be Rockets offensive outlet, He led the game in scoring putting up 22 points and shooting 50% from three-point range in just 25 minutes.
Rockets went into half time with a healthy 10-point advantage as we led 44-34, with some efficient shooting spells and kept our lead intact.
Rockets came out after the break firing with a dominant third quarter ending any hopes the Titans had of an unlikely revival.
An 8-1 run to start the third saw us open a 17-point advantage and all but put the game beyond our visitors’ reach.
Some free-flowing ball movement and hustle from Ron Oberia and Nathan Ramsdale-Owen put Rockets in a great position heading into the final 10 minutes.
The third ended 66-45 with Rockets holding a comfortable 21-point lead.
Rockets looked to put on a show in the final quarter, with a signature Luke Okosieme standing dunk bringing the crowd to their feet.
The game ended 89-69 with Rockets progressing to the semi-finals to take on local rivals Worcester Wolves.