Our Men’s First Team extended their streak to 8-0 with a hard fought 66-57 victory over third place Worcester Wolves at Nechells Wellbeing Centre on Saturday evening.
The first quarter was very tense, both teams looked strong on defence with little to split the sides in the opening exchanges.
A record crowd at Nechells Wellbeing Centre saw a back-and-forth start to the game with nine quickfire lead changes ramping up the sense of occasion as two of the division’s top side battled to gain the upper hand.
Rockets always looked the more likely side to do so in truth, and a quarter that saw some cautious basketball sprung into life in the last minute as Nathan Ramsdale- Owen and Karl Teesdale both hit huge threes in the last 30 seconds to swing the momentum in Rockets favour.
It was a similar story in the second, with both sides looking to put their stamp on the game and take control.
Rockets offence in the second was largely led by Christian Prince and Nathan Ramsdale-Owen, who enjoyed his most productive outing of the season to date, as we began to find our form.
Once again, the final minutes of the quarter featured plenty of action as Martyn Gayle and Kayne King led the charge.
Rockets went into half time three points up as they led 36-33.
The third quarter saw Rockets flex their offensive potency with wave of attacks coupled with increased defensive fluidity seeing us finally pull away from a tiring Worcester side.
Christian Prince was vital in this spell, finishing the game as Rockets top scorer with 15 points, and really came into his own in the third period.
Rockets were rebounding well and continuing to look strong on the defensive end with Martyn Gayle, Christian Prince and Kayne King being Rockets main rebounders.
Rockets really took charge and went into the fourth quarter with a healthy eight-point advantage, leading 51-43.
The fourth quarter was a lot closer as Rockets looked to maintain their advantage.
Worcester looked to increase their intensity in the fourth as they looked to find a route back into the contest.
The momentum swung back and forth in the fourth as both teams had impressive offensive spells.
Martyn Gayle and Nathan Ramsdale- Owen once again looked to be Rockets’ prime offensive options aside from the impressive Prince.
Coach Gayle’s side were able to close the game out as they won by nine points, 66-57.
A really hard-fought game against a strong Worcester side saw a well-rounded team performance in front of a record turnout for the season.
We travel to Nottingham next Saturday to take on the division’s basement side, Nottingham Trent Hoods, looking to continue our 100% record.