FIBA Basketball
ENG - Rockets finally get their silverware
SHEFFIELD (EBL DIV I Men) - A FINE fourth quarter performance saw Rockets end the season on a high note as they clinched the EBL Division One playoff title. The Berkshire side outscored Worthing 28-16 in the
SHEFFIELD (EBL DIV I Men) - A FINE fourth quarter performance saw Rockets end the season on a high note as they clinched the EBL Division One playoff title.
The Berkshire side outscored Worthing 28-16 in the final period to become the third second-placed team to defeat the league champions in the playoff finals weekend.
Dave Titmuss' team tightened their defence in the final two periods (after conceding 64 first half points) to limit Thunder to 35 in the second half.
EJ Harrison led the Rockets scoring with 35 points, but it was his team mate Paul Tonkovich who picked up the MVP award after collecting 22 points and 15 rebounds.
The two sides exchanged baskets for the opening five minutes of the game, before treys from Steven Gayle and Alfredo Ott in an 8-0 run saw Thunder open a 27-19 lead.
Rockets immediately hit back with a 10-2 run, as Harrison added six points to level the score, and it took a pair of Gayle free throws to send the sides into the first break level at 31-31.
The second quarter belonged to Worthing as a barrage of three-pointers saw them take control of the game.
Ott proved particularly deadly from the Land of Plenty as he sunk three long range efforts and finished the period with 11 points to add to Gayle's nine sending the south coast side into the locker room with a ten point halftime lead.
Reading clearly had to slow the Thunder offence - comfortably the most productive in the league - down, and they managed this in the second half as Worthing were restricted to just two three-point efforts from nine attempts.
Five straight points from Gayle, who finished with a total of 32, kept Worthing ahead by ten at the midway point in the third period after Reading had cut the deficit to six with a Peder Madsen free throw.
A 7-0 run from Rockets trimmed the Worthing lead, but scores from Okolie Ugbana and Gayle sent Thunder into the final period with an eight point advantage.
Harrison opened the fourth quarter scoring, but another long range effort from Ott and a pair of Ugbana charity shots looked to have sewn things up for Gary Smith's team.
But Harrison stepped up, and scored six points in an 8-0 Rockets' run to narrow the gap to two.
Free throws from Ugbana and Ott kept Worthing ahead before back-to-back treys from Harrison gave Reading a 94-91 lead with 3:37 remaining, and they never looked back.
Jonathan Woods did manage to level the score at 94, but a pair of Tomas Kersis baskets put Rockets back in control, and with Worthing forced to foul just to get into the penalty, Kersis and Rich Wellings sealed the trophy from the stripe.
Worthing Thunder 99 (31,64,83)
Reading Rockets 103 (31,54,75)
Worthing: S Gayle 32, A Ott 30, J Woods 16, P Bates 9, S Vear 6, O Ugbana 6, J Brame, R Newson, D Hills (DNP), R Malik (DNP), J Bailey (DNP), C Burns (DNP)
Reading: EJ Harrison 35, P Tonkovich 22, P Madsen 20, T Kersis 14, A Kelly 6, R Wellings 4, J Cook 2, L Gardner (DNP), R Clark (DNP), S Kearney (DNP), D Lyons (DNP), D Carter (DNP)
By Dave Ryan
The Berkshire side outscored Worthing 28-16 in the final period to become the third second-placed team to defeat the league champions in the playoff finals weekend.
Dave Titmuss' team tightened their defence in the final two periods (after conceding 64 first half points) to limit Thunder to 35 in the second half.
EJ Harrison led the Rockets scoring with 35 points, but it was his team mate Paul Tonkovich who picked up the MVP award after collecting 22 points and 15 rebounds.
The two sides exchanged baskets for the opening five minutes of the game, before treys from Steven Gayle and Alfredo Ott in an 8-0 run saw Thunder open a 27-19 lead.
Rockets immediately hit back with a 10-2 run, as Harrison added six points to level the score, and it took a pair of Gayle free throws to send the sides into the first break level at 31-31.
The second quarter belonged to Worthing as a barrage of three-pointers saw them take control of the game.
Ott proved particularly deadly from the Land of Plenty as he sunk three long range efforts and finished the period with 11 points to add to Gayle's nine sending the south coast side into the locker room with a ten point halftime lead.
Reading clearly had to slow the Thunder offence - comfortably the most productive in the league - down, and they managed this in the second half as Worthing were restricted to just two three-point efforts from nine attempts.
Five straight points from Gayle, who finished with a total of 32, kept Worthing ahead by ten at the midway point in the third period after Reading had cut the deficit to six with a Peder Madsen free throw.
A 7-0 run from Rockets trimmed the Worthing lead, but scores from Okolie Ugbana and Gayle sent Thunder into the final period with an eight point advantage.
Harrison opened the fourth quarter scoring, but another long range effort from Ott and a pair of Ugbana charity shots looked to have sewn things up for Gary Smith's team.
But Harrison stepped up, and scored six points in an 8-0 Rockets' run to narrow the gap to two.
Free throws from Ugbana and Ott kept Worthing ahead before back-to-back treys from Harrison gave Reading a 94-91 lead with 3:37 remaining, and they never looked back.
Jonathan Woods did manage to level the score at 94, but a pair of Tomas Kersis baskets put Rockets back in control, and with Worthing forced to foul just to get into the penalty, Kersis and Rich Wellings sealed the trophy from the stripe.
Worthing Thunder 99 (31,64,83)
Reading Rockets 103 (31,54,75)
Worthing: S Gayle 32, A Ott 30, J Woods 16, P Bates 9, S Vear 6, O Ugbana 6, J Brame, R Newson, D Hills (DNP), R Malik (DNP), J Bailey (DNP), C Burns (DNP)
Reading: EJ Harrison 35, P Tonkovich 22, P Madsen 20, T Kersis 14, A Kelly 6, R Wellings 4, J Cook 2, L Gardner (DNP), R Clark (DNP), S Kearney (DNP), D Lyons (DNP), D Carter (DNP)
By Dave Ryan