Surrey Scorchers advance to the BBL Cup quarter finals thanks to a narrow home win over the Plymouth Raiders at Surrey Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.
Scorchers were able to hold a game high 11 point lead at one point of the tie, which saw the advantage swing both ways before the hosts were able to hold out for a win, taking them to 4 wins and 2 losses so far this season.
After the win Captain Tayo Ogedengbe said: “It was great to see numerous players shooting double figures today. We worked hard and got the win that we deserved.
“We take each game as it comes but we are of course looking forward to the next round. Things are on the up here and it’s clear for everyone to see.”
Coach Creon Raftopoulos’ side started the game well, with Tony Hicks, Alex Owumi and Gerald Robinson landing consecutive 3 point shots. Surrey until the closing plays of the quarter, which saw Raiders edge ahead to lead 17-20 at the end of the first.
Daryll Palmer and Elias Desport came alive at the defensive end to post up big blocks in Q2, forcing Raiders to take just 11 points to Scorchers’ 21, giving Surrey a 38-31 lead at the midway point.
Captain Tayo Odedengbe got Q3 underway with a 3 to extend the lead, but Raiders were not letting the game so that early and quickly retook their lead at 45-46. Robinson was there to reverse the deficit though, making 4 straight shots late in the period to give Scorchers at 57-55 lead heading into the final stanza.
Raiders fought hard in Q4 to stop Scorchers from building anything more than a 5pt lead. With just 27 seconds left on the game clock, Plymouth’s Kinu Rochford pulled it back to a 2pt game forcing Coach Creon to call a timeout and guide his players through the final play.
With 22 seconds remaining, Robinson was there again to make the clutch 2 and put the game out of reach for Plymouth, sending Surrey through to the quarter finals for a trip to the DBL Sheffield Sharks (date and tip-off TBC).
Scorchers travel across the border next Sunday to face the Glasgow Rocks (5pm tip-off), before returning to the Sports Park on Sunday 5 November to host the Bristol Flyers (2pm tip-off).
© Copyright 2024 Surrey Scorchers
