A commanding second-half performance helped Scorchers ease to an 11-point victory in their second pre-season friendly at the Sports Park Arena.
Coach Creon Raftopoulos was called in service as an emergency referee, but Scorchers thrived under his officialdom, as Sol Rolls-Tyson was able to make his Scorchers debut after recovering from the illness which kept him out of Tuesday’s defeat to Cal Poly Mustangs.
Sharks snatched the first points but threes from Ogedengbe and Skyler White – who again led Scorchers’ scoring with 24 and 20 points, respectively – soon put Scorchers in front.
It was a lead they never relinquished, thanks in no small part to some fine defending which saw Sharks twice timed-out before getting a shot away in the first quarter. They did, however, land an impressive three-pointer of their own to end the quarter just two points down, but soon Scorchers extended their lead to eight points thanks to further threes from Caylin Raftopoulos and Tayo.
Mackey McKnight replied from distance and when Marko Backovic scored his first triple of the game, the visitors were back to within a single point, and by the half-time buzzer Sharks were on par at 40-apiece.
Twice in the third quarter, Scorchers threatened to open a decisive lead. Both times Sharks fought back but still the lead was six going into the final ten minutes. Caylin landed two three-pointers, plus a three-for-three from the free-throw line, and with 6:45 left in the game Scorchers were up by 15.
Sharks ate into the lead in the closing stages but the impact was minimal and Scorchers were able to close out an impressive victory against last-season’s Play-Off semi-finalists.
Stats:
Points: Ogedengbe 25, S White 20, Wilkins 15, Raftopoulos 12
Rebounds: S White 9, Flanigan 7, Ogedengbe 6
Assists: Wilkins 4, Raftopoulos 3, Flanigan 3
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