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Somehow the Glasgow Rocks managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday after throwing away a 17 point lead midway through the 3^rd quarter to fall to the Cheshire Jets in an enthralling encounter.

Coming off a two week break, the home side dominated the proceedings early on with some neat passing and effective finishing that saw them take a six point lead at the end of the first period, although, in truth, the gap would have been much larger had it not been for the Jets dominance on the boards. Despite not having a significant height advantage, the Jets seemed to be bringing everything down, in particular star man Schneck. They were able to limit the second chance opportunities for the Rocks, which proved crucial come the final buzzer.

DeAundrae Cranston and Andrew Wedemire, who have rarely been the go-to guys for Glasgow this season, were at the top of their game early on and finished as the two highest scorers for their side with 20 and 16 points respectively. After the game, Coach Davis admitted that it was difficult to take the duo out, commenting that ‘it was better to let these guys keep rolling.’ In truth, the Jets lack of defensive hustle and pressure made it easy for the Rocks to gain momentum during the early exchanges, and if the Jets coaches said anything to their team in between quarters, it certainly didn’t work as the Rocks eased through the next stanza also. Indeed, the lack of intensity and physicality in the Cheshire play was evident in the fact that they gave up just one foul in the entire first half.

Despite the Rocks defence itself being posted missing on a few occasions, they still appeared to be cruising to a tenth league victory of the season, and with under six minutes left in the third quarter they were comfortably ahead, at 56-39. Then it all went ugly.

For what seems like the umpteenth time this season, the Rocks gave up a 20 point run in a 10 minute spell. Twice against the Eagles, Glasgow have lost games on 25-2 and 25-4 runs, while against Plymouth just three weeks ago the Raiders went on a 30-8 in the fourth quarter to clinch victory on that occasion. At the Kelvin Hall on Sunday, the Jets went on a 31-9 run that stretched over nine minutes in the third and fourth quarters. Colin O’Reilly starting nailing the three pointers, Brown dominated the guard battle and Matt Schneck at centre suddenly discovered that it was actually fine to play with a bit of bite and aggression. Simply put, the Jets started to dominate on all fronts and the Rocks had no answer. It also tends to help in basketball when the shots drop too, and they certainly did do as Cheshire scored a breathtaking 21 points in the final 5:50 of the third quarter.

Coach Davis admitted after the game that if the Rocks want to make waves in the play-offs then they will need to stop their tendency to switch off for long periods, and when questioned as to whether it was a mental problem with his players, he commented that it was ‘frustrating to see the potential that we have and the type of team we can be, then to take the foot off the gas.’ He also voiced his frustration at the way the defence played in the third quarter that ultimately allowed the Jets to close, and then obliterate, the Rocks advantage.

With the Jets having tied the game by the end of the third quarter, the final ten minutes was tight, intense, and, to use Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous phrase, it was squeaky bum time. Two triples from Danny Huffor kept the Rocks close, while Murray, who scored a disappointing five points against his former team, nailed a deep three pointer to tie the game at 73-73 with 1.07 left to play. At which point, Brown stepped up, going 5-of-6 from the free throw line and claiming an assist on a two pointer from Bill Cole, with 28 ticks left on the clock that gave the Jets a lead they didn’t relinquish. Andrew Wedemire’s spectacular half court shot at the buzzer was all in vain and the Jets ran out 80-78 victors to claim their sixth victory of the league campaign.

The worrying thing for Sterl is that his team seems only to be able to play 30 minutes of decent basketball. This season, I can only count five games in which the Rocks can say that they played tough, aggressive and, more importantly, good basketball for the entire game. For those wondering, those games, in my mind, were the two home victories against Sheffield, the early season victories against Newcastle and Milton Keynes and the 30 point victory in Mersey against the Tigers. Too often have they allowed a poor spell to cost them the game and this has to be something that Coach needs to address if he wants his troops to make a decent run in the play-offs. A top four spot seems to be beyond Glasgow now, so it’s all about the race for fifth place. The Rocks certainly have the talent, but do they have the consistency?

Next up for Glasgow is a tricky double-header away at Leicester and Milton Keynes, although they have won in the back yards of both teams this season, so here’s hoping for a couple of repeat performances. The next home game will be on the 4^th March against the lowly, but dangerous, Durham Wildcats, so make sure you get yourself down to Kelvin Hall to cheer on the team!

Let’s Rock!   

Coach Davis was quick to point out that veteran point guard E.J. Harrison is not yet at 100% following his three month injury lay-off. E.J. on the other hand, was equally quick to point out that if he’s on the court playing, then percentages don’t enter the equation. Few that turned up to the Kelvin Hall on Sunday, however, could deny that the veteran point guard played a crucial role in leading the Rocks to an 86-75 victory over the Guildford Heat in front of the SKY cameras. With Plymouth playing in the BBL Trophy semi-finals that day, the victory moved the Rocks up to 18 points, putting them on equal footing with the Raiders, although the south coast team have a six game advantage.

The Rocks seemed intent to put on a show for the cameras as they took a 4-2 lead early on thanks to a sweet alley oop that was finished by Gareth Murray, who seems to be back to form following a rough patch, although that was very much the highlight of a poor first quarter for the hosts that saw the Heat take a 22-15 lead into the second stanza thanks to some neat play, as ever, from Drew Lasker and Tayo Ogedengbe.

The defensive pressure that the Heat put the Rocks under was leading to turnover after turnover from Glasgow, who at times seemed to be trying to do much with the basketball. There were numerous times in the opening quarter where Green, in particular, tried to force a pass that just wasn’t available. The offensive rebounding at times seemed non-existent too.

A 20-8 run in the first seven minutes of the second quarter, highlighted by back to back three pointers from Harrison and a sweet behind the back pass under the basket from Andrew Wedemire that ultimately led to Green nailing two free throws, gave the Rocks a 35-29 lead before a late burst gave Guildford a deserved two point half-time lead. Despite some neat play from the home side, the Rocks were shooting a measly 39% at the break, while Guildford fared better at 47%. The difference, largely, was the Heat were controlling the points in the paint battle as their defence were constantly forcing Glasgow outside, while at the other end of the court the Guildford big men were getting to the basket with worrying ease.

The last time out at the Kelvin Hall, the Rocks had their worst performance of the season but have stepped it up greatly in the three games since that woeful defeat. ‘Nothing cures a team like watching film,’ said Sterl, before further commenting that he picked the game apart and that ‘once those things were addressed, that in itself improved the intensity level.’ If it was intensity the Coach was looking for at the start of the second half, then he sure got it as his boys went on a 17-2 run to open the third quarter that gave the Rocks the lead for good. Sterl switched his defence to zone and he agreed that was the catalyst for their early third quarter run, saying ‘I’ve always been a fan that if you get defensive stops, then the offensive side will happen and I think that helped us a lot.’

If the Rocks were guilty of playing sloppy basketball in the first quarter, then, so too were the Heat in the third quarter as the hustle and intensity that Coach Davis focussed on in training was there for all to see.

With the Rocks forced to play both Bunyan and Malnieks down the stretch thanks to Wedemire and Cranston being in foul trouble, the Heat were able to take advantage of the smaller and more inexperienced line-up and a 7-0 run helped Creon’s men whittle the Rocks lead down to just one with 4.45 remaining. As if on cue, up stepped E.J. with the poise and calmness that the Rocks desperately needed and his breakaway two pointer was the catalyst for an 8-0 run that proved one comeback too far for Guildford.

One massive benefit of having E.J back playing, if not fully healthy, is that it allows for a much deeper bench and Sterl stated after the game just how influential and important a player Harrison is for his team, describing his return as ‘crucial.’ Harrison, for his part, was quick to heap praise on the youngsters that had the opportunity to get more time on the court during his prolonged absence.

When the Rocks were fully healthy earlier in the season, they were a team that the rest of the league feared before a 3-6 spell in December and January. There’s little doubt in my mind that we can return to that level over the next few games once E.J. gets some games under his belt. In Harrison, Huffor and Green we have some excellent guards that are all capable of grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and pulling us through in tight situations, while Gareth seems to have rediscovered his early season form too. With 13 games left in the season the teams are fighting for the play-off seedings and while the top four seem to have pulled away from the pack, don’t be surprised if the Rocks make a real push for a top four spot.

Next up for the Rocks is another televised game on 19^th January at home to lowly Cheshire. The two week lay-off, Sterl commented, will ‘hopefully be an advantage to us instead of a burden.’ The push for the play-offs start here, so make sure you don’t miss out!

Let’s Rock!