RAIDERS NEWS SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007:
MILTON KEYNES LIONS 81 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 78
BBL Championship
Sunday 28 October
The Raiders lost by just three points at MK Dons - despite a strong comeback in the latter stages of the game.
The Lions, and particularly centre Shawn Jamison, came out strongly and soon led 11-2 after eight points from the big American. They maintained their good start and led 31-18 after the first quarter.
It was much the same in the second as the Lions, led by Mike New and Heizer, won the quarter 29-17 to post 60 first-half points and a 60-35 lead.
However, the Raiders wouldn't lie down and came out fighting in the third stanza. They restricted the Lions to just nine points and began to narrow the gap on the back of a 14-1 run, influenced by four each from DeAntoine Beasley and Gaylon Moore, to make it 69-59, which became 69-61 going into the decisive quarter.
The Raiders completed their comeback and took the lead with just four minutes remaining, when a long three-pointer from DeAntoine Beasley made the score 72-73.
However, the Lions maintained their poise and scores from Windless and Heizer made it 79-78 with 58 seconds left. Terrell Brown settled the game with a late score.
STATS:
MK Lions 81 (31 60 69) (Windless 18, Heizer 17, Jamison 12)
Plymouth Raiders 78 (18 35 61) (Martin 21, Moore 16, Beasley 12)
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 74 SCOTTISH ROCKS 69
BBL Championship
Saturday 27 October
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept up their solid start to the season to move into joint third position after beating Scottish Rocks 74-69 at the Pavilions.
Despite turning a 25-20 first quarter deficit into a 32-40 half time advantage the Rocks couldn't maintain their performance and a 17-9 burst to end the third period ensured Raiders were leading (56-53) heading into the final stanza.
Rocks leveled at 63-63 thanks to five points from Rob Yanders, but from there the Raiders scored the crucial baskets to claim the win.
Drew Lasker scored a game high 16-points for Plymouth with Maurice Hamilton's 15 pacing the Rocks reply.
STATS:
Plymouth Raiders 74 (25,32,56) (Lasker 16, Durham 14, Moore 14)
Scottish Rocks 69 (20,40,53) (Hampton 15, Yanders 14, Wohlers 14)
LONDON CAPITAL 62 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 79
BBL Championship
Saturday 20 October, 2007, 7.30pm
Plymouth Raiders moved into a tie for third place after a hard-working victory at PAWS London Capital.
The Raiders eventually came through 62-79 but trailed at half time and needed a 16-2 run during the third quarter to break open the match in their favour.
Plymouth began the match with a 16-4 burst but the hosts gradually chipped away at their lead to trail 16-22 at the end of the first quarter. London dominated the second period and a 9-5 run helped them claim the half time lead at 40-38.
Again the Raiders came out of the locker room the stronger. This time it was that 16-2 tear which took the score to 42-54 and an eventual 49-57 end of quarter score.
Further runs of 11-3 and 8-3 by Plymouth during the final stanza sealed the match. Andrew Lasker scored a game-high 27 for the Raiders.
STATS:
London Capital 62 (16,40,49) (Miller 24, Fohler 12, Ataha 9)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 79 (22,38,57) (Lasker 27, Moore 16, Martin 10)
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 69 NEWCASTLE EAGLES 76
BBL Championship
Sunday 14 October
The 2006/7 play-off winners Newcastle Eagles proved too strong for the Raiders in this hard fought match at Plymouth Pavilions - ending with a seven point victory for the visitors.
It capped off a perfect week on the road for the Eagles with three victories from three games.
After a tight opening first quarter where the scores were tied at 18-18, it was Newcastle who took the advantage in the second quarter with a 13-2 tear to open the period and take the score out to 31-20.
The Eagles defence also stepped up in this quarter, restricting the Raiders to just nine points, and take a 38-27 lead into the locker rooms at the half.
The second half saw Plymouth trim the deficit to eight points at 40-48 off the back of a 12-2 burst towards the end of the third period.
But back-to-back three-pointers from the Eagles' Richard Midgley saw the visitors go into the final stanza 54-49 ahead.
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders continued to close the deficit, but could not get close enough to overturn their opponents as the Eagles held on for the all important victory.
Midgley led all scorers in the game with 22 points for Newcastle, while Alistar Gall led the Raiders scoring with 21.
STATS:
Plymouth Raiders 69 (18,27,49) (Gall 21, Lasker 18, Beasley 11)
Newcastle Eagles 76 (18,38,54) (Midgley 22, Smith 18, Flournoy/Hyatt 11)
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 82 EVERTON TIGERS 73
BBL Championship
Saturday 6 October
Plymouth Raiders continued their strong start to the season with an 82-73 victory over BBL newcomers, Everton Tigers at the Plymouth Pavilions.
The opening stages saw both teams trading baskets, and it was the home side who gained the advantage with an 11-0 burst in the second period to take the score out to 29-23, and held the lead at 32-30 going in at the half.
The second half saw the Raiders continue to extend their lead, and they were able to hold on for the victory despite a valiant effort from the Tigers.
DeAntoine Beasley led the Raiders scoring with 25 points, while the Tigers scoring was led by Tony Robertson, with 21 points.
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 75 GUILDFORD HEAT 78
BBL Championship
Sunday 30 September
The Raiders suffered their first Championship defeat of the season, going down narrowly to Guildford Heat at the Pavilions.
After a tense opening stanza the Heat led 17-13 and looked to have maintained their slender advantage throughout the second period before a late Alistair Gall three pointer trimmed their lead back to a single point at 40-41.
The near capacity home crowd was treated to an enthralling third quarter during which neither side could establish a significant advantage with Heat holding just a single point lead heading in to the final stanza.
The visitors then broke clear, with Carlton Aaron capping a burst against his former club to leave Heat 78-72 clear with 1m 43s remaining.
Raiders Allister Gall hit back with a three pointer to trim the lead to 78-75 with 92s remaining - and that was the final score.
Turnovers from Dux and Williams led only to missed three point attempts from Drew Lasker and Anthony Martin, the latter with just 2 seconds remaining.
STATS:
Plymouth Raiders 14 40 62 75 75
Guildford Heat 17 41 63 78 78
WORCESTER WOLVES 79 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 85
BBL Championship
Saturday 29 September
Plymouth Raiders fought off a spirited Worcester Wolves side to claim an 85-79 victory.
Despite trailing 25-18 at the end of the first quarter the Raiders showed their class in the second period as they racked up an 18-2 run before half time to lead 38-47 at the interval.
Worcester fought hard in the third quarter as they combined stern defence with some quality shooting. Heading into the final stanza the sides were locked together at 58-58.
Raiders edged in front early in the fourth quarter and were handed a gift when Wolves coach Skouson Harker was called for a technical foul.
From the resulting free throws Alistair Gall made both and then sank a three-pointer from the ensuing possession as Plymouth opened up a 66-75 lead.
Wolves got it back to 72-75 but Raiders maintained pulled away to win 79-85.
STATS:
Worcester Wolves 25 38 58 79 79
Plymouth Raiders 18 47 58 85 85
COMMANE IS FINAL SIGNING
Wednesday 26 September
The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders have completed their team building process with the signing of centre, Michael Commane.
The 6'11", 240lb Commane is American by birth but qualifies as Irish through his Irish-born parents.
He was born and grew up in Massachusetts and went to college in Boston. Since graduating, he has been playing in the ABA summer league for the Cape Cod Frenzy and built a reputation for himself as a hard nosed competitor and rebounder.
The Raiders are now confident they've got their strongest squad ever, with 12 players.
Raiders coach Gary Stronach said: "Michael’s strengths are rebounding, and interior defence and toughness.
"His signing is going to strengthen our front line even more. We're really excited about the team we've put together this season."
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 89 CHESHIRE JETS 74
BBL CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday 21 September
The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders opened their BBL Championship campaign with a home win after defeating the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89-74 at the Plymouth Pavilions.
It was a showdown between shooting guards Drew Lasker and Jayson Obazuaye. The former scored 36 points and the latter netted 37 in vain on the night.
The teams could barely be separated in the early exchanges, although the hosts did not take their first lead until seven minutes in at 17-15. The Jets edged in front again before a three-pointer with the last play of an offence-focused first quarter saw the Raiders go in 25-22 in front.
The visitors rattled off the opening 6 points of the second stanza and extended that to a 10-2 run and a 27-32 lead. The lead was still five points before the Raiders closed the half with a 12-2 surge that gave them a 46-41 edge going into the interval.
The teams traded runs early in the third. Plymouth scored 4 in a row, the Jets responded with 5, before the home team nailed 9 without reply to stretch the lead into double-digits at 62-52. However, the Jets finished with a 6-0 burst to go into the decisive period just 62-58 down.
The Raiders maintained a four-point lead up to 74-70 before making the decisive move. They closed the game with a 15-4 run which included 9 points from Lasker and 4 from DeAntoine Beasley, the knockout blow was a Lasker triple that made it 79-70 with 2:49 left, from where there was no way back for T.J. Walker's team.
STATS:
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 89 (25,46,62) (Lasker 36, Noel 13, Beasley 12)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 74 (22,41,58) (Obazuaye 37, Brown 16, Pratt 9)
RAIDERS v CHESHIRE JETS
BBL Championship
Friday 21 September (7.30pm)
The league season begins for Plymouth Raiders, with a home fixture against Cheshire Jets.
The Raiders have already had two highly competitive games in the two-legged Cup Winners Cup, and are raring to go in their league campaign.
They face a Jets outfit which has completely re-structured their club – behind the scenes and on court.
A new management team is in place, they have a new sponsor and a new team, including player/coach TJ Walker, who has been recruited from the Newcastle Eagles.
The Raiders are hoping for a big crowd and have appealed to fans to turn in plenty of time ahead of the 7.30pm tip-off.
STRONACH PLEASED WITH DISPLAY
Wednesday 19 September
Plymouth Raiders coach Gary Stronach took comfort from his side's defeat in the Cup Winners Cup against Guildford.
Stronarch said: "I was very pleased with my team's performance - they pushed Guildford all the way.
"It's what I wanted before the new season - tough, exacting games which will stretch our players. We need to take this form into the league."
GUILDFORD HEAT 93 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 91
Cup Winners Cup 2nd Leg
Saturday 15th September
Plymouth Raiders pushed Guildford Heat all the way in the second leg of the first ever Cup Winners Cup, but went down by two points.
The Raiders went into the leg six points behind following the 83-77 defeat in the first leg at the Plymouth Pavilions.
So Guildford become the inaugural winners of the trophy, with an aggregate win of 176-168.
The Raiders stated their intentions early with Drew Lasker's four threes helping them to a 14-4 opening quarter burst to lead 16-8. However, the hosts bounced back straight away with a 17-4 run of their own to close out the quarter 25-20 to the good.
Heat's Brian Dux rattled off four free throws to keep his side in control at 47-41 at the half but it was all to play for heading in to the final quarter after a Raiders 9-0 burst levelled the scoreline at 61-61 at the end of quarter three.
Once in the final stanza the deficit from the 1st leg proved too much of a hurdle for the Raiders as they slipped behind 73-66 after Danny Gilbert had scored 7 in a 12-3 tear to start the quarter.
The Raiders managed a late 6-0 to trim the deficit on the night to three but they couldn't get close enough to pressure the Heat in the closing stages.
Heat's Mike Martin posted an impressive double double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Gaylon Moore managed the same feat for Plymouth, with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
STATS:
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 93 (25,47,61) (Gilbert 20, Martin 19, Dorsey 16)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 91 (20,41,61) (Lasker 21, Durham 19, Moore 17)
RAIDERS UPHILL STRUGGLE
Tuesday 11 September
Plymouth Raiders face an uphill struggle when they travel to Surrey on Saturday 15 September for the second leg of the inaugural Cup Winners Cup.
Guildford Heat go into the match with a six point advantage, having won the first leg 83-77.
The advantage will be carried forward into Saturday's game with the winner being decided on aggregate.
Despite the result, Raiders coach Gary Stronach was pleased with their performance.
"It was a really good game, and had all the making of a big league game rather than a pre-season friendly.
"It would have been nice to squeak a win and take a couple of point advantage to Guildford, but we're only six down."
Plymouth has lost all five previous clashes at Guildford.
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 77 v GUILDFORD HEAT 83
Cup Winners Cup First Leg
Monday 10 September
The Raiders have it all to do, if they are to win the first ever Cup Winners Cup.
They lost the first leg at home to Guildford 83-77, so go into the second leg on Saturday 15 September trailing by six points.
The teams traded baskets in the early exchanges until the Heat opened the game up with an 8-0 burst. That set the tone for the first-half as they took an 11-4 lead which they maintained through to 20-13 after the opening 10 minutes.
They stretched the lead early in the second period with an 11-5 start that was followed soon afterwards by an 8-2 burst as the lead peaked at 40-22. The Raiders finished the half strongly with a 7-1 response, but the Heat scored the last bucket and led 29-43 at the interval.
In front of their home fans, the Raiders came storming back in the third stanza as consecutive triples from Gaylon Moore and DeAntoine Beasley narrowed the deficit to three points at 53-56 before the Heat notched the last two baskets to maintain their edge at 53-60.
The Raiders completed a commendable comeback with nine unanswered points to open the fourth quarter to give them a 62-60 lead.
There were six lead changes in the ensuing minutes and the teams were knotted at 75 before the Heat's big men took charge. A basket from Mike Martin gave the visitors the decisive lead at 75-77 before two baskets from new signing Tony Dorsey and one from Carlton Aaron, a former Raider, finished the game off.
Last year's BBL MVP Brian Dux paced the winners with 17 points, matched by his
RAIDERS IN NEW COMPETITION
Sunday 9 September
Plymouth Raiders will be competing in the newly created South West Championship this season. The other teams involved are Division One teams Taunton Tigers and Bristol Academy.
The Raiders moved quickly to plug the gaps in their schedule created by the loss of the London United home games due to the withdrawal of the London team from the BBL this year.
Raiders are now scheduled to play at home against Bristol Academy on Sunday 18 November, and Taunton Tigers on Wednesday 23 January. Taunton and Bristol will then play a game to determine who finishes first, second and third in the competition.
The winners will win a trophy and have the bragging rights of who is the Champion of the South West.
Raiders chief executive Dave Briggs said: "We're really upbeat about this competition, it's in no way a downgrading of the fixture, and gives the club more silverware to shoot for.
"After this season, we're all keen to build on this move and incorporate the game as a pre season competition. It also allows us as a club to keep building on our aim of developing basketball across the South West."
STRONACH DELIGHTED WITH PREPARATIONS
6 September 2007
Coach Gary Stronach is hoping the Raiders can do even better than they did last season, when they reached the BBL play-offs and won the BBL Trophy.
"We had a good year last season, but we want to improve every year," he told BBC Devon.
"I could do with another player, so we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. But we've got a very good squad and the spirit is very good.
"I like to think we are good at entertaining the crowd and we have great fans here. Obviously, they want to watch a winning team and that's what we want to give them."
MARTIN IS LATE SIGNING
4 September 2007
Point guard Anthony Martin has signed for the Plymouth Raiders, as replacement for Gavin Love who is recovering from an ankle injury.
"He's lightning fast," said Raiders head coach Gary Stronach.
"He can blow past defenders and he creates so many opportunities for other players and I'm really excited that he's decided to join us in Plymouth.
"I had to move quickly to get Anthony and it was all sorted out in just a couple of days."
Martin was born in Leeds, but was brought up in the Bronx, New York City. He played for the Chester Jets in the BBL in 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons.
