The fate of Stronach's side is no longer in their own hands

It followed arguably the club's best ever comeback as they rallied from 17 points down to beat league leaders Milton Keynes Lions 70-67 on Saturday.

"It rips your heart out because that's our BBL Trophy campaign over," coach Stronach told BBC Radio Devon.

If Leicester win their last two games then Plymouth will qualify.

The Raiders needed to win both games to guarantee they stayed in the hunt for the BBL Trophy but now their fate is out of their hands.

They had lost their four previous meetings with the Lions before Saturday's match at the Pavilions.

But, after Lions' Tyrell Brown missed two free throws with 3.7 seconds left, that was enough to earn the Raiders victory.

That gave them a chance to make it to the semi-finals. But they were lacklustre in Cheshire and the Jets made them pay, taking an early lead and never giving it back.

"We could have stamped our authority straight away," said Stronach. "We could have easily been four or five points up going into the second quarter but we weren't.

"We found ourselves down. And, when you're down 16 on the road, it's a lot more difficult to come back than from 16 down at home."

For Stronach, it was not just the fact that his side were out of the BBL Trophy after performing a minor miracle the day before, but that Plymouth will miss out on performing in front of their home fans, the club having been chosen to host the finals.

We maintained all year that we want to finish in the top four and get to the play-offs with a home court advantage. That's what we have to focus on now Gary Stronach

"The dream trip was to the Pavilions at home on 2 March," he admitted.

"Now we're going to be spectators there. It's a hard one to take as a coach and no doubt a hard one to take as players."

The club still has the league to focus on. They host the Worcester Wolves next Sunday.

The Raiders lie third in the BBL Championship, a position Stronach wants his side to at least stay in.