Milton Keynes Lions ended a worrying run of seven defeats by beating Essex Pirates 99-89.

The Pirates took the lead in the final quarter, but the Lions fought back to give their play-off hopes a boost.

Coach Vince Macaulay, who was celebrating his birthday, told BBC Three Counties Radio: "We knew we had to play for 40 minutes today.

"We knew their run was coming, when it did we held strong. They went ahead, we came back and stormed it at the end."

The Lions have had several key injuries in recent weeks. Macaulay explained: " A month ago we were ready to win the league, win the trophy and make a real strong push for the play-offs.

"But three of our starters have been taken out, E.J Harrison, Frank Holmes and Mike New. We missed them badly. Not just in terms of on the floor, but the confidence they give their team-mates. Now we are on the mend and we are going to get so much better.

"It was a very important win. We obviously want to get into the play-offs in a good position. If we want to get into the top four, which is a possibility, these are the games that we have to win. We have to beat anyone outside of the top two and that is our goal right now."

The Lions now face a run of three matches in five days, as they travel to Cheshire Jets on Friday, before entertaining Guildford Heat on Monday and Plymouth Raiders on Tuesday.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version