TRAILBLAZERS SEASON ENDS AS CHAMPIONS CLASS SHINES THROUGH

BCB League
Playoff Quarter Final
Reading Rockets 77 (20, 38, 53)
Derby Trailblazers 65 (20, 40, 51)

Derby Trailblazers‘ hopes of producing a shock in the quarter-final of the playoffs were dashed by a
barren spell which spread across the third and fourth quarter break, in which the BCB league
champions; Reading Rockets went on a fourteen-point run to open up an unassailable eleven-point lead.

The Rockets booked their place in the playoff semi-final with a 77-65 home win, but not before
the eighth-seeded Trailblazers had dominated the game for the opening three quarters.

Derby used an innovative defence, which frustrated the Rockets and made it difficult for their ball
handlers to distribute the ball effectively, resulting in a high number of turnovers by the champions
in the first half. Unfortunately, the Blazers couldn’t turn many of those early mistakes into points
which could have a huge difference.

Mo Walker led Derby’s challenge with 16 points and 12 rebounds, before he was ejected for two
technical fouls in quick succession. A volatile final few minutes also saw Reading’s Ty Nsangu
ejected for the same reason and Blazers Malcolm Smith also received a technical foul after he also
got on the wrong side of the referees.

Smith added 15 points and four rebounds, while Connor Washington finished with eleven points,
Jai Pathmarajah added ten, and Charlie Brown had a game high ten assists.

After holding Victor Olarerin to just five points two weeks ago, Derby had no such luck in the
quarter-final game. He finished with 25 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals as he was
named Most Valuable Player for the Rockets. Jax Bouknight and Yusef Salih both had 12 points,
while Cooper Creek and Malik Bryant both finished on seven.

Derby got off to an excellent start with Walker scoring from inside and outside of the arc to counter
an opening lay-up from Zain Poorman. Nsangu and Raheem May-Thompson both converted a pair
of free-throws before Yusef Salhi scored from close range and Washington struck from downtown
to make it 10-6 after four minutes.

Rockets responded with a three-pointer from Olarerin and a tip-in from Nsangu, before the Blazers
produced one of their best spells in the game. Walker converted a three-point play, Smith added
one from the line, Pathmarajah knocked down a pair of free-throws and Walker completed an 8-0
run to open up an 18-11 lead with 2’14” on the clock.

Unfortunately, Reading struck back with a 7-0 burst of their own and the two sides were locked at
20-all at the end of a pulsating first quarter.

Derby started the second period with baskets from Pathmarajah and Rob Marsden, but the
Rockets quickly replied through Olarerin and Bouknight. Another four point run by the Blazers was
countered by a three-point play from Malik Bryant, but that was effectively cancelled out as May-
Thompson struck from long range.

That was the start of an 8-2 run which once again gave Derby a seven-point advantage, at 36-29
with 3’28” left in the second. Once again, Reading used a time-out to conjure up a response and it
came in the form of a 9-4 run which left the Blazers leading 40-38 at the half-time break.

Derby opened the third quarter with a pair of free-throws from Walker but Reading were quickly
back in front after Olarerin converted a three-pointer and a lay-up. The Blazers responded with a
basket from Smith and a triple from Washington, before another tip-in from Smith made it 49-43
with 4’20” on the clock.

A dunk from Olarerin then inspired Reading, who subsequently added a triple from Bouknight,
prompting a Derby time-out. May-Thompson then added a pair of free-throws before Reading
ended the third with a pair of shots from Olarerin and a three-pointer from Creek.

A 9-0 start to the fourth effectively ended the game as a contest as the Rockets opened up an
eleven-point advantage. The closest Derby subsequently came was when May-Thompson
converted a lay-up to make it 67-61 with 3’37” left, but a time-out helped Reading to close out a
thrilling game with an 8-4 run.

Trailblazers Head Coach Henderson remained proud of what his team had achieved over the
second half of the season:

“I’m obviously really disappointed that we didn’t manage to get the win and I’m speaking on behalf
of the players when I say that too, but credit where credit is due and Reading fought hard. Despite
a great first half where we did a great job of looking after the ball and keeping them off the glass,
they bounced back in the second half and showed their class.

“I’m really proud of the way the guys have fought, particularly in the second half of the season.
When a playoff seed is on the line and there was a chance of not making the playoffs, the fact we
managed to refocus and get together and re-centre our goals on making the playoffs made me
immensely proud.

“Since then, they’ve left everything out on the floor and I can’t question their heart or their
intentions. Obviously, basketball is a game of runs and while the first half was ours half, they came
out in the second and took it from us.

“There are always things in a basketball game where you think maybe I could have done this
slightly different, but sometimes you’ve just got to put trust in the guys to go and figure it out.

“We didn’t do a great job of restricting Cooper Creek and Simon Chamberlain when they were on
the floor for a prolonged period in the second half, but we fought to the end.

“It’s not the way we wanted to finish, but I’ve loved this group because they’ve helped me to grow
and they’ve really made my experience this season an enjoyable one, an educational one and one
of growth and next year, I’ll be ready to bounce back,” he said.

Rockets: Olarerin 25, Bouknight 12, Salih 12, Bryant 7, Creek 7, Nsangu 6, Poorman 5, Chamberlain 3,

Harrington DNP, Sayles DNP, Waterhouse DNP.

Derby: Walker 16, Smith 15, Washington 11, Pathmarajah 10, May-Thompson 9, Marsden 4, Brown 0,

Burr 0.

Photo credit – Nick Higgins.

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