Middlesbrough
Lions almost toppled 2nd placed
Bury Blue Devils with an
exciting game throughout. Lions
led by 1pt going into the fourth
quarter but a 7-0 run with three
minutes remaining in the game
ultimately awarded Bury the
victory despite a nail biting
finish in which Lions pushed the
hosts all the way. A loss by
just two baskets was a tough
blow for Middlesbrough who have
proven yet again they are a
match for any team in the league
and the test doesn’t come any
easier as this weekend the Lions
face a double header against
unbeaten leaders; Huddersfield
Heat.
Bury quickly ran into a 9-4 lead
after good play by Steve Graham
and Charlie Cuthbert. A 3
pointer from Lee Norton reduced
the gap and the introduction of
Rob Parsons provided Lions with
a timely boost as the forward
connected twice but the gap was
still 2pts. In the last minute
Ben Burns thought he had
stretched the lead to 6pts but
in the final seconds Acho
Anyigbo and then an unlikely,
off balance lay up from Stuart
Meek took Lions to within 2pts
again, 17-15.
Lions took their first lead as
they continued their positive
momentum with a 3 pointer from
Norton and a graceful move from
Anyigbo. Nick Metcalfe was
proving his value as he
stretched to the basket in the
third minute though Lions
remained strong and through
Norton and Parsons extended
their lead to 5pts. Lions were
now growing stronger by the
minute and despite below par
displays from Damian Warriner
and Ryon Dixon the Middlesbrough
side held on to a 1pt lead at
half time, 33-34.
Warriner, a normally reliable
player on offence had only hit
one shot in the first minute of
the game and although his
defence was as ever tenacious,
the strong guard missed some
simple shots. Dixon also
struggled to find his range and
although the Lions were missing
10-15pts through these two
players the Lions were still a
nose hair in front and this
provided encouragement for the
second half if the team could
begin firing on all cylinders.
The third quarter brought about
a revival of sorts for Bury as
Graham and Metcalfe again
combined well to forge a 3pt
lead. Anyigbo responded with a
nice jump shot and then Warriner
powered his way to the hoop. It
was now Lions on the back foot
chasing a 1pt Bury cushion. New
Bury signing, Matt Allerston
produced a double punch at the
mid point of the period to take
a 5pt lead, 46-41. Two free
throws from Warriner did little
to dent the margin as Metcalfe
inspired a 6-0 run to move 9pts
ahead.
After a sloppy start to the
third quarter, Lions closed the
gap with a 10-2 run, Norton
collecting 8pts. 5 more points
from Norton in the final minute
afforded Lions a 1pt lead to
enter the final quarter 58-59.
In
the early exchanges Lions were
showing a tough resistance and
although they picked up some
fouls, they sent a message that
no player was going to be handed
an easy basket. Ben Burns
proceeded to make 3 of 4 from
the line. Meek and Norton
replied with strong drives. With
both teams desperate not to
allow the other to extend a lead
fouls were creeping in and in
the third minute Dixon and
Norton both converted 2 free
throws each to tie the game
67-67. In the fourth minute
young Jordan Nicholls managed to
draw three fouls, two on key
players; Graham and Allerston
leading to both fouling out.
Nicholls then converted 4 of 6
from the line to bring Lions to
within 2pts, 73-71. Lions were
again finding momentum and along
with good defence and the
benefit of two key players
fouling out for Bury, there was
a feeling that the game was
swinging the way for
Middlesbrough. The seventh
minute proved to be the turning
point as when Lions lynchpin
Acho Anyigbo picked up his
fourth foul, a risky decision to
take the centre out backfired
with Bury producing a rapid 7-0
run in the Nigerian’s absence.
With just one minute remaining,
the return of Anyigbo galvanised
the Lions and yet again they
managed to close the gap.
Following two free throws from
Warriner Lions were just 3pts
behind with 18 seconds
remaining. Unfortunately a
missed 3 pointer from Norton did
not provide the fairly tale
ending and when Burns converted
a free throw to take the Bury
advantage to 4pts with less than
seconds remaining, the
opportunity to rescue the game
was now slipping away. A final
effort from Norton to make a 3
pointer with just 2.4 seconds
missed the mark and allowed Bury
to hold on to a 4pt win.
The MVP was awarded to unsung
hero, Ben Burns, who came
off the bench to hit 10pts in
the final quarter including an
‘And 1’ play which inspired the
Bury win.
The games top scorer was Lee
Norton who hit 31pts. Nick
Metcalfe hit 19pts for Bury and
was one of five players in
double figures.
Top scorers
Blue Devils:
Metcalfe 19, Burns 15, Davey 14,
Graham 12, Allerston 11
Lions:
Norton 31,
Anyigbo 13, Meek 12, Warriner 8,
Parsons 6
Lions now prepare for an unusual
weekend where they will play
Huddersfield twice, away on
Saturday and then home on
Sunday. Lions home game against
the unbeaten leaders and ex
England star, Jason Swaine will
take place at Eston Sports
Academy 4pm tip. Spectators are
asked to arrive by 3.30pm and
can purchase tickets for just £4
adult and £2.50 children with a
half price voucher from
www.middlesbroughlions.co.uk
