Leopards face arguably their biggest game of the season when they host London Capitals at Wodson Park on Saturday – tip-off 7.30pm.

The game is a dress rehearsal for the following weekend’s play-off first round match-up – but there’s still home court advantage to play for as the teams wrap up their league programme.

Leopards go into the game occupying the key fourth place in the EBL Division One table, and will seal home court advantage if they can beat Pete Deppisch’s side on Saturday. The Big Cats can actually afford to lose the game by two points, due to their three-point overtime win at Capital City Academy in January – a game that saw coach Jon Burnell ejected in the first quarter for laughing.

Despite being able to lose by a narrow margin, coach Burnell is determined to get the win on Saturday. “You coach a certain end-game situation where you accepted a one or two point loss, but we have to go for the win from the star” he said. “We’re in fourth spot and we aim to stay there. Obviously there is a lot to play for, because both teams want to be at home in the play-offs.

“The teams are pretty well balanced, and other than when they destroyed us in the National Cup, it’s been pretty close from when we met pre-season. Both teams have changed since then, and we won down there in overtime. That game could have gone either way, but the fact that we came out by the skin of our teeth was good for us.”

Burnell expect a tough game when Leopards meet the Capitals: “They are a good side in all area, Ataha, Mumuni and Gariba are all quality British players, thy have a high scoring American guard in Marlo Saunders, and a good American big man. Pete [Deppisch] has lots of experience, and it will be tough.

“If we should up with the right mentality, if we can get Dunan [Ogilvie] and James [Nicholson] fit and we can get a good game out of Calvin [Fowler], I think we can win. On the other hand, on any given day, it can all go wrong.”