Derby Trailblazers 90 (22,53,64)
Leopards 74 (16,38,60)

Leopards slipped out of the top four for the first time this season as a disappointing performance at Derby saw the home side complete the double over the Big Cats.

Having trailed by 15 at half-time, a strong third period put Jon Burnell’s team back into contention, only to run out of steam in the fourth quarter.

The Big Cats now have to beat third placed Worthing Thunder at Wodson Park on Saturday to clinch a home play-off berth.

Carl Latham-Henry led the Leopards’ scoring with 19 points, while Fola Adeleke added 13 and Errol Seaman 10. Gareth Laws, who has led them in each of the last three games with an average of 27 points, struggled with foul trouble all evening, and finished with only eight points in 23 minutes.

With Matt Eames unavailable and Leigh Greenan likely to miss the rest of the regular season with an ankle injury, the visitors struggled against the bigger Derby line-up.

Latham-Henry opened the scoring with an “and-one” to put Leopards 3-0 up, but American forward Rob Stockwell replied with a trey to level the score.

Adeleke scored the next eight points for the visitors, but with Leopards’ defence looking sluggish, the home side were 20-11 up with three minutes remaining before a Matt Collins trey and a score from Lukas Volskis sent them into the first break trailing by six.

The second period proved to be a poor one for the Big Cats as Derby took control – scoring the first nine points before Errol Seaman broke the run with a three-point play.

Derby continued to pile on the points, and despite three pointers from Collins and Sam Salter, a Jamie McGaffin trey put Derby 48-30 up with three minutes remaining in the half.

Seaman completed his second three point play of the night and Latham-Henry scored with a drive to the basket, but it was Derby who went into the locker room with a 15 point advantage after McGaffin scored the final points of the half.

Although Collins and Latham-Henry opened the second half scoring, there was no hint of the Leopards comeback that was to follow as a Simon Hallaway and-one helped extend the Derby to lead to 16.

However, three-point plays from Collins, Latham-Henry and Laws cut the lead to seven forcing a Derby time-out.

Scores from Laws and Seaman saw Leopards trail 58-55 with three minutes of the period remaining as they completed a 13-0 run, and although Derby captain Simon Spencer replied with seven of his game-high 32 points, a buzzer-beating three from junior point guard Lukas Volskis sent the Big Cats into the final break only trailing by four.

Stockwell opened the final quarter with a basket off a Leopards turnover, but Collins replied with a trey to cut the hosts’ lead to 66-63.

Unfortunately for the visitors, that was as close as they came, however as Derby went on an 11-3 run to lead 77-65 with 4:27 remaining.

Laws broke the lead with his second three-pointer of the night, but after Roger Lloyd had cut the deficit to nine with two minutes remaining, Derby wrapped up the victory from the charity stripe as Leopards were forced to foul to stop the clock.

Leopards: C Latham-Henry 19, F Adeleke 13, E Seaman 10, S Salter 9, G Laws 8, M Collins 8, L Volskis 5, R Lloyd 2.