6 April 2009
Leopards reach Final Four w/e
Leopards 74 (24,43,52)
Cocentry 71 (17,36,58)
Twenty-two points from Russell Jordan helped Leopards reach the EBL Division One Final Four for the first time in their history on Sunday with a 74-71 victory against Coventry Crusaders.
The hosts were made to fight all the way by a Crusaders side who finished the season strongly, and it was not until the final seconds of the game that the Big Cats sealed a place in the semi-finals.
Leopards will now travel to the Amaechi Centre in Manchester on Saturday April 18 where they will meet hosts Magic, with a final against either Reading Rockets or Sheffield Arrows awaiting the winner.
The Big Cats certainly made hard work of the victory, not helping themselves by missing 14 of their 31 free-throws.
Hrvoje Pervan and Leigh Greenan gave Leopards an early lead, but the first of six three-pointers from Ben Potts helped his team take a 7-4 lead.
A pair of three pointers from Gareth Laws and one from Carl Latham-Henry put the home side ahead again, and a put-back from Jordan sent Leopards into the first break with a 24-17 lead.
That lead soon evaporated as Leopards suffered a five and a half minute scoring drought, during which time the visitors scored ten unanswered points.
Jordan broke the run, and although Potts replied with a three to give his team a 30-26 lead, another Jordan basket followed by a Ronnie Baker “and-one” put Leopards back ahead.
The teams were locked at 36 going into the final minute, but it was Leopards who finished the half strongly as Latham-Henry, Jordan and Pervan all converted free-throws to send them into the locker room 43-36 ahead.
The third period belonged to Coventry as they outscored the hosts 22-9. Potts proved deadly from downtown as he drained three more treys in the opening five minutes to give his team a 49-45 lead, and with the Big Cats struggling from the foul line and only Jordan looking like scoring from open play, Leopards went into the final break trailing 58-52.
Siman Stewart extended that lead to eight with the first points of the fourth quarter, and although Latham-Henry and Baker had more success from the foul line, and Potts trey gave Crusaders a 65-59 lead at the midway stage of the period.
At this stage the Big Cats finally started playing, and scores from Latham-Henry and Jordan cut that lead to two before Baker and Pervan drained treys to give Leopards a lead they were never to lose.
A pair Travis Lay free-throws cut the lead to 69-67, and although Latham-Henry missed another pair of free-throws, Laws converted one from two from the charity stripe to extend the lead to 72-69.
Coventry had one last throw of the dice, with Lay being fouled by Baker as he attempted a three. He drained two of his three foul shots, but as Crusaders fouled to stop the clock, Pervan sunk a pair of free-throws to send Leopards in the Final Four.
Lay finished with 22 points, while Potts added 20 and Stewart ten. Latham-Henry’s woes from the charity stripe didn’t prevent him scoring 17 while Pervan hit 12 and Laws 11.
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