Essex & Herts Leopards 90 (16,40,68)
London United 82 (18,43,61)

A superb team performance saw Leopards collect their 17th EBL Division One victory of the season. Dave Jones led the Big Cats’ scoring with 23 points, and both Errol Seaman and Troy Selvey collected double-doubles as Jon Burnell’s team recorded their third win of the season against local rivals United.

The short-handed Leopards, already without four senior guards, lost stand-in point guard Sam Salter with 14 minutes remaining but up stepped 15-year-old Michael Jarvis to produce a controlled performance on his debut as lead Leopards to victory. In front of their biggest crowd of the season, Leopards started well with Seaman and Selvey each scoring four points as they took an 8-2 lead.

However, a 12-2 run saw United hit back before James Warwick broke the run with a three-pointer, and a la-up from Warwick sent Leopards into the first break trailing by only two. Warwick continued his scoring run to level the score at the start of the second period before former Leopard Pete Deppisch and Jones exchanged three-point scores.

Five points from both Warwick and Selvey plus a score from Seaman saw Leopards take a 35-28 lead, before a pair of missed throws from Roger Lloyd saw him take the rebound and feed Seaman to extend the lead by two. Once again, however, United hit back, and the visitors closed out the half with a 12-3 run to go into the locker room 43-40 ahead.

Santa Ataha opened the second half scoring for London, but a pair of threes from Jones helped level the score at 13 midway through the period.
With four minutes of the third period remaining, and Leopards having opened a four point lead thanks to scores Selvey and Warwick, Salter was caught by an elbow while going for a rebound, and was forced to leave the game covered in blood with a deep cut under his eye.

At that point Burnell threw caution to the win and introduced junior player Jarvis, who had only practiced once with the first team into the fray, and he quickly adapted to the pace of the game. Despite seven straight points from United’s top scorer Jacek Jagodka, three baskets from Seaman and two from Warwick kept the Big Cats in front, and they reached the final break with a 68-61 lead after outscoring the visitors 28-18 in the third period.

That lead was extended to 11 with a pair of Seaman baskets to open the fourth period, but United appeared to have taken control of the game as Leopards went on a four minute scoring drought. Pavel Machynia scored eight of the visitors points as they drained 16 unanswered points to take a 76-72 lead with four minutes remaining.

Two of the points came from the free-throw line as coach Burnell was given a technical foul after Jarvis was thrown to the floor by two United players.
The run was finally broken by a Jones three, and the Welsh international quickly drained his fifth effort from the Land of Plenty before adding a pair of free throws to put Leopards into a 80-76 lead.

Jagodka replied with a lay-up, but a pair of Seaman free-throws kept the Big Cays in front, before three points from Ataha split by a Selvey dunk saw Leopards leaf by one going into the final 80 seconds.

That was as close as the visitors came, despite Jones and Selvey only scoring four points from eight free-throws as United were forced to foul to stop the clock, and the Big Cats hunt on for a deserved, if unlikely, victory.

The collection for Frankslastwish Appeal raised a total of £275.03 at last night's game. Thanks to all who donated there will be another collection at Wodson Park on Sunday.

Leopards: D Jones 23, E Seaman 22, T Selvey 20, J Warwick 20, R Lloyd 3, M Eames 2, S Salter, T Christie, M Jarvis, E Gregory (DNP)