Worthing Thunder 107 (33,50,69)
Leopards 99 (22,48,66)

Fola Adeleke and Carl Latham-Henry combined for 50 points, but they could not prevent Leopards slipping to their second narrow defeat in as many games as they went down at league champions Worthing, on Saturday.

Adeleke did his best to keep the Big Cats in the game with 13 points in the final period on his way to a total of 26, but it was a first half ankle injury to Latham-Henry which proved to be the key for the visitors.

The 24-year-old limped through the rest of the game, but much of his lightening speed was lost as he added only eight points to his first half 16.

While Leopards finished with five played in double figures – with Matt Eames returning season-high numbers of 11 points and seven rebounds - Thunder were led by American pair Cleve Woodfork and James Mooney who scored 32 and 27 points apiece, with James Brame the only other player in double figures on 18.

An even start to the game saw the teams exchange baskets, and six Latham-Henry points kept Leopards level at 9-9 at the midway point in the quarter before five straight Eames points meant that Leopards only trailed 17-16 going into the final three minutes of the period.

However, Thunder got hot at that stage, and four straight treys, saw them close the period out with a 16-5 run to reach the first break with a 33-22 lead.

That lead grew to 17 as Danny Hildreth and Dan Midgley opened the second period scoring, but an Adeleke basket launched a 10-0 run which put the Big Cats back in the game. Adeleke scored four of the points in the tear, with Lee McCarthy and Latham-Henry both sinking a pair of free-throws and Sam Salter draining a long-range two.

Demetrius Scott broke the run, but the Big Cats remained in touching distance for the rest of the half, and a Leigh Greenan put-back leveled the score in the final minute before Midgley sent the hosts into the locker room with a 50-48 lead.

Latham-Henry had sat out the final couple of minutes in the first half, and he was clearly struggling after the break, with Leopards forced to change their defence to protect him, but they remained within a five points of the hosts throughout the third period, with an Eames basket making it 61-59 at the six minute mark.

The home side led 69-64 going into the final minute of the quarter before Salter buried a jump shot to cut the deficit going into the fourth period 69-66 down.

The final quarter saw guard Mooney get hot for the home side, and it was his long-range shooting that ultimately won the game for Thunder.

He started the quarter with three straight treys, split only by two Gareth Laws free-throws, to open a nine point lead for the hosts.

Salter and Adeleke also scored from the “Land of Plenty” to cut the deficit to 82-78 at the midway stage of the period, and another Adeleke three saw Leopards go into the final three minutes trailing 86-83.

However Mooney replied with another pair of treys, and with coach Jon Burnell collecting a technical foul after his side were denied a call, Thunder closed out the victory.

Leopards: F Adeleke 26, C Latham-Henry 24, S Salter 16, M Eames 11, G Laws 10, L McCarthy 7, L Greenan 3, M Collins 2