PRESTON, Lancs. — Lancashire hosts Worthing in a crucial National League 1 clash on Sunday. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at Myerscough College with LiveStats available from tipoff. Tickets are available on the door priced at £3 for adults and £1 for under-16s.
The Spinners (5-16, 4-12) enter Sunday looking to end a six-game losing streak, which dates back to Dec. 18. Lancashire, however, was boosted last weekend by the return of the team’s second leading scorer, Connor Murtagh, who missed four games due to a shoulder injury. Mark Rangeley is a game-time decision after missing Saturday’s loss to Loughborough.
Lancashire sits just one win behind idle Essex (5-13) and Worthing with 10 games remaining on its schedule. Six of those are at home. Worthing will be travelling to Myerscough hoping to end its double-header weekend on a high having lost 86-64 at Loughborough on Saturday night.
Sunday’s matchup is the third at Myerscough College where the Spinners are 2-0 following early season wins over Liverpool and Westminster. Lancashire is shooting 41.1 percent (452-of-1099) in league play, but has averaged 50.6 percent (82-162) in two home games away from Castle Leisure Centre.
Rangeley leads the Spinners in scoring at 16.7 points per game on 43.1 percent (88-of- 204) shooting from the field, including making 41 of his 104 attempts from 3-point range. He ranks second on the team in rebounding and assists with 5.8 and 2.2 per game, respectively.
Point guard Jack Hudson’s 15.2 points per game is second on the team whilst he leads with 78 assists and 33 steals. Forward David Ulph has recorded a double-double in three-straight games and is averaging 15.3 points over that stretch. His 9.9 rebounds per game, including 3.2 offensive, is a team best.
Worthing (8-16, 5-14) arrives at Myerscough College having just one win from their last five and is on a two-game league slide after a victory over London. The Thunder has played two games more than the Spinners, who they sit above in the standings.
The Thunder are led by American Lyonell Ganes’ 32.1 points on 51.9 percent (242-of-466) shooting and 11.2 rebounds per game. Gaines has 15 30-point games on the season, setting a high of 40 against Hemel on Jan. 7.
Sunday will be the fourth meeting all-time with Lancashire having won all three previous meetings in dramatic fashion. The Spinners’ two victories last season were by a combined four points.
Lancashire earned its first league win of the season with a 78-74 victory at Worthing on Oct. 22. Hudson scored a team high 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting and Murtagh added 18 for an undermanned Spinners team, who finished 42.9 percent (30-of-70) from the field, but just 25 percent (5-of-20) from deep.
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