Heavy feet off the opening tip, consecutive 3-pointers, five straight missed shots, and a double-digit deficit all before the Spinners could blink.
If a mulligan had been offered, they would’ve accepted.
“We have shown we have the talent to run with anyone – we’ve just suffered some inconsistency at the start of games, but also showed the urgency to battle back,” said Lancashire coach Neal Hopkins, whose team hosts Essex in the season finale on Saturday at Castle Leisure Centre.
The Leopards (20-15, 16-9 NBL1) led by as many as 19 points in the opening quarter on Jan. 16 before the Spinners put together a seven-minute stretch where it outscored Essex 18-7 to close within four with 5:22 until halftime.
But an immediate 6-0 response made it a 42-32 spread, forcing Lancashire (22-11, 15-10) to chase again – and every time it felt it was close it would have to chase again.
Essex would eventually win 83-71 despite giving up 33 second half points.
“We can’t dwell on past performances, good or bad,” Spinners forward Mark Rangeley said. “But we know if we start well we are a hard team to chase down and when we play with confidence we are a better team.”
Lancashire shot just 36 percent against Essex in the previous meeting, which was well below the team’s season average (44.4). It’s had five sub-40 performances since then, including three over a recent four game stretch.
But the Spinners are boosted by the fact they secured a playoff spot in their first season in Division One, and can still improve on a current eighth-seed with a win. Though a loss cements a first-round matchup at Manchester Magic.
“We set out to get a playoff spot and, realistically, we were a couple of wins away from a high league placing. Though we’ve had a good run considering the transition of the club,” said Hopkins.
After claiming the league title in 2015-16, first-year head coach Steve Ogunjimi has guided the Leopards back to the postseason. And led by 16.8 points from Ladi Brown, they will carry a season best five-game winning streak heading into the finale.
RUNNING WITH YOUTH
Five players age 19 and under have combined to make 40 starts in league play, led by point guard Cian Hickey’s 18 and Kyle Carey’s 13. Connor Murtagh (b. 1994) has started all 23 divisional games.
Despite a losing effort, Carey had an impressive 23 points for Myerscough against Charnwood College in the Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) final on Wednesday.
“I’m looking for an impact from the younger guys this weekend,” Hopkins said. “They are going to get a big chance. I’d really like to see George [Darling] and Zion [Tordoff], in particular, play with assertiveness and a lot of confidence.”
NOTES
Tordoff made his Lancashire Spinners debut against the Leopards on Jan. 16 scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds. … He finished 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
Allen Gunn
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