Cian Hickey’s long 3-pointer with under 30 seconds remaining was the perfect representation of a team that battled right to the very end.
And the Spinners will likely need every point to avoid being in the same half of the bracket as league champions Manchester Magic.
“Yeah, we definitely understood that basket could have a major impact on our playoff seeding,” said point guard Hickey.
Lancashire, who shot 64 percent in the opening half, defeated Essex 89-77 on Saturday, and locked up the seventh seed in the National Basketball League playoffs, which begin next weekend.
With the 12-point win, and Northumbria’s victory over London Lituanica, the Spinners crept into seventh place whilst Essex fell to sixth. London finished in the final playoff spot as all four teams finished with 16-10 league records.
“It’s a big achievement for us to grab a playoff spot in our first year, especially given our commitment to young players,” Lancashire coach Neal Hopkins said. “I’m happy we stuck to our principles and get the reward of being involved in the postseason.”
Steven Gayle recorded 23 points – his seventh 20-plus game – and eight assists for the Spinners (25-12), who ended the season 15-6 at home. Kyle Carey added 18 and five rebounds, and Mark Rangeley and George both had 10.
Courtney Van Beest led the Leopards (20-16) with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Essex managed 11 3-pointers but struggled overall, shooting just 32 percent for the game.
The Spinners, who only trailed once, turned a 27-18 first quarter lead into a 22-point advantage with 3:13 before halftime, highlighted by George Darling’s emphatic dunk.
An 8-0 run brought Essex within 86-77 late in the fourth quarter but Hickey put an exclamation mark on what was a season-defining performance for the Spinners.
DEEP BENCH
Lancashire received 38 points from its bench just a week after it scored 45 against Kent.
Darling added six rebounds to along with 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He’s averaging 9.7 and 5.3 on 50 percent shooting (11 of 22) during a three game stretch.
“It’s been really important for me to get the confidence back within my game since returning from injury,” he said. “Over the last few games I’ve been given more minutes and have wanted to show what I was capable of doing and how much I’ve improved.”
NOTES
The Spinners committed just nine turnovers, the fewest since committing six against Bradford on Mar. 5. … Lancashire’s 56 percent shooting is only bested by its effort at Kent on Nov. 1 (57.5). … Gayle’s eight assists tied a season-high. … Carey returned to the starting line up after a two game absence – he had started nine straight.
Allen Gunn
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