In their new stadium, the Caledonia Gladiators were able to beat the Surrey Scorchers in game week four of the British Basketball League to the score of 86-79.
For the first game inside the Caledonia Gladiators’ new arena, PlaySport, the Gladiators were able to hold off the Surrey Scorchers to grab their second win of the season in the 2023/24 British Basketball League.
Starting Five:
Caledonia
Gladiators starting five: Ian DuBose, Prince Onwas, Patrick Whelan, Lukas
Palyza, Fahro Alihodzic
Surrey Scorchers starting five: Abdul Mohammed, Cameron Gooden, Saiquan Jamison, Padiet Wang, Justin Robinson
First Half:
In Caledonia
Gladiators’ new arena, the home team saw themselves ahead by the end of the
first quarter after a very efficient start to the game.
The Gladiators’ starting five came out hot, with DuBose and Palyza both getting five points each, with Alihodzic adding four himself. With this, the Scorchers quickly went to their bench, where they got a needed boost from Andrew Lawrence, who scored eight points in the first quarter.
However,
the Gladiators were dominating the inside game, with their 14 points in the
paint outclassing Surrey’s four. The score at the end of the first quarter saw
the Gladiators ahead 22-15.
The second
quarter saw a more even game, with the second quarter score in isolation being
24-23 to the Gladiators. The Scorchers
started to really speed up their game, with the best rebounder in the league,
Saiquan Jamison, grabbing five rebounds in the second quarter alone.
Caledonia
were keeping the game very efficient with an absurd 57% shooting from the
field, but Surrey’s plethora of extra shots made by the likes of Jamison’s
rebounds were keeping themselves within touching distance going into the second
half.
Patrick Whelan epitomized the Gladiators’ scoring in the first half, going perfect from the field with eight points from three shots. The Gladiators ended the first half to the tune of 46-38.
Two-man game be 💯@mihailo_jovicic and Clifton Moore Jr link up well to get a nice look inside for the @Cal_Gladiators!
📺 WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/2z6XMCB5VE#UNBEATABLE #BritishBasketballLeague pic.twitter.com/sMm06IF21I
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) October 5, 2023
Second Half:
This
contest continued to be incredibly close, with the Scorchers coming out hotter
in the second half, taking the third quarter with a score of 20-19. Of course,
this still meant the Scorchers had work to do in the fourth quarter.
With
Scorchers coach Lloyd Gardner opting to go with a bigger lineup in the third
quarter, Jamison slid down to the power forward slot while Jordan Hunt got
extended minutes. This duo started to bully the inside.
This inside duo started to make it easier for two-time MVP Justin Robinson to start igniting the offence, scoring another six points in the third quarter, all coming from beyond the arc. However, the Gladiators were staying ahead steadily, with Clifton Moore Jr. taking the fight inside, scoring five of his own in the third quarter.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Gladiators were leading 65-58. The fourth quarter kept up the intensity the previous two quarters had shown, with both teams keeping it even.
Caledonia
started the quarter hot, but the Scorchers were able to start pulling it back.
19 turnovers for the Gladiators allowed the Scorchers to stay in the game, with
not many points coming their way.
Kyle Johnson was able to add five points in the fourth quarter, with most of the Gladiators starting to cool off. The Scorchers were trying their hardest, with Andrew Lawrence, Padiet Wang and Jordan Hunt trying their best to keep them in.
However, ultimately, the Gladiators were able to pull away and get their first win in their new home to the score of 86-79.
Player of the Game:
Tonight’s player of the game was Trent Buttrick of the Caledonia Gladiators. Buttrick was able to log 15 points off 10 shots in total and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Team | Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Caledonia Gladiators | Trent Buttrick | 15 | 10 | 2 |
Caledonia Gladiators | Fahro Alihodzic | 13 | 12 | 0 |
Surrey Scorchers | Andrew Lawrence | 19 | 2 | 9 |
Surrey Scorchers | Saiquan Jamison | 9 | 10 | 1 |
With the new season here, you can still get your British
Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube
channel to relive all of the best moments from the current
season.