BBL Championship
Surrey Scorchers 81-84 Caledonia Gladiators (17-16, 46-36, 61-59, 81-84)
(Scorchers: McFolley, 23; Martin, 19; Wang; 11 – Gladiators: Sloan, 24; Durham, 20; Alihodzic; 16)
Caledonia Gladiators gained a measure of revenge on the Surrey Scorchers with an 84-81 win at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday night.
Payback
for the loss two weeks ago in the same building, and Caledonia needed to come
from behind against a talented Surrey side.
Only
this time, they left with a win.
Fahro Alihodzic proved an essential figure in Caledonia’s win, with 16 points shooting an efficient 87% from the field and 11 rebounds.
20
points from Al Durham off the bench for the Gladiators also helped forge a
solid resistance for Surrey’s effortless deep-ranged scoring.
The
Surrey Scorchers hosted the Caledonia Gladiators in an exciting match-up, with
both teams looking to bounce back from narrow defeats on Friday.
Caledonia
were first out the gate with a strong isolation move from Jeremiah
Bailey, who converted with emphasis at the basket.
However,
Surrey soon got into their rhythm, with Charleston Dobbs and Padiet Wang
contributing valuable buckets to tie the score.
Caledonia’s
defence was on full display in the opening minutes, keeping Surrey scoreless
for almost three minutes of play.
On
the attacking front, centre Fahro Alihodzic bullied Surrey’s defenders in the
low post to provide points for the visiting side.
But
Ryan Martin’s triple straight from the bench ended the Scorchers’ scoring
drought.
It
was Surrey’s turn to clamp down defensively.
After
missing the last five games for Surrey, Andrew Lawrence’s entrance into the
game quickly drew a steal, leading to a fast-paced lay-up by Kyle Carey on the
other end.
With
defence turning into offence for the Scorchers, they held onto a slim 17-16
lead to finish the opening quarter.
Martin’s
hot hands continued to be on show in the second quarter, with Surrey finding
success from beyond the arc, going 6/11 by the early stages of the second
quarter.
Surrey’s
Josh McFolley was a standout performer, heating up from three-point range and
finishing the half with 17 points.
Surrey’s
half-court defence was dominant; they managed to restrict Caledonia to just two
three-pointers in the first half.
Despite
Surrey’s gathering momentum, Caledonia responded in the closing minutes of the
first half.
David
Sloan notched back-to-back scores before a fierce layup – in traffic – by Al
Durham resulted in an 8-0 run for the Gladiators.
But,
a glamorous finish by McFolley in the dying seconds resulting in an and-one
kept Surrey in front.
In
an entertaining first half of action, Surrey took a 46-36 lead.
During
an intense and thrilling second half, the Gladiators and Scorchers went at each
other’s necks, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats until the final
buzzer.
Alihodzic
led the charge for the visitors, scoring six early points to bring his total up
to 16, along with 11 boards.
But
Surrey replied with successive three-pointers, restoring their double-digit
advantage.
Despite Surrey’s continued strong outside scoring, Caledonia continued to fight back with good passing leading to an Onwas reverse layup along the baseline, followed by a powerful breakaway dunk by Bailey.
Caledonia’s
defence also forced turnovers that led to quick layups, slashing Surrey’s lead
to just two points with only a few minutes left in the third period.
In
the process, Durham was on fire on the offensive end, getting to the line
numerous times and going 9/10 from the charity stripe.
Surrey
found points inside the key, with a handful of buckets from Shakem Johnson, but
Caledonia quickly regained the lead with a half-court layup that found Sloan
for an uncontested layup.
The
game remained tight heading into the final quarter, with both teams trading
baskets and the lead changing hands several times.
Clutch
threes from Surrey’s sharpshooting duo of McFolley and Martin kept the game
within one possession for both teams.
With
45 seconds remaining, Caledonia led by one point and successfully forced a
24-second violation against Surrey, taking back possession crucially.
With
only 9.3 seconds left on the clock, Surrey’s defenders fouled Sloan, who
converted both free throws to give Caledonia a three-point lead.
Surrey had one last chance to tie the game and force overtime with just 1.2 seconds left, but McFolley’s three-point attempt missed its mark, and Caledonia held on for the win.
Reflecting on the gripping fixture, Gladiators guard David Sloan explained, “A hard-fought game [but] we figured out a way to win. Keeping each other together helped us get the win.”
In a thrilling second half, filled with highlights and clutch plays, the Caledonia Gladiators record their 15th win in the BBL Championship.
View the full BBL Championship Standings HERE.
