The Cheshire Phoenix were able to win on the Leicester Riders’ home court in their first game of the 2023/24 British Basketball League season.
The Cheshire Phoenix upset the runners-up of the 2022/23 British Basketball League season after beating the Leicester Riders to the score of 110-86.
Leicester
Riders starting five:
Kimbal Mackenzie, Miryne Thomas, TJ Lall, Jaren Holmes, Braelen Bridges
Cheshire
Phoenix starting five: Skyler White, Maceo Jack, LaQuincy Rideau, EJ Stephens, Aaryn Rai
The game started at an incredible pace with both the Phoenix and the Riders coming out hot. The Phoenix took a 28-24 lead after the end of the first quarter and arguably could’ve been more. The team shot five of 12 from the three-point line while also snatching an obscene nine offensive rebounds.
The bench offered
the spark plugs for both teams with Samuel Idowu of the Riders and Cam Christon
of the Phoenix both scoring nine points each in the first quarter, with all
their points coming on incredible efficiency.
The Phoenix continued their hot start with the right mix of fluid offence and tough defence. The 11 offensive rebounds, eight steals, and nine threes in the first half could only be music to head coach Ben Thomas’ ears.
While Cam
Christon kept up his blistering start finishing the half with 14 points, Skyler
White also started to become unconscious from beyond the arc, making four
threes in the first half to end on 13 points.
Leicester
were able to keep in the game though. New star player and possible MVP
contender, Xavier Pinson, was able to keep the Riders within distance. His five
points to go with four assists showed his potential as an elite floor general
and playmaker.
The Riders, however, wouldn’t go down without a fight. The team from Leicester had to play near-perfect to keep up with the Phoenix’s scorching offence, and they were up to the test, finishing the third quarter with a team 60% from the field.
TJ Lall and
Kimbal Mackenzie started to make their presences known, while Pinson added
another seven points in the third quarter.
The Phoenix, as stated, were playing nearly perfectly with 19 offensive rebounds to go with 11 steals, and 12 threes by the end of the third quarter kept this game close as the third quarter ended 74-71.
Leicester’s comeback in the third quarter was all for nothing though, with Cheshire once again upping the fuel in the fourth quarter. The Phoenix were able to put up over 30 points in the fourth and ended the game with three players scoring at least 20 points each in Aaryn Rai, Maceo Jack, and Skyler White.
Records were also the tale of the game with White breaking his career-high for threes made with seven. Cam Holden was unfortunately one rebound off having the first triple-double of the season. Holden ended with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
The MVP should arguably go to the Cheshire Phoenix team as a whole. Their offence, defence, and hot shooting showed up for the likes of Aaryn Rai, Skyler White, Cam Holden, and Maceo Jack.
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 last year!
