Raiders stage remarkable rebound

A remarkable second-half turnaround from the Raiders under-18 development squad on Tuesday night strengthened their chances of a top-two finish in the Albany Basketball Association men’s A-grade competition.

Raiders produced an error-riddled first half as they turned the ball over many times, took poor shots in offence and were dominated in rebounding by their taller and more physical Denmark opponents.

Denmark shot to a 12-point lead at one stage in the first half and led by six points at half time, prompting Raiders coach Darren Berry to give his young side an old- fashioned spray during the break.

His words clearly worked as the Raiders flicked the switch on in the second half, looking a completely different side to the one that was pushed around in the opening 20 minutes.

Raiders star John Murray, who went scoreless in the first half, was able to ignite his side with some deadly shooting, while Matthew Leary and Luke Dupuy also helped spark the comeback.

After taking less than five minutes to reach the lead, Raiders began to extend their advantage on the back of Murray’s first three-pointer, which he sank with more than 13 minutes to play.

From there Murray was busy in offence, knocking down five triples on his way to a 20-point second half as Raiders ran out comfortable winners 56-35.

The Raiders shot 43 points in a super second half, compared with Denmark, who were reduced to spectators as they nailed only 16 points and lost their first game in three weeks.

Leary was instrumental in the Raiders remaining in touch at half time and finished with 13 points to be a key figure in the win, alongside Murray and Dupuy (7 points).

Berry said with the ladder remaining so close, it proved a crucial win.

“Second to seventh is so tight, you can’t afford to drop off the pace, ” he said.

“At half time I told them to work on the basics again, get everyone involved in the game and make things open up.

“Our intensity picked up, the game opened up and the offence began to flow.”

The win pushed Raiders four points clear in second place on the ladder with four games remaining.

Sam Finigan was the shining light for Denmark with 13 points, including 11 in the first half, and David Stone dominated the glass.

In other round 13 results, Barking Owls withstood a gallant Wolves 66-54, Tigers notched an important 51-37 win over Ambassadors, and Bearded Dragons defeated Crabs 65-45.