Manchester Basketball fall to Cheshire Phoenix 90-93 in the SLB Championship.
Manchester hosted rivals Cheshire Phoenix, off the back of a three-game winning streak in the SLB, for the second leg of the North West derby. Star forward Kaiyem Cleary made his season debut in the SLB, marking his return to the NBPC, and impressed with 14 points, alongside MCR's leading scorer on the night, Keon Thompson, with 26 points and 5 assists.
Duke Shelton opened the scoring, finishing down low after showing his elite footwork, but Cheshire responded quickly with a Skylar White three-pointer. Cheshire took an early lead, scoring 10 points to Manchester's 2, as the score moved to 6–13. However, MCR quickly responded, going on an uninterrupted 14-point scoring run, sparked by Keon Thompson and Kaiyem Cleary, to put Manchester up 20–13. Manchester maintained their momentum heading into the end of the quarter, leading 27–15. Early in the second, Keon Thompson led the charge for Manchester again, sparking a run with an and-one basket as MCR went on an 8–0 run, pushing the score to 37–21. Manchester continued to extend their lead, with the half ending 47–32.
Going into the second half, Cheshire found their feet, fighting their way back into the game through Nazir Williams. His 14 points in the third quarter helped Cheshire turn a 15-point deficit into a five-point lead, at 57–62. Early in the fourth quarter, MCR fought their way back into the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Jonathan Brown, bringing the gap to just one point. As Manchester continued their run, they finally regained the lead through Thompson, who grabbed a steal and finished a fast-break dunk to make the score 69–67.
The next five minutes of the quarter saw an intense battle, as both teams traded buckets and the lead. Another three-pointer from Brown made the score 78–79, followed by Brandon Mitchell-Day keeping Manchester in the game with a free throw in the final minute, tying the score at 79–79 and sending the game to overtime. In overtime, Cheshire made an early push, gaining an eight-point lead. Despite Manchester's continued fight, with Cleary scoring 6 points in under two minutes, Cheshire Phoenix were able to hold onto their lead, winning 90–93.
Manchester now turn their attention to Tuesday 10 November, when they host Élan Chalon at the NBPC at 7 pm in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Manchester Basketball fall to Cheshire Phoenix 90-93 in the SLB Championship.
Manchester hosted rivals Cheshire Phoenix, off the back of a three-game winning streak in the SLB, for the second leg of the North West derby. Star forward Kaiyem Cleary made his season debut in the SLB, marking his return to the NBPC, and impressed with 14 points, alongside MCR's leading scorer on the night, Keon Thompson, with 26 points and 5 assists.
Duke Shelton opened the scoring, finishing down low after showing his elite footwork, but Cheshire responded quickly with a Skylar White three-pointer. Cheshire took an early lead, scoring 10 points to Manchester's 2, as the score moved to 6–13. However, MCR quickly responded, going on an uninterrupted 14-point scoring run, sparked by Keon Thompson and Kaiyem Cleary, to put Manchester up 20–13. Manchester maintained their momentum heading into the end of the quarter, leading 27–15. Early in the second, Keon Thompson led the charge for Manchester again, sparking a run with an and-one basket as MCR went on an 8–0 run, pushing the score to 37–21. Manchester continued to extend their lead, with the half ending 47–32.
Going into the second half, Cheshire found their feet, fighting their way back into the game through Nazir Williams. His 14 points in the third quarter helped Cheshire turn a 15-point deficit into a five-point lead, at 57–62. Early in the fourth quarter, MCR fought their way back into the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Jonathan Brown, bringing the gap to just one point. As Manchester continued their run, they finally regained the lead through Thompson, who grabbed a steal and finished a fast-break dunk to make the score 69–67.
The next five minutes of the quarter saw an intense battle, as both teams traded buckets and the lead. Another three-pointer from Brown made the score 78–79, followed by Brandon Mitchell-Day keeping Manchester in the game with a free throw in the final minute, tying the score at 79–79 and sending the game to overtime. In overtime, Cheshire made an early push, gaining an eight-point lead. Despite Manchester's continued fight, with Cleary scoring 6 points in under two minutes, Cheshire Phoenix were able to hold onto their lead, winning 90–93.
Manchester now turn their attention to Tuesday 10 November, when they host Élan Chalon at the NBPC at 7 pm in the FIBA Europe Cup.
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