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…
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