Loughborough Riders edged Rockets 78-74 in a tight encounter to put an end to our 2024/25 KitKing Trophy campaign at Loughborough University on Sunday evening.
Rockets must now switch focus to the upcoming National Basketball League (NBL) Division One season, which begins in two weeks’ time with an away trip to Derby Trailblazers.
Both Rockets and Loughborough were playing the second game of doubleheader weekends, and it showed, with struggles on the offensive end a common theme inside the early exchanges.
With the scores tied at 13 each after seven minutes, Zack Powell put Rockets ahead with a well taken three after Martyn Gayle picked him out with a smart pass after driving into the paint.
Loughborough once again refused to allow Rockets to build any kind of momentum, however, and pulled the scores back to 18 each by the end of first quarter.
The hosts scored the first points of the second quarter but Rockets pulled level after Leon Henry converted on the fast break after good vision from Sam Toluwase.
Neither side could put together a run at this point, with blows being traded without the consistency required for either side to establish a significant advantage.
Zack hit another three to level the scores at 26 each before Orlan Jackman burst through the Loughborough defence to pull us back to within two after Loughborough had once again taken the lead.
Loughborough’s foul trouble caught up with them towards the end of the half, with Martyn pulling it to back within three after sinking a pair of free throws.
An and-one play from Loughborough’s Ben Woog put the momentum in the hands of the hosts as they took a six-point advantage, the largest of the game to that point, with just under 2 minutes until half time.
Another Zack triple brought us back into it but that would be our final score of the quarter as Loughborough began to rebuild the six-point lead they would ultimately take into the interval.
With the halftime score 38-32 in Loughborough’s favour, Rockets came out at the start of the third with a point to prove – and started the quarter with a 9-2 run to take a 41-40 lead inside two minutes of the restart.
Luke Okosieme then produced one of the game’s highlight plays, a thunderous dunk much to the delight of the travelling Rockets support.
Loughborough rallied and hit back through Liam Campbell, who converted another and-one play on the buzzer to take the lead, and the momentum, into the final quarter.
Indeed, Loughborough capitalised and started the fourth as they had ended the third; racking up a 7-2 run to leave Rockets with it all to do.
A couple of back-to-back fast break points, courtesy of the once again impressive Powell, gave Rockets a way back into the game with the scores at 64-61.
Martyn tied it up with three and a half minutes to play before Rockets took the lead for the first time since halfway through the third quarter after splitting a pair of free throws.
Loughborough answered back immediately to take a lead of their own, 66-65.
Seth Wylie then hit a corner three in front of the visiting bench to make things difficult for Rockets (74-67), before Zack Powell answered back with a four-point play after repeating the trick with a three of his own through contact in front of the Loughborough bench.
With time quickly running out and Rockets in desperate need for a basket, Powell once again led the charge but was called for an offensive foul on his way to the basket.
Sam Toluwase hit a three with just under 20 seconds to play (76-74) but Rockets were unable to get down the court again.
Oscar Curran sank two free throws to put the game beyond Rockets once and for all as Loughborough held on claim a narrow win and in doing so confirmed their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Rockets can now switch focus to the upcoming National Basketball League (NBL) Division One campaign which starts away at Derby on Sunday 6th October.
Photos supplied by Nathan Green