NORTH DEVON 48 MASSAGE WEYMOUTH RAIDERS 61

AFTER their defeat in the cup, the Raiders were victorious in a must-win encounter in North Devon to stay in the chase for the title.

With half the team getting lost en route and turning up with five minutes till tip-off, the Raiders started slowly.

Luckily, the hosts found themselves in early foul trouble to put Weymouth to the line six times in the first quarter and helped them stay within six points.

With a large portion of the points, including a three-pointer coming from Piotr Lason in the second quarter, the Raiders still finished the first half trailing 34-31.

The second half saw a much different Raiders’ side come out, with points coming from all players.

Andy Steel began the half with a three, and with great team defence and fast breaks from Dan Park, pictured, Wey-mouth started pulling away from the tired looking Devon side.

The fourth quarter saw the Raiders outscore Devon 15-4 again with great team defence, fast breaks and a three-pointer from Park to finish the game victors.

Coach Craig Sorrell said: “Overall, it was a great team effort with every player contributing to the game in some way, whether it was through scoring, rebounding or just great hustle defence.”

Raiders: Piotr Lason 24, Dan Park 14, Andy Steel 9, Scott White 5, Simon Dean 5, Pavel Dimitrov 4, Jerry Thompson

Massage Weymouth MVP: Piotr Lason