COVENTRY CRUSADERS 72 BRISTOL ACADEMY FLYERS 80
BRISTOL FLY AWAY WITH VICTORY
By Adam Manning
A depleted Coventry Crusaders side threatened an upset on Saturday evening as it took league leaders Bristol until the final minute to open up a defendable deficit to win 72-80.
If the team's uncertainty wasn't enough for head coach Roger Payne to worry about, he only had seven players available for selection against a Bristol side yet to lose away in the league.
Rob Clarke and Damilola Fakunle were out due to injury and sickness, Robin Hall was absent due to family commitments, Daniel Belgrave had work, whilst Leigh Cascoe is mulling over his future.
The pre-match tension surrounding the Coventry Sports Centre was soon forgotten though as Roger Payne's men built an extended 25-21 first quarter lead to 40-33 midway through the second as Casey Crawford's execution hit a purple patch. Yet Bristol's fast, fluent passing was always enough to undo Coventry's graft to set the visitors up to pounce on Coventry's mental frailty late in games - a consequence of four single-point home defeats this season.
The highlight of the first quarter saw Coventry break away at 7-7 to go on a six point run to lead 13-7 with 5:06 on the clock. Involved was 17-year-old guard Jack McDonald who got his first lay-up of the game before Crawford grabbed two lay-ups of his own: first turning Davis Bowne in the hole before Crusaders captain Michael Gayle showed great vision to spot the run of the American down the stretch.
Despite the league's most clinical 2-point shooter Tyrone Treasure not present for this clash, much to the delight of head coach Roger Payne, Bristol forward Doug McLaughlin-Williams made his second perimeter shot of the game to warn Coventry of their versatile quality.
The quarter ended with Crawford, who has now top-scored in his last ten games for Crusaders, proving a real thorn down Bristol's left wing as he nailed two and three-pointers to make it 25-19 before Flyers captain Greg Streete was denied consecutive lay-ups of his own on the buzzer as Coventry's defence blocked him off at 25-21.
Coventry ended up taking the same four point lead into half time as both sides matched each other on the boards in the second quarter
With the time at 6:50 in the second Bristol levelled for the first time since the start of the game to make it 29-29, and moments later forward Enrique Garcia. who top scored 28 for Bristol, gave them a two point lead.
Crusaders hit back through two points from Simon Payne and Casey Crawford, who did well to get past Garcia and McLaughlin-Williams to make the shot and draw the foul for an extra point to reinstate Coventry's lead at 35-31.
Crawford hit a central perimeter shot to give Crusaders their biggest lead of the game at 40-33, but American counterpart McLaughlin-Williams nailed a 3-pointer of his own to spark an eight point run by Bristol - giving the league leaders a 40-41 lead as their offense found a rhythm.
The quarter ended frantically as Crusaders forward Siman Stewart and Streete went close at both boards before Coventry forward Roy Owen picked out Crawford who showed more of a composed nature to nail his fourth 3-pointer. Owen, who showed creativity throughout with his surging runs, grabbed the last lay-up of the first half to take Coventry into half time 45-41 to the good.
Bristol quickly drew level through Streete and Rob Loftman in the third as the lead swayed back and forth five times.
Exciting basketball was on display for the sixty die-hard basketball fans inside the Coventry Sports Centre during this period. Garcia turned Crawford in the hole for two points before a Coventry turnover allowed forward Pierre Henry-Fontaine to release Owen down the right wing for two points as both teams were tied at 49-49.
Owen then jinxed past Loftman for another two points to put Coventry ahead, and despite strong team defence from Crawford, Stewart and Gayle, Crusaders couldn't forge a gap between themselves and the opposition as Bowne levelled before Crawford and Henry-Fontaine missed offensive rebounds at the basket.
Despite Flyers conceding five points from free throws as they struggled to deal with Crawford and good inside play between Henry-Fontaine and Stewart at the end of the third, the National Cup finalists went into the fourth quarter 56-57 up when Garcia ran through Crawford and Stewart seconds from the buzzer.
Going into the final period it remained to be seen if fatigue would take its toll on Coventry's seven-man squad or not.
At 56-59 Bristol's defence was on Coventry's toes as Garcia and Streete both rebounded shots from Owen and Crawford off the court.
McDonald reintroduced himself by finding the space on the left wing to launch an audacious 3-pointer, much to the delight of Crusaders' fans. But Garcia put his side ahead moments later at 59-61 as he was first on the rebound.
Coach Payne was soon bouncing around in frustration after watching Stewart miss two uncontested lay-ups, and knowing his side's psychological frailty late on in games, he would have been reassured to see back-to-back baskets from Crawford and Henry-Fontaine to edge his side ahead 63-61 with 5:08 left.
The sides went into a time out on 3:21 tied at 66-66, and the experienced head of former England player Henry-Fontaine helped Crusaders preserve level scores at 72-72 heading into another time out with 53 seconds left.
Henry-Fontaine added an assist to his name when sending Simon Payne clear for two form the back court, before he finished off a counter attack from Gayle and grabbed three points when drawing a foul upon execution.
The time out was then called on at 0:53 when Henry-Fontaine was adjudged to have fouled Garcia, who duly applied the two free throws at the re-start as it all fell apart for Coventry.
The hosts went forward looking to force over time, but captain Gayle's desperation to gain the ball back from Loftman's turn over gave Flyers the opportunity to wrap the game up from two free throws. He did so to make it 72-76 as the small pocket of Flyers fans celebrated.
Coventry went gung-ho in the dying seconds which only left them vulnerable at the back as Streete capitalised by feeding Garcia for his final two points, before McLaughlin-Williams made two from the free-throw line to hand Coventry their tenth defeat of the season.
Top scorers:
Coventry - Crawford 32; Owen 10; Stewart 8
Bristol - Garcia 28; Bowne 14; McLaughlin-Williams
Quarter scores: 25-21; 20-20; 11-16; 16-23
Attendance: 60