Rampant Riders into quarter-finals

Leicester Riders sailed into the next round of the BBL cup with a comfortable 102-67 victory over the MK Lions on Saturday night.

The Leicester fans saw a host of excellent individual performances including Ayron Hardy’s double double consisting of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Cameron Rundles was the MVP on the night with a rounded performance of 23 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds. GB captain Drew Sullivan and Brad Wierzbicki also reached the 20-point mark in a brilliant team effort.

As for the Lions, it was the same story as last week. Their opponents blew them away with incredible ease, as the defence seemed non-existent. What was even more disappointing is the lack of teamwork as they amounted to only five team-combined assists for the entire 40 minutes.

The Riders left their opponents a mountain to climb as they dominated the first period to gain a comprehensive 39-18 lead.

The Lions just watched the lead increase on the scoreboard with no realistic effort to make a comeback in the second quarter. By halftime, the home side gained a 30-point advantage well ahead of their lacklustre opponents at 62-32.

The key to the Riders success was their ability to find gaps in the defence and exploit them under the hoop with great finishing.

The second half gave the Leicestershire side to rotate their bench as the game turned into a non-contest. By this time, the Lions were desperately trying to restore some pride but it was too late as the Riders were in cruise control on their way to the next round of the BBL Cup.