Archive of match reports and News Stories on the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks
ROCKS REPORTS ARCHIVE from the 2004/05 SEASON
Sunday 20th March
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 105 (28,47,72) (Cole 22, McIntosh 19, Gordon 17)
LEICESTER RIDERS 74 (19,42,56) (New 23, Murray 16, Burns 14)Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks established a four point cushion in sixth place after defeating Playoff hopefuls Leicester Riders 105-74 at the Braehead Arena on Sunday night 20th March. A 6-0 burst in the first quarter helped the Rocks to a 28-19 lead before the visitors closed the gap in the second period courtesy of a 10-2 run which made the score 30-29 - the closest the Riders would come. The game was effectively won in the third quarter as the Rocks opened it 12-3 and closed it with 11 unanswered points to give them an unassailable 72-56 advantage. Roni Gordon was the game's MVP after scoring 17 points with 7 rebounds. THURSDAY 10th March at Braehead
ROCKS 87 - 67 BEARS
LISTEN TO STEVE SWANSON'S POST MATCH COMMENTS
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 87 (17,42,64) (Cole 22, Perre 16, Feggins 14)
BRIGHTON BEARS 67 (21,32,52) (Lepore 27, Alleyne 21, Deng 15)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks stepped up their hunt for a high placed finish with a 87-67 success over a depleted Brighton Bears outfit on Thursday evening.
The Rocks closed out the first half with a 14-2 burst to take a 42-32 lead at the interval but Bears opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run of their own to bring themselves back into contention. Rocks response was immediate, rattling off the next 17 points without reply to open up a 61-42 lead from which the Bears were unable to recover. Bears produced the games leading scorer in Steve Lepore who scored 27 points, Cheyne Gadson is the latest name on a long Bears injury list. Saturday 5th March
THAMES VALLEY TIGERS 110 (35,53,81) (Murray 31, James 20, Moore/Wellington 17)
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 97 (15,40,68) (McIntosh 25, Cole 23, Feggins 13)
Thames Valley Tigers notched their fourth consecutive BBL Championship victory with a 110-97 success over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks.
The Tigers raced out of the block in the first quarter with runs of 11-2, 7-0 and another 11-2 helping them to a 35-15 lead at the end of the quarter. The Rocks fought back hard with a 14-4 run in the 2nd and a 11-5 burst in the 3rd moving them to within 4 at 62-58. The Tigers however scored the next 11 to put daylight between the team and a 13-2 start to the final stanza secured the win at 93-70. Tigers Jo James and Rocks Tony Windless then found themselves ejected after an altercation with 7.43s remaining in the game.
Wednesday 2nd March
Plymouth Raiders Vs Scottish Rocks
KULAROOS PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 61 (11,26,44) (Beasley 18, Gall 13, Durham 11)
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 75 (23,40,57) (McIntosh 19, Windless 14, Henning/Perre 12)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders' Playoff push suffered a set back on Wednesday night with a 61-75 home loss to Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. The Rocks were quick out of the blocks as they immediately took a 13-2 lead, Phil Perre and Lamont McIntosh combining for 11 of those points, as they went on to lead 23-11 at the quarter. The home side responded early in the second as they opened 12-4 to pull the score back to 27-23 but Adrian Henning scored 6 points as the Rocks closed the half out with an 8-1 tear to go in 40-26 at the intermission.
The Raiders struggled to get much closer until an old-fashioned three point play from Ryan French sparked a 10-2 start to the final period as they drew to within 5 at 54-59. However the Rocks sealed the game as they responded immediately, their next 10 points being interrupted by a solitary Terrence Durham free-throw, the Raiders' centre missed five out of six from the line
during this period as the Rocks stretched the lead back out to fourteen points.
Rocks' point guard Lamont McIntosh led all scorers with19 points, also for them, Tony Windless made 14 points with 17 rebounds and 3 assists. The league's leading shot blocker Gerrick Morris had 15 rebounds and a staggering 9 blocks in the game |
Sunday 27th February Match Report
ROCKS 92 (28,48,64) (Windless 28, McIntosh 23, Perre 15)
JETS 103 (24,42,68) (Moore 27, Myers 23, Singleton 18) TCS Chester Jets re-established their four point lead at the summit of the BBL Championship table with a 92-103 road win over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. Neither team could establish much of a lead in the first half until an 8-0 burst from the home side saw them take a 48-42 lead into the locker room. Chester began to turn the game around after the break as they outscored the Rocks 26-16 in the third before maintaining a slender lead in the final period. It was two former Rocks players that set up the win for the league leaders in the fourth quarter. Shawn Myers made three shots from three-point range and Billy Singleton made two baskets to see the Jets lead 91-79. After a brief Rocks' revival, Trey Moore scored 10 consecutive points to settle the tie. Trey Moore scored 27 points for the victors but it was Tony Windless who led all scorers with 28 points for the home team. |
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Match Report Sunday 20th February 2005
SCOTTISH ROCKS 79 (26,45,64) (Cole 24, Windless 17, McIntosh 13)
NEWCASTLE EAGLES 81 (18,41,62) (Hyatt 23, Sullivan 13, Bennett 13)
Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles held onto second spot in the BBL Championship with a last gasp 79-81 win over big northern rivals Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. Solid defence and quality three point shooting was the theme for the Rocks in the first half, also helped by some lacklustre free-throw shooting from the visitors, they had their noses infront 45-41 at the intermission after leading throughout the first two periods.
However, the lead changed eight times in the third quarter before the Rocks managed to hold it at 64-62 going into a final quarter in which the visitors were playing catch-up again until late on. With 45 secs left on the clock Andrew Sullivan connected from beyond the arc to tie the game at 79. The Rocks' response fell short and it was player/coach Fab Flournoy who won the game for Newcastle, netting the winning basket with 2 secs left in the game. Donald Cole led all scorers with 24 points in vein for the home side. Jeremy Hyatt led the Eagles for the sixth consecutive game after netting 23 points. THURSDAY 17th FEBRUARY
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 89 (23,46,72)
(McIntosh 24, Windless 17, Perre 12, Feggins 12 Cole 12)
LEICESTER RIDERS 76 (19,38,58)
The Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks strengthened their hold on sixth spot in the BBL Championship table with a 89-76 victory over the Leicester Riders. The Rocks recorded their second victory over the Riders in a week, and their third consecutive victory in the BBL Championships, by pulling clear of their visitors midway through the third quarter. An 8-0 burst moved the Rocks 64-45 clear from which the Riders could not recover. Throughout the game the Riders were frustrated by a solid rocks defence that did not allow them any serious scoring opportunities. | |
Saturday 12th February
Leicester 68 Rocks 86
LEICESTER 68 (20,38,54) (Williams 17, New 14, Smith 13)
ROCKS 86 (23,43,64) (Henning 23, Feggins 16, Cole 14)
The Rocks recorded a much needed win on Saturday evening seeing off the challenge of the Leicester Riders 86-68. The Rocks made crucial scores late on in each of the opening three quarters but could not shake off a resilent Riders outfit until the final 5 minutes of the game. Leading 68-64 the Rocks posted a 18-4 run to close out the game and show a rather flattering score line. Adrian Henning led all scorers with 23 points. |
BIRMINGHAM 78 ROCKS 97
SUNDAY 13th February
BULLETS 78 (17,32,52) (Ataha 20, Phillips 16, Marshall 12)
ROCKS 97 (24,48,74) (Cole 25, McIntosh 24, Feggins 13)
The Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks further strengthened their Playoff position with their second road win of the weekend on Sunday night, beating Birmingham Bullets 78-97.
The Bullets lead early on but the visitors rattled off 11 unanswered points to take a 7-15 lead. It was a similar story in the second period as the teams traded baskets until the Rocks went 11-1 for a commanding 24-40 lead on their way to a 32-48 half-time advantage. Bullets failed to narrow the deficit in the third as the Rocks pushed their lead out to 22 points at 52-74 at the end of that quarter. The home side fought back in the final period and reduced the lead to just thirteen points, however, every time they got close it was Rocks' point guard Lamont McIntosh who found the basket to keep them at arms length.
Donald Cole led all scorers with 25 points for the victors whilst point guard Santa Ataha posted his BBL career high 20 points for the home side. |
OH SO CLOSE!!!!
Rocks 78 - 79 Sharks
Braehead Sunday 30th January 2005
Match report from John MacCalman
It started off like it was going to be a rout of the Rocks by the Sheffield Sharks. In the first period of play Tony Windless opened the scoring with a quick basket to which the Sharks replied with the first of many 3 pointers. The Rocks replied with a two pointer from Bryant Feggins then the Sharks got another two. Bryant quickly responded with two and then the Rocks scoreline stuck at 6 while the Sharks went on a scoring blitz putting on 14 unanswered points. You might be deceived into thinking the Rocks defence had fallen apart, but by virtue of the fact that they held the Sharks to 23 points in the first quarter this was not the case. It was on offence that nearly every shooting attempt resulted in failures while the Sharks were close to 100% on their shots. This was to prove critical later in the game. It is strange that while the Rocks shooting efforts were not striking home, the only remain points in the first period of play came from a 100% conversion effort by Dan Wardrop on his four free throws (try speaking that out loud) towards the end of the quarter to break Sheffield's run. The quarter ended 10-23. As any team visiting Braehead knows the most dangerous attitude you can bring to the court is complancency and the game ain't over till the fat lady sings, even when you have outscored your opponents by more than double in the first quarter. The second period of play found the Rocks recovering their scoring ability outshooting the Sharks by 30 to 24 aided by Lamont McIntosh's 3 pointer which was the only one for the Rocks in the first half (Sheffield managed 6). At the half the scoreline was 40-47 in Sheffield's favour and all to play for. The second half started well for the Rocks and it was not long before Phillip Perre showed some inspirational play with a 3 point basket that put the Rocks into the lead for the first time since their opening score. When things like this happen there is a wonderful chemistry among the Rocks players who seem to find the extra energy to pull victory out of a big deficit in the early scoreline. At the end of the third period the Rocks held a 2 point lead at 62-60. It looked like that energy inspired the Rocks in the third quarter as they piled on the points and at one time were 70 to the Sharks 62, then Sheffield gradually bit back gnawing away at the lead. With 1:03 left on the clock the Sharks levelled the game at 75 after a 13-5 run, setting up a tense finale. Donald Cole hit a free-throw before Sterling Davis responded for Sheffield to make the score 76-77. With 5 seconds remaining Cole connected from the field to give the Rocks the lead and Sharks' Coach Peter Scantlebury called time-out. From there Rob Yanders drove to the basket and netted the winner right on the buzzer. The Rocks were desolated. This was one they could have bagged and should have bagged. No matter how much you can argue with officials, timekeepers and referees, there comes a point where you must be able to win games through your scores throughout the 40 minutes on the court and not just in the last five seconds. It was an entertaining game depite the disappointing result for the Rocks fans.  There were a couple of lighter moments. Referee Will Jones displayed carpentry skills as he made temporary repairs to the Braehead flooring on the court playing surface. In this task he was aided by Sheffield's team doctor acting as floor surgeon, and at another pint in the game play was held up while the Sharks' Nate Reinking hunted for his contact lenses on the court.
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BBL Championship Friday 4 February
Rocks win one on the road!
Milton Keynes Lions 78 v 101 Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks MILTON KEYNES LIONS 78 (21,39,49) (Benjamin 20, Spinks 12, Longpre 11)
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 101 (26,50,73) (Cole 28, McIntosh 18, Windless 16)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks avenged the one-point defeat by Milton Keynes Lions earlier in the season by inflicting a 78-101 home loss on the Lions, putting a bit of breathing space between them in the BBL Championship.
The game started slowly but picked up mid-way through the first quarter as the Rocks took a 10-14 lead, a lead that they held at the end of the quarter, 21-26. Mid-way through the second period the Lions briefly managed to gain the upper hand, strong inside play from Jamison and Youngblood brought them back to within 3 before Pierre Henry-Fontaine bagged the next 5 points for a 38-36 lead. However, that didn't last long as the visitors responded emphatically, an 11-0 run and a three-pointer to cap off the half saw them take a 39-50 lead into the locker room.
The home side suffered a huge set back in the third period as Ishua Benjamin left the game with a concusion, without him they only managed to score 10 points in the quarter as the Rocks began to pull out the lead, 49-72 through three quarters. The Lions struggled to get much closer as the game finished 78-101.
Donald Cole led all scorers with 28 points for the Rocks, Ishua Benjamin led the hosts with 20, despite missing most of the third and fourth quarters.
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Saturday 5th February
LONDON TOWERS 80 (17,36,58) (Brown 20, Arinze 20, Williams/Stewart 15)
SCOTTISH PHOENIX HONDA RECORD ROCKS 77 (21,37,55) (Feggins 22, McIntosh 17, Windless 14)
London Towers recovered from Friday's gruelling double overtime loss in Newcastle by getting revenge on the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks, who beat them two weeks ago, with this 80-77 win at Crystal Palace.
A tight first quarter saw the teams trading baskets and Towers led 17-13 with 2 minutes left in the quarter. However a Rocks surge of 8 unanswered points saw them take the lead at 17-21 at the first break. 4 points from Jerry Williams tied the game at 23 before the Rocks responded with a further 6 unanswered points, a gap they maintained until the last minute of the half. Towers posted a 5-0 run to close out the second quarter and make it a one-point ball game at 36-37.
Towers regained the ascendancy in the third period, Lynard Stewart scored the last 4 points of an 8-0 tear which gave them the lead at 48-43. Former Rock Niki Arinze then scored their next 8 points before going into the final stanza at 58-55.
The Rocks opened the final period with the first 4 points to snatch the lead back but Towers edged away to a 72-66 lead with 3 minutes remaining. From there the Rocks scored the next 7 points, capped by a Donald Cole three to go up 73-72 with a minute and a half remaining. Arinze, Williams and Brown gave Towers the lead back at 78-74 before Lamont McIntosh connected from beyond the arc with 10s to go. The Rocks needed to stop the clock and Niki Arinze scored two of the resulting free-throws to finish the game.
Bryant Feggins led all scorers with 22 points. |
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ROCKS BREAK THE HOODOO Sunday 23 January BBL Championship
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 80 (24,40,57) (Cole 24, Perre 15, Henning 13)
London Towers 74 (19,32,64) (Brown 20, Arinze 18, Stewart 13)
For the first time this season at Braehead an inspired Rocks team beat a BBL opponent that was placed above them in the Championship table. The Rocks started strongly in front of their home crowd, looking to improve a record that had seen them win just one of their previous six games, and were 24-19 up at the end of the first. After giving up the lead early in the second, the Rocks posted an 8-0 burst for a 36-29 lead in a quarter that finished 40-32.
However, London started to get into their stride in the third as Rod Brown inspired an 18-2 spurt, they outscored the Rocks 17-32 in the period to silence the Glasgow crowd, the score was 57-64 after three quarters. Butin the fourth they ran out of steam and into a very solid Rocks defence and could only score 10 points.The Rocks opened 9-0 to regain the lead at 66-64 and held on from there. An important win for the Rocks as it sees them make up some ground on Towers in fifth place in the Championship table.
Donald Cole led all scorers for the home side with 24 points. Rod Brown scored 20 for Towers, followed by former Rocks favourite Niki Arinze who netted 18.
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| BBL CUP FINAL : MATCH REPORT Feggins Flu Fells Rocks
Rocks 74 Vs Bears 90
BBL Cup Final in Birmingham
Sunday 16th January 3.30pm. Brighton Bears 90 (24,45,65) (Alleyne 27, Huntley 22, Holley 14)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 74 (21,39,53)
(Cole 22, Windless 13,Henning/McIntosh/Perre 10)
The Rocks were without one of their key players - Bryant Feggins - who has been zapped by a severe bout of 'flu, but even he had been fit it would have been tough going to pull this one off against a Brighton team who found the peak form so far this season. According to Brighton Head Coach Nick Nurse his team put up one of their best performances of the season to become BBL Cup Champions with a 90-74 victory over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. A close first half saw Bears edge ahead, a 9-2 first quarter tear giving them the advantage at 14-8. Rocks fought back and trimmed the deficit to a single point at 18-17, keeping it tight for the rest of the opening stanza. Neither team found a way of dominating in the second quarter, but a Ryan Huntley three pointer just before the break gave Brighton the impetus going into half-time, as they led 45-39. Andrew Alleyne spear-headed Bears’ attack in the third – he netted six points in a row to give his side a double-digit lead at 56-45 and Bears never looked back. For the majority of the final quarter, Bears kept the Rocks at arms length and the closest that the Scots could get was eight points. Rocks were without star forward Bryant Feggins because of illness, but team-mate Donald Cole led the Rocks’ scoring with 22 points. However, it was Bears’ Andrew Alleyne (MVP) who topped the scoring charts with 27. The Rocks had a massive travelling support just under the 1,000 mark and the Rockettes were there in force to add a touch of class the the courtside entertainment. THE ROCKS FANS AT THE NIA IN BIRMINGHAM - SPOT THE OWNER? 
THE ROCKETTES STRUT THEIR STUFF WITH STYLE AT THE NIA 
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Match Results Friday 17 December 2004
BBL Championship
Brighton Bears 82 (25,45,59) (Alleyne 22, Williams 19, Lepore 15)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 72 (15,34,56) (Feggins 15, Cole/McKintosh 13)
Brighton Bears closed to within two points at the top of the BBL Championship with a 82-72 success over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks in a Championship clash between the two sides that will meet in next month's BBL Cup Final.
After the Bears had opened up a double figure lead in the first half the Rocks bagged 7 points without reply in third quarter to trim the lead to 57-52 and kept it tight right up until the closing stages. Bears however took advantage of the Rocks needing to foul to stop the clock and sealed the win from the charity stripe. Sunday 19 December
BBL Championship
TCS Chester Jets 94 (27,49,67) (Moore 40, Myers 17, Harrison 15)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 91 (20,44,72) (Cole 21, McIntosh 14, Henning/Windless 13)
TCS Chester Jets avenged their BBL Cup Semi-Final defeat and recorded their second Championship victory over the Scottish Rocks at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
The Jets opened the game with a 7-0 run, however the Rocks were unfazed and came back to lead at 12-13. This lead was short-lived as the Jets then went 10-0 and then opened the second period 7-0 to lead by 14 points at 34-20. The Rocks got back into the game after a 14-4 run and they cut the deficit to just 5 at the half at 49-44, Dan Wardrope making a 'Hail Mary' on the buzzer. The Rocks took a decent lead in the third, after a 10-2 run they led 54-63 although the Jets managed to trim that down to just five points going into the final stanza. Donald Cole scored 11 personal points in that quarter and he also led the Rocks for the game with 21. With two minutes to go in the game the Rocks held a slender 1 point lead but that vanished after a 6-0 run from the Jets, this proved decisive and the Rocks found no way back.
Trey Moore led all scorers with 40 points, he has reached that total in his last two games. |
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Sunday 12th December 2004
Scottish Rocks 117 Teesside Mohawks 75
Rocks 117 (30,54,89) (Cole 42, Windless 29, Feggins 14)
Mohawks (15,37,55) (Jackson 21, A'Panzo 16, Nation 13)
BBL Trophy
The scoreline may appear to say it all but the absent players from the Rocks squad says a lot more about the current strength and depth of Steve Swanson's squad, even taking into account that their performance was against a weaker side than they would normally encounter in a BBL Championship. Two of the Rocks top players LaMont McIntosh and Phillip Perre did not take part to allow injuries to heal. It was a sensible move on the part of Steve Swanson because the Rocks are all but out of the running in the BBL trophy as a result of their two losses to Newcastle Eagles. It would take two wins by the Mohawks over the Eagles for the Rocks to advance in this competition and there is as much chance of that happening as there is of Steve Swanson declaring a truce on referees. This was more of a Rocks training day in front of the fans with the Mohawks as sparring partners, and it was a valuable exercise for that. The Rocks started comfortably and had built up a 15 point lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Then that old enemy complacency set in and the Rocks dropped their guard allowing the Teesside team to come within 5 points before slipping behind again as the Rocks came alive to increase the differential to 17 points at half time with the Rocks on 54 and Teesside on 37. The second half produced a blistering successive series of 3 point baskets at each scoring opportunity from the Rocks, with a total of five in a row which extended the Rocks lead. It was refreshing to see the Rocks notch up such a high success rate from beyond the 3 point line but Teesside found difficulty in co-ordinating their defence to cope with the Rockslaught - hey, a new word to describe a Rocks onslaught power attack! The Rocks piled on the pressure with a 12 unanswered points before the Mohawks Abraham Ndeye put away a 3 pointer to break the spell. By the end of the third period of play the rocks had doubled their half-time lead and were ahead by 34 points on an 89-35 scoreline. It might be the season of goodwill for some but the Rocks showed no mercy to the Mohawks as the fourth quarter started with Donald Cole racking up 3 consecutive 3 pointers. He ended up as the games top scorer with 42 points and was the MVP. While the Mohawks play in a different league and we only come against them in Trophy games they did display a hard spirit to keep the battle alive even when the scoreline made recovery seem impossible. Credit also to the Mohawks coach Tony Hanson who won the contest between the two coaches as to who could harange the referees more. But then as Steve Swanson's side was in comfortable control of the game for most of the playing time, he had no real reason to be upset unlike 3 nights previously against Brighton. The Rocks now have two Road games in the BBL Championship before their Christmas break. On Friday 17th they have a return match against the Bears in Brighton then on Sunday 19th December they travel to Chester to take on the Jets. They are back in Braehead on Sunday 2nd January 2005. The road fixtures scheduled for Friday 14th January against Plymouth and Saturday 15th against Thames Valley will be moved as the Rocks are now in the BBL Cup Final on Sunday 16th January at the NIA in Birmingham. |
Thursday 9th December
ROCKS BEATEN BY BEARS AND BAD CALLS
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 84 (23,42,58) (Cole 22, Henning 15, McIntosh 13)
Brighton Bears 85 (17,40,63) (Williams 28, Alleyne 18, Knapp 12)
Brighton Bears climbed to second spot in the BBL Championship on Thursday evening with a 85-84 win over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. Yorick Williams stole the show, bagging the crucial score with 10s remaining to put the visitors 85-84 ahead. Rocks Lamont McIntosh managed to get a final shot off for the hosts as time elapsed but it fell short. Williams led all scorers with 28 points including 23 in the second half, Donald Cole led the hosts with 22 points. CRY WOLFRocks head coach Steve Swanson has a big reputation of disputing referees calls in the BBL but match officials normally greet his sideline antics with good humour. Quite often judgement calls may not please a coach but they will win 50/50 of these. But in this match the judgements seemed to be made 90/10 in favour of the Bears and there were several glaring errors on the part of match referees Brian Mills and Steve Elliot who seemed, in the view of the Rocks fans, to be working from a different rule book the that is normally applied at BBL games. While they may get the occasional calls wrong BBL referees tend to be pretty even with the errors and very tolerant with players and coaches. The game referees in this tie only matched their incompetence with an intolorance in the view of the home fans at this game. The game itself was tough and exciting between two top class teams who despite the officials managed to display some quality play. The Rocks will have two opportunities to prove themselves against the Bears in the weeks ahead, the first on Friday 17th December in Brighton in a regular championship game and the second in the BBL Cup Final in Birmingham on Sunday 16th January. |
Braehead Arena Sunday 5th December
ROCKS RESTRAIN RAIDERS
Scottish Rocks 95 Plymouth Raiders 74
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 95 (22,47,62) (McIntosh 24, Cole 18, Windless 16)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 74 (23,41,60) (Gall 21, Love 13, Durham/Beasley 12)
In an exciting tussle at Braehead on Sunday night the Rocks made constant adjustments till they finally got a firm measure of Plymouth in the fourth quarter. Plymouth led at the end of the first at 22-23, this was after the lead had changed hands on six occasions in the quarter. The Raiders brought several suprises with them including their no 5 - Alaister Gall, who could only score 3 point baskets - but plenty of them. Scouting reports had suggested he was not a threat but when he notched up 5 successive 3 pointers Rocks Head Coach Steve Swanson had to make adjustments to contain him. Otherwise throughout the game the Rocks displayed solid defence and the scores remained pretty even till the final quarter when the Rocks containment of Plymouth's attacks allowed them to run away with the scoreline. Once again the Rocks should their all round team consistency and strength which has been their trademark of recent games.
Momentum is critical in the BBL League and the feeling now in the Rocks camp is things are going their way. Thursday's (9th Dec) game against the Brighton Bears will in some way be a prequel to the BBL Cup final in January when the Rocks face them again with silverware at stake. Talkin' Rocks
Click on the boxes below to hear comment on the Plymouth result and a preview of Thursday's game against Brighton. As told to Radio Clyde's John MacCalman. You nead Windows Media Player to listen. | Steve Swanson Roni Gordon |
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LAMONT McINTOSH BBL PLAYER OF THE MONTH-
NOVEMBER 2004
Lamont McIntosh, the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks point guard, has been awarded BBL Player of the Month for November 2004.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of his month was helping the Rocks to victory in the BBL Cup Semi-Finals. McIntosh put on one of the outstanding displays of the season so far, his 31 points and seven massive shots from beyond the arc were instrumental in converting a 15 point deficit into a 15 point victory for the Rocks. The Atlanta native is in the league’s top 20 for all of his shooting stats (3pts, field goals and free-throws), as well as sixth in assists and 13th leading scorer.
The 22 year old graduated from Georgia State University this year after playing in the NCAA for three years. He then featured for Southern Crescent Lightning in the USA-WBA before coming to the BBL with the Rocks at the start of this season. Coach Steve Swanson has spoken very highly of his new star in the early months of his BBL career. He, along with all the Rocks’ fans, will hope this form can continue into the New Year when they will be competing for the BBL Cup.
His closest contenders were Mike New and Shawn Myers who each managed around 22% of the votes. McIntosh also held off Jerry Williams and Frank Bennett as he achieved 31% of the BBL fan’s vote. |
SUNDAY 28th November
ROCKS WIN THROUGH TO BBL CUP FINAL The Brighton Bears and Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks secured their places in the BBL Cup Final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Sunday 16 January 2005 after both winning their semi-finals at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield on Sunday evening.
The Rocks secured their Final place thanks to a 90-75 victory over the TCS Chester Jets. A 25-7 tear across the half-time break saw the Rocks take a 50-47 lead thanks in no small part to Lamont McIntosh, who netted 31 points in the game. Rocks' Coach Steve Swanson said it is "unbelieveable to reach our second Cup Final in my first 2 years as coach of the Rocks." On Lamont McIntosh, Coach Swanson said, "he is a rookie to the BBL, but he is a seriously big-time player, and we are building a team around him."
The BBL Cup Final takes place on Sunday 16th January at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham where their opponents will be the Brighton Bears. |
ROCKS LOSE OUT ON TROPHY PROGRESS
In the other knock out competition - The BBL Trophy - the Rocks were beaten by Newcastle on Wednesday 1st December and it looks like Newcastle will be through to the quarter final stage. |
Thursday 25th November 2004
ROCKS TAME TIGERS!
BBL Championship
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 100 (18,51,70) (Perre 25, McIntosh/Henning 16)
Thames Valley Tigers 84 (23,34,52) (Murray 20, James 18, Moore/Wellington 13)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks proved that the team has now found a winning form with a 100-84 victory over the Thames Valley Tigers at Braehead on Thursday evening.
After the Tigers had edged a close first quarter the Rocks blew their opponents away with a blistering 33-11 second quarter which included tears of 10 and 11 without reply to put the visitors out of contention. After an initial 8-0 start to the third by the Tigers the Rocks resumed control and comfortably held on to record the win. This highly entertaining peformance delighted the crowd and showed that Steve Swanson's side has gelled into a cohesive fighting unit who play with such enthusiasm and team spirit that it will cause great concern to future opponents. They also have a very flexible game plan which enables them to carry out speedy adjustment to their opponents tactics.
There was also some good humoured on court fun between the Rocks Tony Windless and Will Jones one of the match referees which would not have been out of place at a Harlem Globetrotters game. This all added to a great evening's entertainment. This result will surely put the Rocks on a Roll as they head to Sheffield on Sunday for their Cup semi finals against TC Chester Jets. Swanson now has the team he wants and he reckons they can deliver. |
Rocks BBL Trophy Games - Match Reports
The rocks won on the road in Teesside on Friday night 19th November but lost to Newcastle at Braehead on Sunday 21st November. This means that to get through to the next stage of the BBL Trophy the Rocks must beat Newcastle by at least 10 points when they play them in Newcastle on Wed 1st December. |
Sunday 21 November
BBL Trophy
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 85 (22,40,58) (McIntosh 22, Windless 21, Feggins 12)
Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles 94 (20,47,67) (Bennett 32, Walker 19, Hyatt 15)
Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles bounced back from Thursday's defeat at the hands of the Brighton Bears with a 94-85 road victory over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks. The Eagles got their noses in front on a TJ Walker basket midway through the second period at 30-29 and despite never quite shaking off a resilient Rocks outfit kept a hold of the lead until the final buzzer. Rocks closed the gap with a 9-0 burst either side of the half time interval but the Eagles steadied the ship with an immediate 8-2 tear to put daylight back between the sides. A late rally in the final stanza from the Eagles stretched their advantage out to the largest lead on the night at 80-67. |
Friday 19th November
Rocks Rout Mohawks! BBL TROPHY
Teesside Mohawks 63 (15,30,44) Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 114 (26,54,87)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks began their BBL Trophy campaign with a comfortable 114-63 road victory over EBL Division 1 outfit the Teesside Mohawks.
After the Rocks had opened up a double digit advantage they blew their hosts away in the second quarter to take a 54-30 half time lead. The Rocks piled on the agony in the third quarter outscoring their hosts 33-14 to make the game safe at 87-44 at three quarter time. |
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Sun 14th November
Match Report Braehead Arena
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 89
Westfield Sharks Sheffield 97 Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 89 (16,38,63) (Feggins 24, Windlass 19, McIntosh 18)
Westfield Sharks Sheffield 97 (30,56,73) (Davis 20, Reinking/Yanders 19)
The Rocks led 8-7 early on before the Sharks took control with a 21-3 burst to lead 28-11 towards the end of the opening period in a stunning burst of 3-point baskets to which the Rocks struggled to find a defence. The Sharks extended their lead to eighteen points at 56-38 off the back of a 15-6 run to close out the first half. The Rocks began to claw their way back into the game in the second half, and got to within eight points at 85-77 midway through the final quarter, but the Sharks held off the Rocks charge to secure the victory. Sterling Davis led the Sharks scoring with 20 points, while new boy Bryant Feggins led all scorers with 24 points for the Rocks. Phillip Perre sustained a knee injury towards the end of the game.
Rocks new boy and top scorer on Sunday Bryant Feggins takes a free throw |
Sunday 7 November
ROCKS WIN ONE AND LOSE ONE ON THE ROAD
Birmingham Bullets 81 (23,39,55)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 91 (19,38,69)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks bounced back from defeat the previous night to pick up their fourth win of the campaign thanks to a 91-81 success over the Birmingham Bullets on Sunday evening. The Bullets led for the majority of the opening half, and were ahead by a single point at 39-38 going into the interval. The second half saw both sides trading baskets before the Rocks took control of the game with a 12-2 run to close out the third period to lead 69-55 going into the final stanza. The Rocks extended their lead to nineteen points at 84-65 with five minutes remaining, and despite a spirited fightback from the Bullets, held onto secure the victory. Tony Windless led the Rocks scoring with 22 points for the visitors, while Skouson Harker led all scorers netting 23 points for the Bullets.
Saturday 6th November
Brighton Bears 95 (27,51,75)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 79 (20,37,57)
Brighton Bears picked up their sixth victory in the BBL Championship and moved level on points with TCS Chester Jets thanks to a 95-79 victory over the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks on Saturday evening. Brighton enjoyed success throughout the game, and led by fourteen points at the half at 51-37. The Bears' successes continued through the third period as they extended their lead to eighteen points at 75-57, and despite the Rocks outscoring the Bears in the final period by a score of 22-20, the Bears were able to secure the points for the victory. Steve Lepore led all scorers in the game netting an impressive 26 points for the Bears, while Tony Windlass led the Rocks scorers with 22 points.
Monday 1st November
ROCKS CUP NEWS
BBL Cup Semi Final Draw
The draw for the semi-finals was made at Basketball House this morning and is as follows:
Milton Keynes Lions v Brighton Bears (3:00pm)
TCS Chester Jets v Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks (5:00pm)
Ties to be played at Ponds Forge ISC, Sheffield on November 28th,
Scottish Rocks made the final last year and lost out to the Sharks so another shot at the title at the NIA is something Steve Swanson will be striving for. They face a team that has won the BBL Trophy four years on the trot and enjoys regular success in these peripheral competitions, the Jets won the National Cup in 2002. Milton Keynes Lions and Brighton Bears have met once already this season at the Brighton Centre, the Bears won that game 87-71 but Lions have been consistently improving since the start of the season and will be buoyant after defeating current holders Sheffield.
Sunday 31st October
Rocks Win through to BBL Cup Semi Final
Rocks 94 - Tigers 82
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 94 (26,46,72) (McIntosh 27, Joseph 21, Windless 16)
Thames Valley Tigers 82 (26,41,63) (James 20, Moore 20, Murray 17)
The Rocks booked their place in the BBL Cup semi final by beating the Tigers at the Braehead Arena. It was a tight first half but the Rocks displayed a strength and confidence that has been absent from their recent championship games. At the end of the first quarter the scores were tied at 26 but by halftime the Rocks leading 46-41. Confident play from the Rocks enabled them to edge away in the final two quarters. They were leading 72-63 at the end of the third but the Tigers managed to keep the game close at 6 points for most of the final quarter before the Rocks sealed the game with the last 6 points extending the lead to finish with a 12 point advantage. Lamont McIntosh led all scorers with 27 of Scottish Rock's points, he also got 10 assists and there was also a notable performance from debutante Tony Windless with 16 points.
After the win, head coach Steve Swanson talked to John MacCalman about his teams Halloween special. Click here to listen to the interview You need Windows Media to listen
Tony Windless Joins the Rocks
Tony Windless, born in Tennessee and naturalised British joins the club after a season with French club BC Besancon. The 6’5” forward will be a welcome addition to the Rocks team as they aim to make their second consecutive Cup Final.
Coach Swanson of the Rocks will welcome Tony’s presence, “It's great to have Tony with the Rocks! He is a tremendous player that I have been following for a number of years now. Tony is a proven player in this league and his track record in the BBL speaks for itself. Ever since I first started coaching professional basketball I have wanted to have him play on one of my teams. Tony brings with him a load of experience and is ready to go for Sunday's big game."
Ian Reid, Director is in agreement with Head Coach “It has been a long held ambition to see Tony Windless in a Rocks uniform. He is a natural born winner and will bring much needed experience to the team.”
Sunday 24th October
Back Down to Earth with a Bump
Rocks 80 Eagles 92
Match Report Sunday 24th October
Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles pushed the Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks into sixth place in the BBL Championship after a 92-80 victory over their northern rivals on Sunday evening. They restricted the Rocks to just thirteen points in the opening period, and then went on to extend their lead to a point where the Rocks were 25 points. The Braehead side pulled back some points by the half but were still fifteen points behind at 35-50 at the half. In the final period the Rocks began to claw their way back into the game, but despite outscoring the visitors 27-19 and coming within 5 points of their lead they could not find a way to reverse the deficit. After the game head coach Steve Swanson said "it was really a shame they didn't start the game out the way they ended. Newcastle had the advantage of sitting there all week while - I was hoping we'd be on a rhythm even though we had a tough road trip last night" Saturday 23rd October
Rocks Rock on the Road
Leicester Riders 72-88 Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks
Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks moved themselves into fifth place in the BBL Championship after a 88-72 victory over the Leicester Riders on Saturday evening. Leicester started the stronger and opened up an early 16-13 lead after the first quarter. The Rocks came back in the second period with 9-2 and 9-0 runs to take a 40-26, and ultimately lead 42-33 at the half. The second half started in much the same vein as the first with Leicester opening their account early bagging the opening four points. The Rocks when 2 three-pointers from Nicky Bradford sparked a 15-4 Rocks burst that left them leading 57-41, and the Riders could find no response. Steve McGlothin marked his return to the Leicester roster with a team-high 21 points, while Phillip Perre led all scorers with 22 points for the visitors. |
Sunday 17th October
The Rocks Win With Style!
Braehead Arena
Rocks 99 (25,49,70) (McIntosh 25, Perre 23, Joseph 18)
Birmingham 84 84 (16,48,60) (Murray 22, Marshall 16, Erskin 12)
Match Report exclusive to Radio Clyde
The Rocks notched up a confident first home win of the season against the Birmingham Bullets, wiping out any insecurities that may have been in the minds of players and fans after some tough early results this season. They now climb to 6th in the BBL table. Although the first half was a close game, the Rocks fortunes were marked by their 3-point scoring attempts striking home where in earlier games the basket seemed to have a seal to prevent such tries. It could be that some positive training has enhanced their shooting abilities. The Rocks played in their "away" blue strips as the Bullets had been using their own away strips the previous night. It seemed to be inspirational for them. Perhaps they should do this more often!The Rocks had a one point advantage at the halftime break and Birmingham were still very much in the game but it was in the second half that the Rocks started to build up a strong lead over the Bullets from which they found it hard to recover. The Rocks performed with a team spirit that gave the Braehead crowd some very entertaining fast paced basketball, though the spectators can be confused by a scoreboard operator who sometimes give you the impression that he is at a different game. Credit to the team and Coach Steve Swanson for delivering the goods. Also credit to the Rockettes for a great new dance routine they displayed at the end of the 3rd quarter with a lot of energy, synchronised movement and style that makes them into a world class cheerleading team. |
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