Reading Rockets (5-3) will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in NBL Division One to five games on Sunday afternoon when they visit the leagues newest team in Loughborough Student Riders (6-4) with both teams looking to secure a top four position heading into the Christmas break.
Rockets made it four wins on the bounce thanks to an 84-70 away win against Worthing Thunder and will be looking to finish the year on a high as they keep up the pace near the top of table.
Loughborough Student Riders, the nursery team of BBL Championship outfit Leicester Riders have adapted very well to life in England’s top division as they won their first six league games but have found the going a little tougher in recent weeks with four straight losses but still lie in fourth place in the league despite a 72-69 defeat at home to Hemel Storm.
Rockets Head Coach Manuel Peña Garcés enjoyed watching his team take victory against a very difficult Worthing Thunder team and is hoping the form shown in recent week can continue with two games left before the Christmas break. The Spaniard said,
“I think we took another step on Saturday against Worthing because they are one of those teams at home that can really hurt you but we seemed to be a bit more above that and had a more positive third quarter which is something we have struggled with over the last few games. I felt we were in control a lot more and had some very positive performances from key players.”
“What is important now is we take it game by game and keep working hard on improving our performances through our behaviours and application and although it is a hard road sometimes, it is something we must do in order to maximise our team play.”
“Loughborough have had a great start to life in Division One after their promotion from Division Two and despite a few recent losses I expect this to be a very competitive game and I know we will be made to work very hard for everything. They have a good mixture of talent and play very well together so preparation for this will be key along with more small steps in our own progression.”
No recent injuries in the Rockets roster as well as the addition of point guard Elvisi Dusha have really helped the Berkshire outfit put together a little winning run and Coach Peña Garcés will be hoping the only knock to Danny Carter will be completely fine in time for the trip to the East Midlands on Sunday. The recent form of American forward Chris Hooper and Captain Danny Carter have been key to the four game winning streak with academy player Ali Sbai also putting a number of good performances together with the Reading team looking to leapfrog Sunday’s opponents and keep in touch at the top of NBL Division One.
To keep up to date with all the latest news throughout the week and live score updates on Sunday afternoon, 11th Dec, follow the club on Twitter @rocketsreading, Facebook Reading Rockets
Media@readingrockets.co.uk
Basketball Hotline 0118 926 3040
www.readingrockets.co.uk