This was a game between the top two teams in the league, and it was exactly that. A game of high quality and excitement till the very end!

Stockport started the game very strong and almost took Preston by surprise. After a slow start in the first 5 minutes where Stockport was leading by 7-5, and finished the quarter with a 7-0 run leading by 14-5. Preston dominated the second quarter scoring 3 3-pointer shots and winning the quarter by 24-10. So Preston was leading at half-time by 29-24.

In the third quarter it was Stockport’s turn again, winning by 22-14 and leading by 3 at the end of the quarter. This set up things for what proved to be a very exciting and nail-biting last quarter. The entire quarter was very close and in the last 3 minutes the lead alternated 4 times between the two teams. In the end Stockport was cooler from the free throw line which proved to be decisive. Overall, Preston made 10/27 free throws, while Stockport had 19/29. Preston justified its position and I think they are the best team in the league. It took a great effort by all 12 players from Stockport to overcome them.

Dave Siddal was the top scorer with 17 points followed closely by Neil Siddal with 16. Kostas Katsikaronis had 13 points and playing great defence.  What was crucial for the victory was the mature game by Andy White who controlled the point and the tempo of the game perfectly. He was aided by Aldo Cervi who came on as a substitute point-guard and had 4 incredible assists before retiring due to injury.

This was definitely a team effort and the willingness to play defence was both evident and encouraging for future games.