Burnley 69 Tropics 58 Prem Div Friday 23rd March 2007 |
| This League tie was a vital one for both teams. For Burnley it was their chance to improve on some inconsistent form over the season in the hunt for a Playoff spot and the Tropics needed a pick-me-up after their Cup Final loss to Stockport.As is the case for all games against the physically strong Tropics, it was a tough match from start to finish. A series of strong drives from both sides summed up the first quarter, with Burnley just edging it at the break. The second and third quarters were scrappy affairs as a tired Dave Bolt missed several lay-up attempts for Burnley and Tropics usual main threats were conspicuous by their lack of firepower.
The solitary ref had his hands full and dished out a pair of technicals for back chat as some close calls went astray. Although the scores were tied at half time, Burnley had managed to open up a 5 point lead at the end of the third due to hard defence on the boards and making good use of the shot clock to open up the solid zone defence employed by the away team. Although the Tropics hit an off balance buzzer beater at the end of the third period, some of the home support maintained that it was out of bounds. Any arguments fell on deaf ears and the match was still close for the last quarter. The final four minutes were a close call as the gap between the teams neither grew or decreased until the Tropics found themselves in team foul trouble. The ensuing free throws opened up the lead a little more and was padded out by a couple of good baskets in the dying moments. A good home win which has given Burnley a good lift for the last two games of the campaign. |