Jets 97 Leicester Riders 104

Apr 21 2008 by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle

BIG Storage Cheshire Jets lost out in the battle for 10th place last night (April 20) after an overtime loss to Leicester.

The defeat came in a frantic extra period, which saw Jets finish the match with just three players.

Earlier, Jets had held the lead at the end of the first quarter (23-22) and at half time (44-42). Riders edged ahead 65-61 at the end of the third period, but could not hold on to an 80-74 lead in the final stanza. They ended up having to make two free throws through Mindaugas Janiska with 1.1 seconds on the clock to force overtime.

Once into added time, the Riders broke open a 93-93 scoreline with four free throws after the Jets bench had been called for a technical foul. Once Janiska had sank all four, there was no way back for the Jets.

The match was played at Warrington’s Birchwood Sports Centre, rather than the Northgate Arena, as Jets were fulfilling a promise to take basketball out into other corners of the county.

The regular season has finished with Jets in 11th place.