Kinu Rochford says that he and his Cheshire Phoenix team-mates will be leaving everything on the court in the coming weeks in a bid to keep their BBL play-off hopes alive.
The Nix put in a gutsy display full of endeavour and commitment on Sunday night, coming close to upsetting a high-flying Leicester Riders side who have title aspirations at the forefront of their minds.
Rochford put in a huge performance against the Riders at both ends of the floor, ending the contest with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds.
The defeat for Cheshire, coupled with wins for Leeds Force and Plymouth Raiders over the weekend, has only served to further bunch the play-off chasing pack, with teams from sixth to ninth separated by just two points, with Cheshire in seventh on 22.
But Rochford, a graduated of NCAA Division One school Fairleigh Dickinson University, believes that the team can take heart from their performance against Leicester and says they are ready to put it all on the line.
“We played hard, I know we didn’t win but I feel we won as a team because we gave it all against the best team in the league,” said Rochford.
“It was kind of a pre-play-off test for us and I think we passed the test, most definitely. We have just got to build from it.
“We were on a two-game winning streak so now it’s back to the drawing board. When these guys come here then I just want to show them that we can compete.
“I spoke to my Mom before the game and she just told me to go out there and give it my all, which is what I did. But that’s our motto for the rest of the season now, to give it our all.”
Cheshire now face a crucial two games this weekend with a trip to Bristol Flyers on Friday before a tough home test against fourth-placed Sheffield Sharks on Sunday night (5.30pm).
And Rochford has stressed the importance of the team sticking together at the business end of the season.
“We’ve got these two big ones coming up and we have to go hard,” said Rochford, who was handed the BBL Player of the Month accolade for January.
“We have just got to be prepared. We have got to get back to winning ways as soon as we can. But we all believe in each other and through hard work and by the grace of God we can be successful.”
