Raiders on top

By Greg Oakford
THE KNOX Raiders will host the 2011 SEABL East Conference grand final on 10 September after knocking off the top seed Bendigo Braves by eight points on their home floor on Saturday.
In front of a big crowd, the Raiders controlled the tempo of the game thanks to an inspirational performance from star import CJ Massingale.
The Braves jumped out to an early four-point lead but, despite missing his first three shots, Massingale found the bottom of the net from beyond the three-point arc half way through the opening term to tie the game.
A Lester Strong bucket then gave the Raiders a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the match.
Both Knox and Bendigo struggled with their shooting in the first quarter, as strong defensive pressure led to contested shots. The Braves owned the glass in the second quarter with an eight rebound differential but the term belonged to the Raiders, who poured in 26 points – including 14 from Massingale – to stretch their lead to 13 at the half.
Massingale continued with his hot hand during key stretches in the third and the Raiders went up 17 thanks to a pair of Mick Hill free throws halfway through the term.
With a blowout looming, the Braves responded with the next eight points. But vital bench production from Alex Vanrenen, with four quick points, and a Liam Carroll free throw pushed the margin back to 12 by the three quarter time buzzer.
The Raiders scored the first two points of the fourth quarter, but back-to-back three pointers by the home side cut visitors’ lead to eight.
Raiders coach Graham Longstaff rolled the dice with Strong and substituted his big man back into the game, despite his four fouls.
It paid off as he scored seven consecutive points for the Raiders to keep the Braves at arm’s length, before picking up his fifth and final foul with five minutes left in the game.
The Braves continued to threaten in the game’s closing stages but could only get as close as seven points as the Raiders stayed poised to walk away with an impressive 82-74 victory.
Massingale was clearly the game’s best performer with 32 points, including 5-10 from three-point land, 11 rebounds and two steals. The Raiders will now await their conference grand final opponent, which will come from the winner of Bendigo and Kilsyth at Bendigo on 3 September.
The Raiders SEABL women will play the Dandenong Rangers this Saturday at Knox Basketball Stadium, with the winner to advance to the SEABL championship game on 17 September.