CJ leads Raiders to victory

By Greg Oakford
KNOX Raiders star import, C. J. Massingale took to the court in his 150 game on the weekend, determined to lead his team to victory against the Hobart Chargers.
After a tight first half, the Raiders proved too strong taking home a 26-point victory.
The Chargers jumped out to an early five-zero lead but Massingale put the Raiders back in the match with a basket from three-point range.
However, Hobart led for the opening term and with just over a minute to go, a pair of Chuck Long free throw extended the lead to double figures.
A Massingale two-point basket followed by a Lester Strong penalty shot with just two seconds remaining saw the lead cut back to seven at the quarter-time buzzer.
Hobart captain-coach Anthony Stewart opened up the scoring in the second quarter with his second three-pointer for the game as the lead went back to 10.
But Massingale responded scoring a three-pointer which sparked a Raiders comeback to take a two-point lead with five minutes remaining in the half.
The veteran Chargers’ were far from done and replied, going on a 12-0 run to open up another 10-point lead.
The Raiders again dug deep with John Philip, Alex Vanrenen and Sean Carroll keeping the home side afloat.
Vanrenen’s second basket for the quarter helped Knox to trail by just a single point but a Tiri Masunda pair of free throws cemented a three point Chargers’ lead at the main break.
But it was the home-team which took charge in the third term holding Hobart to just seven points while going on a 25-point rampage.
Massingale, Mick Hill, John Philip and Sean Carroll led the way in the third and continued to do so in the final quarter against the ever dangerous Chargers side. The final siren saw the score line 97-71 as the Raiders move to a 7-6 record and remain third on the East Conference table.