C. J. Massingale returned to form with an impressive 38-point performance.
By Greg Oakford
IN FRONT of a near-capacity crowd at Knox Basketball Stadium on Sunday night, the Knox Raiders didn’t disappoint in front of their biggest crowd of the season with two wins from two games.
C. J. Massingale returned to form with an impressive 38-point performance including eight from 11 three-pointers, eight rebounds, four assists, six steals and two blocks to lead the Raiders to an impressive 35-point victory over the Brisbane Spartans.
After suffering their worst performance of the season last week against the Sabres, the Raiders got off to a flying start and found themselves double their opponents’ score at the end of the first quarter.
The Spartans hung around in the second term as the Raiders struggled to keep their counterparts off the boards, but the Raiders still managed to enter the half-time break with a 17-point advantage.
The Raiders scored 36 points in the third quarter, and coach Graham Longstaff took the opportunity to give some extended minutes to his bench and was rewarded with some good production from Liam Carroll, Justin Aver and Liam Gibcus.
The final score of the game was 106 to 71 after the Raiders capped off the game. Massingale scored the bulk of the Raiders’ points but all players notched up at least four points each.
The Raiders are in second place on the East Conference ladder with a 9-4 record and will play top-placed Bendigo (9-2) this Saturday night in Bendigo.
Earlier in the evening, the Knox Raiders women scored their fifth win in a row, rolling over the Lady Spartans 87-76.
Amy Denson and Sarah Parsons combined for 19 of the Raiders opening points and looked dangerous all game.
In the second quarter, Renae Camino and Holly Smith helped the Lady Spartans peg the lead back to six entering the half-time break. But it was the Raiders who swung the momentum back around in the third quarter as they punished the visitors in the rebounding count and continued to share the ball well on offence.
The scoring spree slowed in the final quarter as the Raiders won the term 14-13.
Holly Smith was the Lady Spartans’ best with 26 points, seven points, three assists and four blocks and Camino scored 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The win takes the Raiders to 12-1 for the season and keeps them on top of the women’s ladder.
The Raiders will travel to Bendigo this Saturday night to face the Lady Braves who sit fourth with a 6-2 record.
