Raiders make it six

THE Knox Raiders SEABL side extended its winning streak to six games with a win over reigning champs, the Geelong Supercats, in front of a big holiday crowd at Knox Basketball Stadium on Friday night.
The Raiders snatched their opportunity to continue their recent good form, grinding out a physical 96-87 victory.
The Supercats’ eight offensive rebounds in the opening term gave Raiders coach Graham Longstaff some headaches as the visitors led 28-27 by the first buzzer.
And the home side started slowly in the second before Alex Vanrenen sparked it into life, scoring the first six points of the quarter. A vintage C. J. Massingale spurt soon followed, as he reeled off 12 points in three-and-a-half minutes before half-time to have the game at even pegging, 51-51.
The Raiders then clamped down on the defensive end in the third quarter, forcing the Supercats into seven turnovers and just 41.2 per cent from the field. Knox took a three-point advantage into the final term.
Defence was again the key for the Raiders in the fourth quarter, as they held the Supercats to their lowest term score of the game.
Massingale finished with a game-high 32 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
It was the star import’s second consecutive 30-plus point game – after scoring 37 against North West Tasmania just six days earlier.
Lester Strong finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks and Sean Carroll also had a solid game with 14, nine, four and two.
The Raiders now sit at 15-5, still in outright second spot on the East Conference ladder.
The Raiders women suffered their first home loss of the season when they came up against a rampant Supercats outfit, also on Friday night.
The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak and 7-0 record at Knox Basketball Stadium.
The Raiders will face a tough challenge next weekend, starting with a home game against Dandenong on Saturday night at 8pm before a trip to Nunawading to tackle the top of the South Conference Spectres at 2.30pm on Sunday.