Having cruised to a commanding thirty point success against Guildford Heat 24 hours earlier and with the struggling Jets going down by double-digits at Worcester, fans at the Pavilions could have been forgiven for expecting their team to post a comfortable win.

However this was far from the way things panned out as Raiders endured a poor night from the perimeter and were barely better under the basket as they eventually dug out a precious victory - with the quality of performance barely an issue at a time when only results matter.

The hosts started slowly and it was Jets who took the initiative in the game with Adam Brown burying a triple to put his team 12-5 to the good. But Raiders soon came alive and scored eight points without reply to edge ahead.

Heading into the second quarter, Jets were enjoying a slender 18-15 lead and then at 23-21 approaching the midway point of the period, they still had their noses in front.

Cheshire then gave Raiders plenty to ponder after scoring six points without reply to extend their lead and when Bill Cole converted from downtown to put them 41-31 ahead, it looked worrying for the home team although the hosts closed the gap to just six heading to the locker rooms at 44-38.

The third quarter followed a similar pattern with Jets keeping Raiders at arms length for long periods, briefly leading by as many as 11 points but the momentum of the game shifted when Raiders made a move towards the end of the period.

Trailing 53-42, the hosts held Jets to just two scores in five minutes and a pivotal Jeremy Bell three-pointer on the buzzer helped them make it a one-shot game going into the last ten minutes at 57-54.

Plymouth continued their good work and took control during the fourth quarter, completing a 22 point turnaround in the second half by overtaking Jets and opening up an 11 point lead of their own at 70-59 as Jets threatened to implode.

To their credit however, the visitors didn’t crumble and set up a nerve jangling finale as they rallied to close within four points but Raiders held on for a precious success with Bell claiming 27 points against his former team.

 

 

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