Raiders bounce back

By Greg Oakford
KNOX Raiders are still in the hunt for an Eastern Conference title berth following a 28-point victory over the Ballarat Miners.
The match was the first of three must-win games for the Raiders if they are to secure second spot on the ladder.
The Raiders travelled to Bendigo for the match and in were put on the back foot in the first as they struggled to score, shooting just 25 per cent from the field.
But the Miners also didn’t have much luck on the scoreboard and at quarter-time it was just a point the difference.
Both teams managed to find their rhythm offensively in the second term but it was the Raiders who had the edge, scoring 34 to the Miners’ 25 and setting themselves up with an eight-point advantage at the main break.
In the second half the Raiders caught fire and scored 35 points and the home side simply was no match for the Raiders’ fire power.
The Raiders closed the game out in the fourth with their bench and were able to extend the final margin to 107-79.
Next up for the Raiders will be the Australian Institute of Sport on Saturday at Knox Converse Stadium, tipping off at 8pm.
The Lady Raiders also got the job done on Saturday and extended their winning streak to 12 straight, downing the Lady Miners by 20 points.
The Raiders welcomed back last season’s WNBL Rookie of the Year in Sarah Graham who returned from a Bronze Medal-winning campaign at the World University Games for Australia.
Import Ashlee Dunlap proved to be too mobile and explosive for her match-ups from the Lady Miners and controlled the paint all game.
In the game’s opening quarter, the Raiders started a little sluggish on the offensive end but by the end of the term had managed to find better shots within their offence and led their opponent 22-15.
The second term was an evenly-contested battle with both teams doing a good job on the defensive end. A Sarah Graham (5 points, 2 assists) lay-up off a long outlet pass on the half-time buzzer extended the Raiders lead to 10 in a half where both teams were still feeling each other out.
Five turnovers and only 5 from 15 shooting from the field led to the Raiders posting only 11 points in the third quarter and the Lady Miners being able to pull the margin back to 7 going into the last.
With the Lady Miners threatening to cause an upset, the Raiders cranked up the intensity in the final 10 minutes led by Dunlap and captain Julia Tan who had a very respectable stat line of 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and a block.
The Lady Miners could only manage 5 from 19 from the field in the final term as the Raiders contested every shot and were able to knock down their own including 7 from 7 from the free throw line.