Phoenix rise up to complete incredible turnaround
BBL Championship
Cheshire Phoenix 100– 94 Leeds Force (25-30, 44-52, 67-78)
Cheshire Phoenix denied Leeds Force a maiden road win after coming back from the jaws of defeat to complete a sensational rescue mission.
Down by 16 points in the last period, Phoenix dug deep and found another gear to dodge a bullet in front of their ecstatic supporters at Cheshire Oaks Arena.
Leading scorers – Sandoval 24, Riley 24, Gettys 20, (Phoenix); Bennett 26, Toluwase 20, Nix 17 (Force)
Turning point – With 7 minutes left on the game clock, it looked curtains for the home side as Force drained a triple to push out their advantage to 87-61. But, Phoenix rattled off a stunning 16-0 run to tie the game, prior to then pushing on for the win.
Key stat – The visitors were out-rebounded 42-29 and gave up 14 second chance points.
Game hero(es) – There were a trio of standout performances as CJ Gettys claimed a double-double of 22 points and 10 boards, Malcolm Riley nailed 24 points and collected 9 rebounds, while Robert Sandoval weighed in with 24 points and 7 assists.