Mersey Tigers continued their march to the BBL championship title with a commanding 88-50 victory over Glasgow Rocks.
The Tigers made light work of yet another match in their hectic schedule against the struggling Rocks, who have managed just three victories in their last 12 outings.
After Wednesday night’s crucial victory over Sheffield Sharks, this win has helped the Tigers open up a four point lead at the top of the table, above both the Sharks and nearest rivals Newcastle.
The Sharks return to Liverpool on Tuesday evening in a game that could decide the title, and the ECHO Arena is opening its doors to all fans for just £1 (7.30pm tip).
From the moment James Jones landed a three-pointer just seconds in to the game, the Tigers rarely looked in trouble, with quickfire baskets from Andrew Thomson helping them to an 8-2 lead.
Although the Rocks rallied to tie things up at 14-14, the home side, playing their fifth game in nine days went in 24-20 at the first stoppage.
Tafari Toney picked up where he left off on Wednesday to join the act in the second quarter, and with Jones regularly finding his range from outside the line, the Tigers were able to open up a 15 point half-time lead at 48-33.
It proved to be far too much for the Rocks, who were left damage limitation as their only motivation for the second half.
They struggled to contain the high-flying Tigers, just as coach Mike Kingma had predicted in the build up, and Max Casanove’s basket on the buzzer put the home side 70-41 in front.
The fourth quarter turned in to a procession as Tony Garbelotto’s men closed out the game, while saving energy for a tricky trip to Guildford Heat as they close in on the league title.
The Tigers now have four league games left, and could seal the championship with a win against Sheffield on Tuesday, if Newcastle lose both their games this weekend.
Garbelotto said: “It was easier than expected. I’m not sure what’s going on with them (Glasgow) but the guys did a really professional job.
“The guys are dealing with the schedule really well. We were unbelievable on Wednesday, and our energy was fantastic. We can’t afford any mistakes, and we carry on with that against Guildford.”
