There was something of a Rebels reunion on home court as Reading Rockets arrived at the Essex Sports Arena on Saturday.
Any team with Zain Poorman and Victor Olarerin is going to be a little tasty.
Once a Reb, always a Reb, etc.
This was a weird watch, tbh. The Rebels men impressed on the last home court performance a couple of weeks ago. A couple of big name players from the demolition job over Bristol weren’t on the bench.
It can be a little frustrating trying to keep up with squad changes. Injuries, work, life etc get in the way.
You don’t want a running commentary of EVERYTHING that is taking place behind the scenes. Premier League football has become toxic with this level of demand coming from the fanbase.
But it would be good to know a line or two about where players are, having impressed so much in previous performances. Are they still at the club? If not, we wish them well…
Which all meant that it felt like the Rebs bench was a couple of big game players short. The home team didn’t play badly, but they couldn’t compete with the extra muscle coming from the Rockets.
Oh - and Victor Olarerin as well.
This was pretty much a one man show from the ex-Reb. He clocked up a bloody impressive 51 points alone.
Outstanding, and a pleasure to watch.
Rebels were always chasing the scoreboard. Three pointers were the option, rather than a slowly, slowly turning of the scoreboard with more reliable shots. The majority of these didn’t sink.
It was also a scrappy, physical tussle out on the court. Sometimes you want to see that. But when you’re lacking a little in muscle, then there’s only going to be one winner.
The Rebs chased the game in the third and fourth, never really out of it, but never really within a serious chance of catching up with Reading. Heads dropped a little in the final five minutes.
Hey hoe.
Onwards.
