INTO DAVY JONES' LOCKER

ON A NIGHT when improving bottom club London Capitals embarrassed league leaders Reading Rockets, this shock at Worthing was deprived of its full impact. Crusaders had never beaten Thunder but how they did so at long last was completely convincing.

They competed under the boards and they had in David Jones a deadly three-point shooter, who also collected eight rebounds. His perimeter shooting led Division 2 last season for Worcester Wolves, whose first season in Division 1 now misses his matchwinning presence.

Had he not made all his four shots in the first quarter there might have been no contest. Thunder took it by nine points.

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Jones went into a final quarter, Coventry began leading by two points, he having since missed twice but when he then drained two of two it consigned Thunder to the deep.

Thunder's own three-point threat '” David Butterworth, Steven Gayle, James Brame, Daniel Hildreth '” were stifled to a pitiful one of 20 by a Coventry zone defence that swarmed out to limit their easy looks at the basket.

Thunder, having lost centre Teon Knox early in the last quarter when he fouled out, continually went inside, however, down the stretch. But they ran into the height and tenacity of 6ft 9in American Troy Selvey, 6ft 7in English forward Alastair Spiers, Jones at 6ft 7in, debutant Selwyn Reid at 6ft 6in, and popular veteran 6ft 6in centre Dip Donaldson off the bench.

By fouling guard Matt Collins while in the team fouls penalty, Thunder only dug their own grave deeper in the closing stages.

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Complacency undoubtedly played a part. Having waltzed the opening quarter, Thunder played little defence in the second. Fored up by three-pointers '” two from Matt Collins with one on the half-time buzzer, and one from Derrick Pope, Crusaders racked up 31 points. In the closely sparred third, Thunder just seemed to be waiting for something to happen for them instead of making it do so. In the fourth they upped the pace but too late.

Coventry are another unfancied team making height count in a zone defence. So, in a division much more competitive, Thunder on Saturday face a Teesside team winless in the Trophy and beaten twice at the weekend, which actually allowed Thunder to go above them in the table.

Coach Gary "Chicken" Smith has lacked a three-point deliverer the past two seasons and once again it is beginning to prove expensive.

Meanwhile, his team got a message: that talent is not enough '” although the commitment of point-guard Hildreth could not be questioned. And statistically he had another indispensable night.

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