Raiders searching for a place in the final

PLYMOUTH Raiders will hope to take another step towards their first piece of silverware since the BBL Trophy win of 2007 this weekend, when they take on Surrey Scorchers in the semi-finals of the same competition.

After an impressive win over Worcester Wolves in the last eight of the Trophy, Raiders were selected to play the Scorchers in the next round which are taking place over the next two days.

Tonight, the Surrey outfit will be making the trip down to the Plymouth Pavilions for the first leg of the competition and Raiders will be travelling up to Surrey on Sunday for the all-important second leg.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s games head coach Paul James and his team are ready for action, but are still trying to fit in as much preparation for the big games as possible.

“We are excited about the prospect of getting to a final and we are clearly not counting our chickens just yet as there is still work to be done,” James said.

“We are in good spirits and in a confident mood ahead of these games and our preparations are still as vigorous as they have been with any other game.”

Getting to the final of the competition would be excellent for James and for the club itself after not making it that far for a number of years. They were runnersup in 2017, losing to Leicester, but the Trophy remains the one piece of silverware the club have to their name, after overcoming Newcastle 74-65 on the final of 2007.

James said: “It was in the season 2016/17 when we last got to a final, so it is a really important time.

“I feel that making it to the final this is something that this club deserves.

“We have to earn the right to get to the finals though and I think we are in a position this season to do that, and we are very close to achieving that right now.”