Middleton helps Wolves edge out Raiders

 ROD Middleton grabbed 22 points as Worcester Wolves edged out Plymouth Raiders, notching 13 three-pointers along the way to keep their play-off hopes alive.

This 84-60 victory was a second win on the trot and only the third time they have beaten their south coast rivals in three years.

It keeps the Wolves in tenth place, while the Raiders have now lost five in a row.

Middleton was prominent from the word go and back-to-back three pointers send the Wolves on a 8-0 burst and handed his side an early 14-6 lead.

But the Raiders battled back and Anthony Martin, with two assists and a three-pointer of his own ensured the first period ended 23-20 in Worcester's favour.

The second period followed a similar pattern and Middleton was again successful with two three-pointers and while the Wolves extended their lead to ten that was trimmed to 47-39 at the half-way mark, 

After the break the Wolves pressure continued with Middleton and Daniel Gilbert both hitting threes but again Plymouth responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a three from Allister Gall, to make the scores 67-59 heading into the final quarter.

The Wolves thought they had killed off the game in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 16, but the Raiders stormed back to cut the deficit to just four only for time to run out for the Devon side.

Meanwhile, Bradd Wierzbicki led the scoring with 26 points as the Leicester Riders closed the gap on the top four with a 100-85 victory over third-place Marshall MK Lions.

And James Jones was in inspirational form to guide Everton Tigers to a comfortable 95-83 win over rock bottom Essex Pirates, racking up 30 points along the way.