An under-manned Scorchers team gave their all, but were well beaten as the Caledonia Gladiators ran out 99-74 winners to keep their BBL Trophy hopes alive.
Caledonia lead for almost the entire game, which they blew open mid-way through the third quarter. Lukas Palyza lead the scoring, finishing with an efficient 20 points from 13 shots, which included 6/11 from three-point range.
This win means that they'll finish the group with a 2-2 record and they'll qualify for the final four if Cheshire beat Surrey on Saturday.
With Saiquan Jamison not available due to personal reasons, the hosts looked to take advantage by attacking Surrey in the post in the early exchanges. Tayo Ogedengbe defended admirably early on, as Caledonia turned the ball over on two of their early possessions.
While Surrey defended well, they were guilty of missing lay ups at the other end as Tayo and then Padiet Wang failed to convert from close range.
Meanwhile Lukas Palyza was left wide open in the corner and he knocked down a three-point shot. Moments later he nailed another one from beyond the arc, which was part of a 13-0 run which blew the game open in favour of the hosts. Caledonia ended the quarter with a commanding 10 point lead.
After shooting just 25% from the field, Justin Robinson's three-pointer was a welcome start to the 2nd quarter for Surrey. Tayo continued to play good defence in the post, but he was unable to stop the Gladiators from extending their lead to 15 midway through the quarter.
Following the commercial timeout Surrey switched to a 3-2 zone, forcing Caledonia to shoot from distance and it seemed to disrupt the home team's offence. Quin Cooper nailed a three-pointer to cut into the lead and was then fouled behind the line, before sinking all 3 of his free throws.
Cooper provided a real spark off the bench for Surrey and his contribution helped cut the hosts' lead to nine points at half time.
Robinson and Tayo both connected from downtown to give Surrey the perfect start to the 3rd quarter, as the visitors cut the lead to 6 points in the early going.
Predictably Caledonia responded with some sharp shooting of their own as Palyza and Whelan re-established a double digit lead. After the commercial timeout the Gladiators went on a 12-2 run which saw their lead balloon to 21, which effectively ended the match as a contest.
A comprehensive 36 point 3rd quarter ended on a sentimental note as club stalwart Jonny Bunyan got into the scoring column in his final appearance for the Gladiators, scoring from a technical free throw.
With a commanding 26 point lead, the fourth quarter was a bit of a non-event. Surrey continued to compete, but their thoughts must have started to turn to Saturday's game against the Cheshire Phoenix at Surrey Sports Park.
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