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FULL DETAILS Heat Beat 100!
Guildford Heat - McKnight 31, Martin 20, Joseph 15
Guildford Heat made the best possible start to the New Year with a 104-88 win over bottom placed Essex Pirates and in the process moved into the play-off positions.
With both teams looking to get 2010 off to a winning start it was the visitors that began brightest. Former Sheffield Sharks and Worcester Wolves player Randy George scored the first points of the new decade as Pirates led 7-2.
Heat responded through Chad McKnight and Michael Martin to take their first lead of the match at 12-11. Threes from Kenny Langhorne and Martin kept Guildford on top as they ended the quarter 26-24 in front.
After a 6-2 Pirates run had put them 30-28 up the rest of the second quarter belonged to Guildford. A McKnight three kick-started a 20-4 burst to take the score to 48-34.
Four straight points from Essex reduced the arrears before an 8-0 tear, with from LA Drakeford, by Heat closed out the half 56-37 in the home team’s favour.
Heat stretched out to 71-48 in the third quarter before Pirates put together a 16-7 run to get within 14 (78-64). The teams shared the final points of the period to head into the last ten minutes of action with Guildford 80-66 ahead.
Pirates continued to fight hard, but the closest they could get was 84-72 before Heat sealed the match with a 15-4 burst to take the score to 99-78.
Guildford player-coach Chad McKnight, who led all-scorers with an excellent 31-points, said: “It’s a New Year and a new look for us. We’re approaching it like a new season. We really want to pick things up and it was good to start off with a win.
“Essex made it really tough; they kept going for all 40 minutes. But we had balanced offence with five men scoring in double figures.”
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