Cheshire Phoenix scored enough and executed late, but repeated failures to finish defensive possessions kept Manchester Basketball alive before Max Jones struck with 2.4 seconds remaining.

A strong start, but no early separation

Cheshire Phoenix scored enough and executed late, but repeated failures to finish defensive possessions kept Manchester Basketball’s hopes alive before Max Jones struck with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Cheshire Phoenix’s late loss saw the hosts put themselves in position to win — before leaving the door open just long enough for it to be slammed shut.

Cheshire came out scorching from deep, moving the ball well and knocking down early threes to take control of the game. Spacing was good, confidence was high, and the opening quarter belonged to Cheshire, who poured in 34 points while playing with clarity and purpose. It should have been the platform for separation, but while the shooting stayed hot, the defensive work didn’t finish the job.

Missed box-outs and second chances allowed Manchester to stay alive, setting the tone for a contest that would be dragged into the margins and decided in the final seconds.

Missed chances to take control

As the game moved into the second quarter, Cheshire continued to generate the shots it wanted, but the rhythm began to fracture. Defensive possessions stretched longer than they needed to, and rebounds that should have been secured weren’t. Added to this was Manchester rebounding without Nicholson, who Cheshire had shot to the bench; the physicality remained despite the 7-footer not being on the court.

Manchester didn’t close the gap through a burst of shooting, but through pressure and persistence. Extra possessions kept them within reach, and while Cheshire still looked the sharper side, the margin was already thinner than it should have been.

Manchester deserves credit for forcing that shift. They increased their physicality, committed more bodies to the glass, and disrupted Cheshire’s flow by extending possessions. The emphasis wasn’t on out-shooting Cheshire, but on out-working them — and it ensured the game never opened up despite Cheshire’s strong start.

A game dragged into the margins

The same pattern carried into the third quarter. Cheshire remained efficient offensively and continued to share the scoring load, but any attempt to pull clear was met with another Manchester response.

What should have been a manageable contest became a grind. Each defensive stop required more than one effort, and Cheshire was forced to repeatedly defend broken possessions. The game slowed, the scoreboard tightened, and control quietly slipped away.

Late execution, familiar tension

By the fourth quarter, the outcome was always heading toward a one-possession finish. Cheshire still found answers, still executed when needed, and still put themselves in position to close it out.

Manchester, though, refused to go away. Every missed box-out, every extended possession, kept the pressure on and ensured there was no breathing room down the stretch.

One possession too many in Cheshire Phoenix’s late loss

The closing moments told the story.

With 1:08 remaining, Manchester tied the game at 94–94 after an offensive rebound led directly to a score — a possession Cheshire had already won but failed to finish.

At 0:46, LaQuincy Rideau calmly knocked down two free throws to restore a 96–94 lead. Cheshire needed one clean defensive stop.

They didn’t get it.

With seconds left on the clock, Patrick Robinson finished at the rim to put Cheshire 98–96 ahead, a basket that should have been enough to seal the game. Instead, Manchester were given one final opportunity. With 2.4 seconds remaining, Max Jones rose and knocked down the three that flipped the result to 99–98, his 30th point of the night.

What the result really says

This wasn’t about poor offence or bad luck. Cheshire scored 98 points, shot efficiently, and executed late.

But a 54–32 rebounding deficit and 18 Manchester second-chance points told the real story. Too many defensive possessions went unfinished, and against a scorer like Jones, that margin simply doesn’t exist.

Poor rebounding kept Manchester alive.
Max Jones made sure they paid for it.