The opening possessions of Sunday's game said much about the current philosophies of both coaches, Leopards relying on quick ball movement while the Tigers were looking to pound the ball inside.

It came down to speed against size. Initially, the Leopards matched their opponents but the Tigers soon opened up a five point lead and with Brandon Brantley already on two fouls, the Leopards struggled against the physical presence of Siemon and Singleton.

This, coupled with the accurate outside shooting of Canadian International Greg Meldrum, saw the Tigers go on a 14-2 run to lead by nine points (24-15) at the end of the first quarter.

Leopards responded strongly at the start of the second period, a spurt of scoring from Kenya Capers plus foul shots from Rashod Johnson saw the Leopards tie the game up at 29-29.

However, the introduction of Tony Christie for the Tigers saw them re-establish a six point advantage before Leopards Coach Bob Donewald called a time out with just 1.27 minutes left in the half.

The last minute saw Leopards guard Rashod Johnson fall heavily, he was carried from the court with an ankle injury and he was unable to take any further part in the game.

At this point the score stood at 44-35 in favour of the Tigers. The last ten seconds captured all the excitement of basketball.

Running down the clock with six seconds remaining, Jason Kimbrough fired home a three point shot.

The Tigers quickly inbounded the ball and as the buzzer sounded, Casey Arena sent a speculative shot goal bound from inside his own half.

The ball looped, dropped and fell through the net, and the home fans rose as the Tigers left the court leading by nine points (47-38).

Without Johnson the Leopards had to reorganise with Steve Ogunjimi filling the vacant guard slot.

Brantley and Dave Attewell started to compete on the boards and gradually the Leopards clawed their way back into the contest.

Behind by four points at the end of the third quarter (66-62), the game was still within sight.

At the start of the final period two baskets from Michael Martin tied the game at 66-66.

Although the Tigers opened up a five point gap behind the shooting of Meldrum, by the time the game entered its final two minutes, Leopards were down by only one point.

However, down the stretch poor shot selection cost the Leopards dearly, and they were forced into committing fouls to stop the clock.

The resulting foul shots allowed the Tigers to extend their lead to eight points (83-75) a result that slightly flattered them.

The Leopards bench players had worked hard in the second half, but the loss of Rashod Johnson, plus some unusual lapses in shooting form, particularly from 15 foot range and beyond, ensured another defeat.

The Leopards points scorers were: Jason Kimbrough 21, Kenya Capers 13, Brandon Brantley 18, Rashod Johnson five, Dave Attewell seven, Steve Ogunjimi three, Michael Martin four, John Tresvant two, and Mark Quashie two.

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