GLASGOW ROCKS forward Tayo Ogedengbe claims his side can steal an unlikely top-four finish in the British Basketball League after turning their poor start to the season into ancient history.
Sterling Davis' men will target a sixth successive win when they host lowly Leeds Force tomorrow in a double-header at the Emirates Arena with the Trophy final between Newcastle Eagles and Leicester Riders.
The Scots' current surge has taken them within sight of securing their play-off place, a remarkable turnaround from when they hovered above the bottom three in mid-winter. And with Reggie Middleton set to return to the starting line-up following a shoulder injury, Ogedengbe senses the Rocks can keep on a roll.
"Basketball is 80% confidence," said the England internationalist. "Before we didn't know how to play well together. Now we've made changes. We've gone through that process of gelling. It took a while but we're all finally going in the same direction and we know what kind of ability we have as a team."
Despite those improvements, his own side are still a class below Newcastle who will be massive favourites to add the Trophy to the Cup they claimed in January against Glasgow, with the Eagles in hot pursuit of their third domestic clean sweep in a decade. "If they get rolling, with what they have, they're nearly impossible to stop," Ogedengbe said.
Leicester, Britain's oldest professional club, would dearly love to win the only competition that has always eluded them after losing narrowly in the final to Sheffield two years ago at the same venue. And, confirms their coach Rob Paternostro concedes, the Riders will turn up with intentions of an upset.
"We've played 32 times this season and we've won 26 of them," he said. "That's a heck of a record. And what I like about this group is we've won them in different ways. We've been able to adjust in-game and as a young team, we feel like our best lies ahead of us. But we're playing a really good team and to beat them, we'll have to play really well."
FIXTURES
Saturday
BBL. Surrey United v Manchester Giants (7pm)
Sunday
BBL. Glasgow Rocks v Leeds Force (6.15), Durham Wildcats v London Lions (4pm), Sheffield Sharks v Surrey United (4pm)
BBL Trophy Final (Emirates Arena) Newcastle Eagles v Leicester Riders (3.30)
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