PRESTON – Peter Asante scored a game-high 29 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists and Euan Birch added 16 points and top-seeded Myerscough eased past Canterbury 90-55 on Wednesday to advance to the EABL Final Four.
Myerscough will host third-seed Manchester in the semifinals on Wednesday, Mar. 22 at the Myerscough College High Performance Centre. The Magic, who split games with their conference rival, upended two-seed City of London Academy 70-58 on the road.
Daniel Azancot and Stephen Asante each chipped in 13 points apiece for Myerscough (13-2). Myerscough shot 44.2 percent from the field and scored 23 points off 21 Canterbury turnovers. They won the rebounding margin 51-39, including 16-8 at the offensive end.
Myerscough broke open a 28-26 game with a 27-3 run over the final 7:23 of the second quarter before cruising the rest of the way. Azancot sparked the burst with 3-pointers either side of an Asante basket to make it a 36-26 scoreline. Myerscough, which hit 14 total 3-pointers, would hit five in that stretch.
“The guys really competed today and remained locked in,” said Myerscough coach Troy Culley. “Defensively, the guys were tough to break down. That run helped us put a stranglehold on the game and gave us a lot of confidence to build off our defence and get out in transition. That’s positive to see at this point in the year.”
Myerscough outscored Canterbury 23-7 in transition, 16-5 on second chance points and edged the Crusaders 36-30 on points in the paint.
Shem Onadeko had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting for fourth-seeded Canterbury (5-8). Henry Whysall went 4-for-5 for nine points.
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