Tees Valley Mohawks fall to Gloucester City Kings 77-75 in the Semi-final of the D2 Playoffs

Tees Valley Mohawks are knocked out of the D2 Playoffs by Gloucester City Kings, in a narrowly contested 77-75 loss, at the Semi-final stage. Cam Schainfield led the Mohawks in scoring with 20 points, while Gloucester were led by Karl Teesdale who also scored 20 points.

Steve Butler said: "Obviously it's a hard one to take, the team gave everything in this one but we were beaten by the tighest of margins. We started the game slow and that cost us in this one."

"We knew Gloucester as a good team, they were dominant in their division and they had a big win at the Quarter-final stage."

"Yes, their point gaurd (Karl Teesdale) was very good today. He had a great poise about his game and also hustled well for steals. I think we could have played better defence against him at times but all credit to him and his performance.

Gloucester City Kings player Karl Teesdale

"Of course their were good performances from us today, Alfie Merifield was a reliable shooter for us again, Jamie Glen was effective close to the basket today. Cam Schainfield also was impressive, he had a fantastic three point shot that drew us level near the end."

"It's difficult to say whether playing Lewis (Butler) and Daniel (Kelsey) so much against East Durham Lions was a mistake. Playing a double header on a weekend is always difficult but at the same time it can help you to get in a rythm and build confidence. I would rather give Gloucester credit for their performance today than look for excuses."

Cam Schainfield said: "It's a bittersweet feeling, it's really deflating to get so close to winning and not getting over the line. At the same time, I feel like the points I put up really kept us in the game and the team gave 110%, Alfie (Merifield) was hot from three again today and Jamie (Glen) was a physical presence inside. Unfortunately the basketball gods weren't on our side tonight."

"Yeah, I would have to agree with coach. Being down 8 points at the end of the first quarter is going to make it harder for the rest of the game. It would be nice to be talking to you here, saying we overcame that but it wasn't to be. It was a high quality game, both of us finished as top seeds in our division pools, I wish them the best in the final."