A huge game from a whole load of perspectives was the summary of our game against the Jets on Saturday night. This was the first of three matches against Cheshire in the final run-in to the season.

The Jets are right behind us in the standings and our form against them is going to go a long way towards deciding our final league position, and whether we are heading for the play-offs.

I thought the team prepared extremely well all last week, with the performances now at an intensity which is very close to BBL game standard.

The Riders are finally starting to come together on defence, and our zone really was a factor in choking off options for the Jets.

Early on, the experience and shooting ability of Cheshire proved a factor, but we hung in there, and by half-time were feeling good about where we stood.

The Jets have good shooting forwards and it was crucial that we were able to hold them to just four shots inside the paint in the second half.

For that we can look to the efforts of our big guys, Shaun Durant, Jason Johnson and Barry Lamble.

They played pick and roll defence particularly well, really closing down the first and second options of Cheshire, and forcing them to extra passes.

To prevent a shot at all in the Jets' penultimate trip down the court during that game, within the 24 allotted seconds, when they desperately needed a score, was a truly impressive impressive.

Once again I believe Isaac Westbrooks is worthy of a special mention, because he managed nine assists on just two turnovers, and that with the Jets applying a lot of full-court pressure.

It will be another pressure- cooker situation when we travel to Milton Keynes next Sunday to do battle with the Lions.

They were flying high just a few weeks ago, when we managed to sneak a victory, but since then their form has been patchy.

But we all know they are a very physical team and will be desperate for revenge.

They also have great experience, with ex-Riders Michael New, Yorrick Williams and Robert Youngblood in their squad, and one of the premier guards in the BBL in E J Harrison.

But we have good scouting reports on all the BBL teams and by this stage of the season there are not many surprises.

For us, it is now about our own preparations, our concentration and, most of all, our defence.

Every game matters hugely, with just 10 games to go in the regular season, so we need to make sure we are ready to give our all in every game, and let the opposition worry a little about us.