HOWARD Crawford sent Essex Leopards into the National Cup semi-finals with a 37-point haul against Loughborough Riders – despite playing with a dislocated finger!

The American led the way in the Big Cats’ 79-73 triumph and scored all 14 of the team’s points in the first quarter.

But his display was made even more impressive due to the fact he was not at full fitness.

“Before the game I didn’t feel very well physically,” said Crawford.

“I banged up my shin, twisted my ankle, and dislocated my pinky finger during the game against Newham on the Friday.

“The whole game I kept telling myself to be aggressive no matter what because I knew my team was going to need it.

“Once I got going I felt like I was on the court all alone practicing my moves and shots.

“Every game I feel like I’m hard to stop but this particular game that feeling was magnified and I just rode that feeling throughout the whole game.

“And before I knew it the game was over and I was told I ended with 37 points and that was a surprise for me.”

Crawford’s heroics secured a seventh straight win for Leopards after they previously moved to the top of the English Basketball League Division One table with a 76-70 triumph against the previously unbeaten Newham Neptunes.

Crawford, who has been labelled the best player in the EBL by coach Robert Youngblood, also top-scored against Newham with 21 points.

But he has not been shocked by Leopards’ run of good results, despite their indifferent start to the season.

“How we’re playing right now is no surprise to me,” said Crawford.

“I knew we had it in us as a team and it was just going to take a little time.

“The game against Newham was more of a mental one than a physical one because they had won 12 straight games and it would’ve been easy to feel like the lesser team.

“But we came into the game feeling like we could win and that helped us a lot.

“I felt we showed a lot of maturity and were starting to execute the game plan a lot better.

“We were then down for three quarters against Loughborough and to take the game back in the fourth showed that we are capable of being a lockdown defensive, grind-it-out type of team, which is also really good.

“Now we want to keep it going and win even more games.”

>Leopards have been drawn against old rivals Reading Rockets in the National Cup semi-final.

The game will be a repeat of the 2005/06 final which Leopards won, and the sides also met in last season’s play-off semi-final.

The game will be played at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday, December 8, tip-off 4pm.