READING Rockets (9-5) will end the opening month of the year with their fourth double header in a row when Leicester Warriors (5-7) and Tees Valley Mohawks (1-11) visit this weekend.

Manuel Pena Garces’s split their games again last weekend as they gave up a 15-point half-time lead to Essex Leopards, losing an enthralling encounter 74-72 in the final seconds despite captain Danny Carter’s 24-point haul

The Reading outfit made amends the following day, however, as D’Montre Edwards gathered 26 points in a 71-63 victory away to relegation-threatened Kent Crusaders which keeps Rockets in the hunt for a top four finish in NBL Division One.

Head coach Pena Garces could not hide his frustration after Saturday’s defeat but was pleased his side bounced back the following day.

The Spaniard said: “Saturday’s game was a story of two halves for us because we played some really good basketball in the first half and then showed some poor discipline in the second which cost us the game.

“It was a hard loss to take and it took a while to get it right during the Kent game but we played some excellent basketball and dug out a well deserved win.”

He continued: “This group is learning a lot and we are working hard to be better every practice and ultimately for the end of the season our goal is to be the best we can, work for each other, and win.

“This weekend’s games are must win games for us and how we prepare, approach, and execute will be the keys in trying to attain this. Our discipline in practice needs to transfer to the game floor and we need to keep being accountable and learning every single day to give us the platform we need to push on into this second part of the season.”

Saturday’s opponents Leicester Warriors (6pm tip-off) will travel to Reading having already been beaten 80-58 by the Berkshire outfit in the league in October, although they did win last time out when they beat National Cup runners up Worthing Thunder 100-81.

Sunday’s visitors Tees Valley Mohawks (5pm tip-off) have only a solitary win to their name, when they beat Essex Leopards 82-76 last month.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams with the Rockets winning 83-73 at Middlesbrough Sporting Village two months ago.

Pena Garces has a few injury concerns to contend with as he sees his team compete for the eighth and ninth time in 24 days.

Carter is struggling with a knee complaint and will be assessed during the week with club physio Maitena Senar hoping some rest will help the 26-year-old forward. Point guard Jordan Nicholls also has a problem and has been playing with an injury to his wrist which worsened over the weekend.

The 22-year-old will be a game time decision prior to Saturday’s match.

READING Rockets Ladies (pictured) were left heartbroken following a 53-52 defeat to Essex Blades in their first National Cup Final on Sunday.

Cat Lutz opened the scoring for Rockets which Silvia Garcia Denche complemented as she stroked a treble, but Blades then went on a 9-0 run.

Lutz hit the first of her four trebles as both teams settled into the game. Alex Stollery and Maitena Senar Mendiola opened their personal accounts and despite a Rockets 7-0 run Blades took a three-point advantage into the second quarter, leading 19-16.

Six rebounds by Lutz demonstrated Rockets’ commitment to defence as they held the fluent Essex side to just five points in the period while hitting 15 of their own.

Fast breaks were the order of the quarter as Garcia Denche and Senar Mendiola finished fine Rockets moves and a buzzer-beating Lutz treble took Rockets to the interval 31-24 up.

Five more quick points from Lutz saw Rockets with a double-digit lead within two minutes of the start of the third period.

However some misses and a 7-0 Blades run saw the advantage reduced to just three points. Tighter defence and a three-point play by Senar Mendiola encouraged the Berkshire outfit again and for the second consecutive quarter Lutz hit a buzzer-beating treble to see Rockets lead 46-37 as the final quarter beckoned.

Both teams’ defences were on top as Rockets led by five points with 2.21 remaining and four points up with 1.34 to go.

Blades point guard Jazmine Charles hit only her second treble from eight attempts to make it a single-point game, only for Carla De Benavides to hit one from two from the free throw line.

However, Essex matched the penalty shot leaving Rockets one point up with 41 seconds on the clock.

Blades stopped a Reading score and came down the other end seeking to take the final shot.

A great trap by Rockets defenders stopped the play, but the ball broke kindly for Essex who had a simple lay-up to take the lead with 3.4 seconds remaining.

Still Rockets fought, but Lutz’s last effort came back off the ring to give Essex Blades the 53-52 win in a magnificent game and brilliant advert for ladies basketball.

Top scorers for the outstanding Rockets were Lutz with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, and De Benavides with 10 points and four steals.