READING Rockets (17-7) still have everything to play for this weekend despite two heart-breaking last-second losses.

Manuel Pena Garces’s men lost 76-74 to Essex Leopards last Thursday and 76-75 to Hemel Storm on Saturday as their nine-match run of success in NBL Division One came to a dramatic halt.

They will hope to return to winning ways when they host second-placed Derby Trailblazers (19-6) on Saturday evening at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre (6pm), before travelling to face the reigning champions Manchester Magic (5pm) at the Amaechi Basketball Centre on Sunday.

Rockets can finish anywhere between second and sixth in the table. A 16 or more points win against the Trailblazers combined with an away win against the Magic will hand them the runners-up spot, but any losses over the weekend and the Berkshire outfit will have to look at other results as both Hemel Storm and Essex Leopards have the better head-to-head results against the Reading team should there be a tie of wins and losses between the clubs.

Head coach Pena Garces is hoping last week’s defeats will not prove costly and said: “We improved during the two games, but the mistakes we made leading to both losses were not ones we want to see again.

“I am naturally disappointed to lose both these games but we can still finish in a good position in the league table and finish the season strong heading into the play-offs. I believe in my players a lot and know this week is a really important one for us all.”

He continued: “With Derby beating Manchester last Sunday it makes this weekend extra difficult if we want to finish second but we will be looking for two wins and then seeing what happens from there. The league is really tough and there have been many upsets along the way so we just need to see by the end of Sunday how things stand.

“Both Derby and Manchester have been the top two teams in the league this season in my opinion. They have a lot of quality but can both be beaten so that is what we must try and do. Derby has some injuries so that might work in our favour but they will be hard to beat especially after last weekend’s result against Manchester, who themselves are the triple winners, an incredible achievement.

“We have a huge weekend ahead as we look to finish strongly and prepare for the play-offs – which is the most exciting part of the season.”

Rockets go into their final regular season weekend with captain Danny Carter fit again following his back injury.

The 26-year-old forward sat out the two-point defeat to Essex but returned for 20 minutes of action against Hemel Storm.

He should feature in both games this weekend, although the Under 18 trio of Ali Sbai, Ibu Jassey Demba, and Bikram Rana will miss out as they are playing in a tournament in Cherbourg.

READING Rockets Ladies (15-1) have clinched the England National Basketball League South West Division regular season title.

Rockets (pictured below) completed their programme with a 62-47 success against Surrey Goldhawks on Monday, having previously seen their 14-match winning run ended in a 63-54 defeat at Bristol Academy Flyers on Sunday.