SWINDON Shock reached new heights at the weekend as they advanced to the National League Division Four play-off quarter-finals with a 61-55 win over Barking Abbey Crusaders.

However, it was less than straightforward for David Colclough’s side as they were 27-14 down after the first quarter at New College.

In the second quarter, Shock could only close the lead by a point, as the Crusaders’ Pierce Maslen continued to cause havoc among the home team’s defence.

But a tactical change at half-time was the turning point for Shock, who opted to change to a zonal defence, which made all the difference as they outscored Barking 17-6 to bring them to within a point.

In the final instalment, the momentum was with Colclough’s men, who went on to seal the win following good work from Matic Iskra and Spencer Wells, the latter putting up 10 of his 25 points.

“It was fantastic but it didn’t start off too well. When we came back out in the second half the players were really focused,” said Colclough.

“What was really nice about it was we had about 50 people at the game as well. I think that threw the guys and they tried to show off a little bit.

“But it helped us out in the second half because our crowd got really rowdy, which affected the other side.”

Colclough, who guided his team to the National League Division Four South West title two weeks ago, was pleased to see the tactical change have the desired impact at the weekend.

“One of our players asked if we could swap to a zone defence and we waited until half-time to do it so they couldn’t adjust to it," he added.

“We went to the locker room and spoke about it because we rarely play that type of defence but it stumped them.

“They only scored three points in the third quarter so we really had them on the ropes.

“Usually, when you have a really good shooting team or a team with quick players, when you have big guys, they don’t match up.

“That’s an advantage on offence, but on defence, they can’t keep up with the little guys.

“So when you go to a zone, you force them to drive in, which works to our advantage defensively.”

Shock now host Division Four Midlands side Wolverhampton University at New College this weekend.

The club have also set up a Crowdfunding page to help them finance their play-off run and are seeking sponsors to help cover extra costs.