Ciaran Burns does not need game-deciding free throws to give him sleepless nights.

He has a six-week-old daughter to do that.

But the back-up forward, who combines a player/coach role at Worthing Thunder with fatherhood and a full-time day job as an electronic engineer, was wide awake in the final seconds as his team made it three wins out of four in the BBL.

Burns sank two high pressure free throws to give Thunder a three-point lead with 12 seconds remaining at Leicester Riders’ noisy little gym.

The hosts then missed with two three-point attempts before Phil Missere’s tip-in on the buzzer made the final score 90-89.

Burns, a popular member of the Thunder set-up but not usually a headline-maker, said: “I’m delighted the guys were able to put us in that position and I was able to make the free throws.

“The crowd were going mental but I just tried to concentrate I was just trying not to think about it too much.

“I could hear the crowd and some of the Leicester players talking to me but I tried to shut it out.”

Thunder coach Gary Smith called timeout before the free throws, which cranked up the tension.

Burns said: “I just assumed Leicester had called timeout. It turns out it was us, just to get ourselves organised.

“Gary was saying if I made one out of two that would be okay but deep down I knew I had to make both of them.”

Thunder are now on the verge of the play-off spots and the win at Leicester, scene of a big cup defeat this season, was possibly their best result of the season.

Burns, who hails from Northern Ireland, admitted: “It was a really good win because we felt the cup result was not a fair reflection of the calibre of our team.

“Now we’ve got our first two-win streak in the BBL.”

Thunder overcame the loss of forward Jon Woods to foul trouble and a fourth-quarter surge from Leicester for the win as Colby Bargeman hit 28 points and Janis Ivanovskis added a big 26-and-13 double-double.

Not a bad tale for Burns to tell wife Tara and baby Orla when he got home.

“It’s interesting to see how little sleep you can function on and still go to work and practice,” he said.

“It’s a great experience, though. It has been a really good month.”

Key stat: 0/5 2pts, 1/2 3pts: How Riders’ hotshot Matt Miller was held to three points by Thunder’s defence.

Next up: Thunder v Worcester Wolves, Saturday, 7pm.

brian.owen@theargus.co.uk